Collaborative Networks

Overview

Alma supports consortia by providing a platform for working together and sharing resources while allowing members to independently and separately manage their own library needs.

Roadmap

2025 H1	2025 H2	2026 H1
Central Configuration Dashboard - Opening Hours, NZ distribution notification, General Electronic Services, Share Online Services Order, and Add Option for Members to request release of Imposed Mode Display Logic Rules: shared NZ choices in IZ Add Network Zone Titles to Alma Collections	Central Configuration Dashboard - View in the Network, Show and get Value from Network, and Manage Institution notifications from NZ to all IZ's Support Services by Central Office Real-Time Update of Linked Accounts User Groups in a Fulfillment Network	Central Configuration Dashboard - Roles and Registration, License Terms, Terms of Use and Policies Allow Distribution of NZ normalization rules to all IZ's Add Network Zone Titles to Course Reserve Blocks Across a Network

2025 H1

Central Configuration Dashboard - New added services and options

What’s New	Highlights	Impact
We continue our ongoing development of the new Central Configuration Dashboard by adding new services and options to the Network Zone operators. The consortia central office will have more centralized operational policies.	This semester will add the following options and services to the new Central Configuration Dashboard: Managing opening hours and distributing calendar information from the Central Configuration Dashboard to the members. A new notification letter will be created at Network Zone level to inform the relevant administrators of the member institutions when a new distribution is run at the Network Zone level from the Central Configuration Dashboard. Management of both General Electronic Services and Share Online Services Order configurations from the Central Configuration Dashboard. Adding an option for Members to request release of "Imposed" Mode	The central office will be able to work more efficiently, reducing time spent applying central policies.

What’s New

Highlights

Impact

We continue our ongoing development of the new Central Configuration Dashboard by adding new services and options to the Network Zone operators.

The consortia central office will have more centralized operational policies.

This semester will add the following options and services to the new Central Configuration Dashboard:

Managing opening hours and distributing calendar information from the Central Configuration Dashboard to the members.
A new notification letter will be created at Network Zone level to inform the relevant administrators of the member institutions when a new distribution is run at the Network Zone level from the Central Configuration Dashboard.
Management of both General Electronic Services and Share Online Services Order configurations from the Central Configuration Dashboard.
Adding an option for Members to request release of "Imposed" Mode

The central office will be able to work more efficiently, reducing time spent applying central policies.

Back to Consortia Roadmap

Display Logic Rules - Shared Network Zone choices in Institution Zone

Idea Exchange

What’s New	Highlights	Impact
Network members will be able to create Display Logic rules with a combination of e-resources managed centrally and locally, coming from the Network Zone and from the local institution.	It is now possible: For the Network Zone operator from the Central Configuration Dashboard to manage a member Display Logic Rules configuration and combined e-resources coming from both Network and Institution zones,. For the Member administrator to manage his Display Logic Rules configuration by combining e-resources coming from both Network and Institution zones.	This enhancement improves efficiency the Display Logic Rules configuration for Consortia by enabling combination of e-resources activated at both levels.

Back to Consortia Roadmap

Add Network Zone Titles to Alma Collections

Idea Exchange

What’s New	Highlights	Impact
Today, members of a network, at their Institution Zone level, can search both Institution Zone titles and Network Zone titles while creating their Alma Collections, but are unable to add Network Zone titles to a collection, they can only add the Institution Zone titles. They have only partial access to their titles today in the collections. This new feature will give them full access to the titles in their collections by adding the possibility to add Network Zone titles to their local collections.	Member institutions will be able to add both Institution Zone titles and Network Zone titles to their Alma Collections.	Members will now have access to all their titles (locally and centrally managed) in their collections.

Back to Consortia Roadmap

2025 H2

Central Configuration Dashboard - New added services and options

What’s New	Highlights	Impact
We continue our ongoing development of the new Central Configuration Dashboard by adding new services and options to the Network Zone operators. The consortia central office will have more centralized operational policies.	This semester will add the following options and services to the new Central Configuration Dashboard: View in the Network - option for the Member Administrator to view the network configuration from its member institution. Get Value from Network - option for the Member Administrator to get the network configuration from its member institution. Management of institution notifications from Network Zone to all members' institutions.	The central office will be able to work more efficiently, reducing time spent applying central policies.

What’s New

Highlights

Impact

We continue our ongoing development of the new Central Configuration Dashboard by adding new services and options to the Network Zone operators.

The consortia central office will have more centralized operational policies.

This semester will add the following options and services to the new Central Configuration Dashboard:

View in the Network - option for the Member Administrator to view the network configuration from its member institution.
Get Value from Network - option for the Member Administrator to get the network configuration from its member institution.
Management of institution notifications from Network Zone to all members' institutions.

The central office will be able to work more efficiently, reducing time spent applying central policies.

Back to Consortia Roadmap

Support Services by Central Office

What’s New	Highlights	Impact
Empower the Consortia Central Office by providing support services to its members using maintenance tools and problem-troubleshooting utilities.	The central office will be able to perform a defined set of maintenance and troubleshooting tasks that were typically performed by Ex Libris support.	The central office will be empowered by services that can be provided to its members. This new feature will enable the Central Office to handle and support its Network members in a timely manner.

What’s New

Highlights

Impact

Empower the Consortia Central Office by providing support services to its members using maintenance tools and problem-troubleshooting utilities.

The central office will be able to perform a defined set of maintenance and troubleshooting tasks that were typically performed by Ex Libris support.

The central office will be empowered by services that can be provided to its members.

This new feature will enable the Central Office to handle and support its Network members in a timely manner.

Back to Consortia Roadmap

Real-Time Update of Linked Accounts

What’s New	Highlights	Impact
Linked account updates will happen in real time.	The refresh of linked accounts across institutions will take place in real time when the record is updated in the source institution.	Libraries will be able to make use of more up-to-date user account information across the network.

Back to Consortia Roadmap

User Groups in a Fulfillment Network

Idea Exchange

What’s New	Highlights	Impact
Institutions will be able to create different locally linked accounts dependent on the patron’s user group in the source institution.	Linked account rules will be configurable per the user group value in the source institution. This will enable assigning different user groups in the target institution based on the patron's user group in the source institution.	Network libraries will gain enhanced configurability in setting network-level fulfillment policies for different user types.

Back to Consortia Roadmap

2026 H1

Central Configuration Dashboard - New added services and options

What’s New	Highlights	Impact
We continue our ongoing development of the new Central Configuration Dashboard by adding new services and options to the Network Zone operators. The consortia central office will have more centralized operational policies.	This semester will add the following options and services to the new Central Configuration Dashboard: Managing Roles and Registration from the Central Configuration Dashboard. Managing License Terms centrally and distributing License terms to members institutions. Management and Distribution of Terms of Use and Policies.	The central office will be able to work more efficiently, reducing time spent applying central policies.

What’s New

Highlights

Impact

We continue our ongoing development of the new Central Configuration Dashboard by adding new services and options to the Network Zone operators.

The consortia central office will have more centralized operational policies.

This semester will add the following options and services to the new Central Configuration Dashboard:

Managing Roles and Registration from the Central Configuration Dashboard.
Managing License Terms centrally and distributing License terms to members institutions.
Management and Distribution of Terms of Use and Policies.

The central office will be able to work more efficiently, reducing time spent applying central policies.

Back to Consortia Roadmap

Allow Distribution of Network Zone Normalization Rules to all Institution Zones

Idea Exchange

What’s New	Highlights	Impact
The consortia central office will be able to manage normalization rules from the Network zone level and distribute them to the members of the network.	Central management and central distribution from Network Zone to all members institutions of the Normalization rules.	Network members will benefit of the central management of those normalizations rules with less duplicated effort that will improve efficiency.

Back to Consortia Roadmap

Add Network Zone Titles to Course Reserve

Idea Exchange

What’s New	Highlights	Impact
Today, members of a network, at their Institution Zone level, can add a citation to a course reading list through a repository search limited to the local titles. They are unable to add Network Zone titles to their course reading lists. The Course Reserve reading list will offer the possibility to add Network Zone titles.	Member institutions will be able to add both Institution Zone titles and Network Zone titles to their reading list in Alma Course Reserve.	Members will now have access to all their titles (locally and centrally managed) in their Course Reserve reading list.

Back to Consortia Roadmap

Blocks Across a Network

Idea Exchange

What’s New	Highlights	Impact
Fulfillment Network members will be able to share local blocks with the entire network.	Blocks will be copied not only from the source institution but also from the target institutions.	Libraries will be able to better consolidate their fulfillment services across the network.

Back to Consortia Roadmap