Alma 2024 Release Notes
Release:
Main Features
BIBFRAME Support
May 2024 Linked Open Data
Alma is a multi-format system that supports BIBFRAME Works and Instances. Records in this format are seamlessly integrated into Alma's workflows, including resource management, acquisition, fulfillment, and discovery support. For detailed insights into Alma's capabilities for managing BIBFRAME records across its diverse sections and functionalities, see BIBFRAME Support.
Filtering for History in User Details
User history that is accessed from the History tab of the User Details page, is now filtered by default to show changes from the last 30 days. Additional filtering options are for 7 days, one year, or an unfiltered view.
For more information see Viewing Changes to the History Tab.
Lender not Assigned if Locate Fails
This release introduces the rs_do_not_send_request_when_locate_fails configuration option, enhancing borrowing partner management. Should a borrower face technical issues locating a resource at the lender (for example, connection problems), this functionality automatically removes the lending partner from the borrowing rota to streamline the process.
For more information see Locating Items for Resource Sharing.
Define whether Fees are Automatically Moved to the Patron
Previously, when borrowing institution marked an item as lost, the request was changed to lost communicated and no fines and fees were applied to the lost loan. The lender received a message regarding the lost item, and they had to manually send a message with the fines and fees that would be applied to the borrowing institution. The borrowing institution had to manually add the fines and fees to the patron. Now, the borrowing library can set this this automatically based on the loan terms of use (TOU), by using the rs_use_tou_for_lost_item parameter.
For more information see Managing Lost Loans and Lost Workflow Action.
Improved Facets in Borrowing and Lending List
Idea ExchangeURM-170011
A number of improvements were implemented for facets in the borrowing and lending lists. These include a search feature to find facets in the list, the ability to customize facets and also to exclude facet values in the borrowing and lending lists.
For more information see Facets.
ISO 18626 Peer to Peer Communication with Tipasa/WS ILL
It is now possible to set a Tipasa or WS ILL partner as a peer to peer partner using the ISO18626 setup.
Setting the Tipasa/WS ILL requires setting up the partner record in Alma with:
- The partner’s symbol in the Symbol field
- The OCLC server URL
- An API Key provided by OCLC. Please contact OCLC to obtain this key.
For more information see Tipasa, WorldShare ILL, and Relais Parameters.
Auto Renewal After Due Date
May 2024 Fulfillment and Resource Sharing 
NERS Enhancement (ID# 8345) URM-194910
It is now possible to auto renew loans for which the block has been removed, even if the block was removed after the due date.
For more information see Configuring Fulfillment Jobs.
Configure Translation of Letters Available for Patron Opt-In/Out in Primo
Libraries that enable patrons to use Primo to select letters for opt-in/out can now configure and translate the letter names.
For more information see:
Homosaurus Vocabulary Added to the AlmaRefine Cloud App
Alma has now added the linked data Homosaurus vocabulary to the AlmaRefine cloud app. This now makes it possible to reconcile against the vocabulary in Alma using AlmaRefine.
For more information on the Homosaurus vocabulary, click here.
For more information on the AlmaRefine cloud app, click here.
For a blog on "How to use the Alma Refine cloud app for service Homosaurus", click here.
Linked Open Data Enrichment Configuration
Organizations have the capability to customize linked data enrichment for MARC records. They have the flexibility to select the authorities they wish to enrich and designate the appropriate subfield ($0 / $1). Additionally, they can opt to incorporate VIAF URIs and include supplementary authorities for enrichment, such as local authorities supporting URIs. This feature empowers institutions to exercise enhanced control over the linked data enrichment process for MARC records.
For more information, see Linked Data Enrichment Configuration.
Local Authority Indication in Browse Authority Headings
Libraries that manage local authority records as part of a global vocabulary can now see if an authority record is a local record they've created. This is useful when libraries want to identify and maintain their overriding local authority records, as authority vocabularies change.
For more information, see Adding a Local Authority Definition.
Prominent Indication When Editing a Community Record
The Metadata Editor now prominently highlights when a record being edited is a Community Zone record. Additionally, a warning message has been incorporated to alert users before saving changes that could affect the community. This precautionary measure is implemented to prevent librarians from inadvertently modifying a community record when their intention is to manage local information exclusively.
For more information, see Editing Community Zone Bibliographic Records.
Search by Standard Number in External Search Resources
Idea Exchange
A new field, Standard Number, is available for searching in Alma External Search Resources. For more information, see Working with Search Resources in the MD Editor.
Searching by Standard Number in External Search Resources depends on whether the Standard Number field is supported by the system that manages the search target.
Metadata Management Index Updates
New Authority Search Indexes by 885 Field
Idea ExchangeNew Source of Description Note Search Index
URM-212604
Semi-Annual Re-indexing
URM-186774
- Retrieval of LOD Enriched MARC Record, see here.
- BIBFRAME Records Are Now Supported in the SRU as a New Record Schema, see here.
- Indexing the Full Call Number for Search and Browse, see here.
- New Source of Description Note Search Index, see here.
- New Authority Search Indexes by 885 Field, see here.
- New "General Note" Advanced Search Option Added to the Electronic Collection Search, see here.
Creating Record Versions for Changes in a Record's Management Tag
Idea ExchangeURM-211334
Previously, management tags like "Suppressed from discovery" were not logged in record versions, making it impossible to track when or by whom a record was suppressed or unsuppressed. With the recent update, this information will be recorded and visible in record versions. Whenever a record's management tag changes, a new version will be generated, displaying the previous tag value. Restoring a previous version will only affect the metadata, not other information on the versions page, such as cataloging level or management tags.
Record versions created before this update have null values for all management tags. The values for management tags will only be recorded when the record undergoes any subsequent update. Therefore, in the version created for that update, it may seem as though the user initiating the first update post-release "updated" the management tags to their existing values.
For more information, see Working with Records > View Versions.
Indexing the Full Call Number for Search and Browse
Idea ExchangeURM-39930
Previously, only the first part of the bibliographic call number ($$a or $$h) was used for searching and browsing. Following this enhancement:
- Additional details appear upon accessing the browse shelf listing from a MARC21 or KORMARC bibliographic record. The Call Number editing field is automatically filled with the information from $a and $b in fields 050, 055, 060, 070, 080, 082, 084, and with the information from $h and $i in field 852. In cases where multiple instances of the same subfield are present, the first occurrence will be utilized unless the cursor is positioned on a different occurrence, in which case that one is utilized.
- After the semi-annual indexing process, data from the $b subfield of the following specified fields are included in the call number search indexes within the repository search:
- LC call number: 050, 055, 090
- Universal Decimal Class Number: 080
- Dewey Decimal Class Number: 082, 092
- Other Classification Number: 084
This feature is beneficial for librarians seeking to search for the complete call number, rather than solely focusing on the classification segment.
For more information, see:
Search Titles by the Originating System ID of the Authority Record Linked to Their Bibliographic Headings
The functionality of the "Heading Information" search has been expanded to enable searching for bibliographic records based on their heading information linked to a specific authority record. A new option, "All", has been included in the Heading Type drop-down menu. When selected, users are prompted to specify the authority record's Originating System and Originating System ID. This enhancement enables users to retrieve all bibliographic records with headings linked to the specified authority record, irrespective of the heading type.
For more information, see Searching in Alma > Search Fields > Heading Information.
Updates to MARC21 Profile
MARC21 update No. 37, December 2023 is now available for bibliographic, holdings, and authority profiles.
Physical Item Templates
Idea ExchangeURM-195373
Alma enables users to save an existing physical item as a template and utilize it when manually creating new physical items to pre-fill fields such as notes, item policy, material type, temporary location, and so forth.
The template will encompass all the item's details except for Barcode, Inventory number, Pattern information, Process type, At (request department), Item call number prefix/suffix, and Temporary call number prefix.
Adding a new item from a template is accessible in a holdings' items list and during the editing of a holdings record in the Metadata editor. The new item will open as a draft, enabling the operator to make necessary adjustments before saving.
Note that content indicators on the tabs only appear after the item is saved, not in draft mode.
Furthermore, you can select a template to use in the Add Physical Item quick cataloging form, that automatically populates the item created by that form with the template's data.
Once an operator selects a template to work with, Alma remembers the selection for the user, reducing the need to select a template repeatedly, unless there's a change in the types of items being created.
This functionality is particularly beneficial for physical inventory operators who frequently create similar items, streamlining the item creation process and enhancing efficiency.
For more information:
- Quick Cataloging - use an item template when manually adding a physical item, see Working with Items > Adding a Physical Item to an Existing Title.
- Item List - manually adding an item from the holdings' items list and applying a template, see Working with Items > Working with the List of Items.
- Metadata Editor - add an item record to the holdings record by using a template, see Add Item from Template.
Option to Disable the Link Resolver Usage Indication in Search Results and in the Overlap Analysis Tool
Alma has added a customer parameter (allow_link_resolver_usage_indications) in Configuration > Resources > Other settings that allows users to disable the Link Resolver Usage indication in search results and in the Overlap Analysis tool. The default value for the customer parameter is set to true. When set to true, data about "link resolver usage" indication in search results and the Overlap Analysis tool is available. When set to false, data about "link resolver usage" in search results and the Overlap Analysis tool will not be available.
For more information, see:
- For customer parameter information, see Configuring Other Settings (Resource Management).
- For a general description on the way Link Resolver Usage is calculated, see Link Resolver Usage.
Automatic Upload Electronic Holdings Updates
Automatic Upload Electronic Holdings from JSTOR (Books)
Automatic Upload Electronic Holdings from Preselect
Idea ExchangeURM-202178
Automatic Upload of Electronic Holdings from Project Muse Now Includes Grantis Content
URM-210936
Automatic Upload of Electronic Holdings from Taylor & Francis is Now Based on Unique ID
New General Note Advanced Search Option Added to the Electronic Collection Search
May 2024 Electronic Resource Management Idea Exchange
This feature will be gradually available during the release as it requires indexing of the collections and services. The search indexes will appear but the result may not reflect the actual status during the first few days of the release.
Two new advanced search options were added to the Electronic Collection Advanced search option:
- Notes tab - General Notes (Electronic Collection)
- Notes tab - General Notes (Service)
These two new options enable users to locate text populated within the "General Notes" section (under the "Notes" tab) for both Electronic Collection and Service.
The name of the existing "Notes tab" search index, which resides under the Electronic portfolio advanced search, was modified to "Notes tab - General Notes" to be consistent with the two new search indexes. This name change has no other implications and the search index will keep functioning as it did.
For more information, see Search Indexes > Electronic Collections.
Digital Titles No Longer Require Collections
The requirement for digital titles to be part of a collection is now optional. If you want your institution to be able to create and maintain digital titles without them being part of a collection, contact Ex Libris Support to enable this feature.
MODS Schema Now Available for Metadata Forms
Idea Exchange URM-209197 URM-109801Forms consists of a template of fields to be used when creating digital titles. You can now create forms based on the MODS metadata schema. For more information, see Working with Forms.
Multi-Language Captions Now Available
Idea Exchange URM-207635 URM-212941- The Captions Management dialog box that appears when selecting Captions for a video file was enhanced. It now allows the uploading of multiple caption files and a drop-down list of languages, so you can assign a language to the captions file.
Captions ManagementYou can configure only one captions file per language. - When adding files to a representation, you can include multiple files with different language extensions, such as captions.vtt.en, captions.vtt.fr, and so on. Alma allows you to select from the various caption languages in the supported viewers.
- The Digital Viewer and Universal Viewer support multi-language captions. When viewing a video file, select the language of the captions you want by selecting the closed captions icon at the bottom of the viewer.
Captions Language
For more information, see Managing Digital Files from the Digital Representation Resource Editor and The New Digital Viewer.
Quick Ordering from Amazon
Previously, when ordering a resource from Amazon, users needed to access Alma in order to record the order information. Now with the new Order It! browser add-on, the user can easily create the order automatically in Alma directly from Amazon.
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Permanently Delete Licenses in Alma
Idea ExchangeURM-213464
From now, the Delete action will permanently delete a license from Alma. In addition, the Deactivate action was added, enabling the user to keep such licenses in the list, with the new "Inactive" status. The Activate action was added to licenses in the Inactive status, enabling users to quickly set the license to the Active status. Previously deleted licenses which up until today had the "Deleted" status, will now have the "Inactive" status.
If a shared license was distributed to members and was then deleted in in the network institution, it will be 'detached' from the network institution and will continue to be managed locally in the member institution. For more information, see Managing Licenses and Amendments.
The delete license API will continue to function as today by default. The only difference is that instead of setting licenses to the “Deleted” status it will change them to “Inactive”. A new query parameter was added: <permanent delete>. It is set to false by default. When true, it permanently deletes the license from Alma.
For more information, see the Developer Network.
Improvement to Usage Report Performance
COUNTER files are now manually loaded by a background job in order to improve the performance and avoid timeouts.
In addition, the Allow data overlap checkbox was added to give users more flexibility for handling cases of overlap between data in the system and in the uploaded file. When checked, existing data in the system will be overwritten with data from the uploaded file. When not checked, if there is data duplication, the entire file will be ignored i.e., it will not be uploaded. For more information see Managing COUNTER-Compliant Usage Data.
Enhancements for Sending POL Information with EDIs
Idea ExchangeURM-100434
When sending the Quantity for pricing for electronic PO Lines, instead of sending the value of 1 by default, the actual quantity in the PO line is sent. In addition, in the EDI Vendor Note Fields drop down list, the Access Model now appears as an option that can be selected for sending with the EDI.
For more information on working with EDI in acquisitions see Electronic Data Interchange.
View PO Lines that are Assigned to Others
Users with the Purchasing Operator role can now view PO Lines that are assigned to others. Note that users with this role will not be able to edit or take any action on such orders - only viewing is enabled.
Enhancements when Receiving from PO Line
When performing the Receive action in the PO line for Ordered Items, in the dialog box that appears, the receiving alerts now display.
In addition, the Item Call Number field was added to the Ordered Items table (disabled by default).
For more information see Receiving Physical Material.
Consortia Import Permission Per Member
May 2024 Collaborative Networks
The Consortia administrator now can control which member can import records into the Network Zone repository. For more information, see Selecting Where to Create New Bibliographic Records.
Restrict Deletion of Network Zone Bibliographic Records with Related Records and/or Local Extensions
The Consortia central office holds the authority to manage the deletion of Network Zone Bibliographic records and decide what would be the behavior in various cases. For example, when the records have related records and/or local extensions, the deletion of such records can be either blocked or a warning message is triggered to the operator.
For more information, see Restrict Deletion of Network Zone Bibliographic Records with Related Records and/or Local Extensions.
Support Parallel Work in Multiple Tabs in Internet-Browser
Alma introduces a new feature that enables users to open and login to the same Alma environment through multiple tabs. This improvement enhances productivity and efficiency by enabling users to simultaneously work on multiple workflows, for example, open records in distinct internet browser tabs, facilitating seamless copying of information between tabs and performing various tasks or workflows concurrently.
With the multi-tab capability, each browser tab is assigned a random ID, serving as a unique suffix for the corresponding session entries. This advancement facilitates the simultaneous operation of the same Alma session across multiple internet browser tabs. A user can now open and login to the same Alma environment in two or more tabs and work concurrently without one tab impacting the others.
- Multiple tabs functionality ONLY works if multiple browser tabs are opened for the same:
- Alma environment
- Logged-in user account
- An Alma session opened from "Open in a new tab", e.g. Opening a new tab in the browser by right-clicking a function in the Alma UI and selecting "Open in a new tab" will not work. Users will receive a "block" message.
- Trying to sign in as different users of the same institution simultaneously from the same internet browser (through different tabs of the internet browser on the same computer) – will not work (the last signed-in user will override the user in the other tab(s)).
For more information, see Alma Environment Multi Tabs.
Scheduling Support for Manual Jobs (Run a Job)
May 2024 User Experience, Accessibility & Infrastructure Idea Exchange NERS Enhancement (ID #8373)
Manual tasks necessitate the direct intervention of a user for execution. Tasks may need to be performed at a later time, potentially during the evening or even at night. Similarly, there is a demand for clients to schedule routine job runs, whether on a weekly, monthly, or other recurring basis.
When scheduling a manual job, the scheduled time is the time where the job run is triggered, and the actual run may start later (depending on system resources).
Alma now implements a new scheduler that users can proactively schedule jobs, whether they are periodic tasks or one-time operations. This feature enables jobs to be executed automatically, accommodating scenarios where tasks need to be performed outside regular working hours or when a staff member is unavailable to execute them manually. This scheduling enhancement is applied to all manual jobs that can be run via Admin > Manage Jobs and Sets > Run a Job. The Schedule form has been added to the last step of the 'Run a Job' wizard. For more information on the Schedule section of the 'Run a Job' wizard, see Manual Jobs.
The scheduled manual jobs are displayed in the newly added Scheduled Manual Jobs tab (Admin > Manage Jobs and Sets > Monitor Jobs > Scheduled Manual Jobs). This list enables users to manage the scheduled jobs, edit the schedule, delete the schedule and so forth. For more information on the Scheduled Manual Jobs tab, see Scheduled Jobs.
Sorting of Facets
Alma introduces alphabetical sorting for facets, providing enhanced organization.
Notably, the unified PO Lines list maintains its existing sorting for specific facets.
- Workflow step
- Creation date
- Sent date
- Renewal date
- Reporting code
Additionally, the "Library" facet within the physical holdings search retains its current configuration, ensuring that institutions configured to showcase their library first will continue to experience this feature as before.
For more information see Using Facets to Refine Search Results.
"Hebrew Fuzzy Search" Added to Alma Menu Search Bar
Expanding the functionality of the Alma search menu to include "smart" search capabilities in Hebrew. Historically, this feature has exclusively supported English. However, beginning in May 2024, it will also be extended to the Hebrew interface. Consequently, the search functionality will now offer suggestions for synonyms, interchangeable terms, and even assist with simple spelling errors. This improvement enhances user navigation, simplifying the process of locating items within the Alma Hebrew search menu.
Manage Sets Updates
Manage Sets - Toggle Active/Inactive Set in Record View and Bulk Action
Manage Sets - Implement Grid Table View
Manage Sets - Implement Quick Access
The Quick Access functionality will be gradually implemented in additional list pages that support the side-by-side mode.
- By utilizing the keyboard shortcut (period '.') or
- By selecting the last link labeled "Quick Access" situated below the sections links in the side menu section.
Support for OpenID Connect for Authentication Self Registration
OIDC based authentication facilitates self-registration, driven by the settings configured in the integration profile. This includes ongoing support for self-registration and updates using this authentication method.
For more information, see OpenID Connect in the Developers Network.
Add Countries to Country List
Institutions can now add or remove countries from the country list. For more information, see Countries.
Support Filter by Enabled/Disabled Rows in Mapping and Code Tables
Alma introduces a new "Enabled" filter in all relevant Mapping and Code Tables that incorporate enabled/disabled fields. The filter enables users to display All, Enabled (Yes) or Disabled (No) values. When filtering a table list, only lines within the relevant scope will be displayed. For instance, If the list is currently filtered by 'Disabled' and the user enables a line, the list will refresh to remove the recently enabled line. The same applies vice-versa if the list is filtered by 'Enabled'.
For more information, see Code Tables and Mapping Tables.
Springshare Integration with Alma
Alma Analytics now offers integration with Springshare Gate Counts and Reference data. This allows you to display LibInsights information in Alma Analytics reports.
To support this feature, the following enhancements were made:
- The new Springshare Integration Profile is now available to enable Alma to import data from the Springshare API.
- The new Import Data from Springshare job is available that imports the data from Springshare when the integration profile is configured.
- In Alma Analytics:
- The new External Vendor Data subject area is now available, which allows you to create reports that display information imported from Springshare LibInsights concerning Gate Counts and References. For more information, see External Vendor Data.
- The Library Services to Individuals and Gate Counts tabs were added to the ACRL and IPEDS dashboard. They display reports of the number of library services provided to patrons by method and the number of individuals entering or leaving the library, respectively. For more information, see ACRL and IPEDS Dashboard.
For more information concerning Springshare Integration with Alma, see Springshare Integration.
New Limited Design Analytics Roles
New design analytics roles are now available that give the user access to specific subject areas only. With these roles, administrators can limit users to view only the subject areas that are within their responsibility. All reports, both those in the catalog and those in the Shared with me area, are visible to users with the limited roles, but only ones in the subject areas to which they have access run successfully.
The new roles are the following:
- Designs Analytics – Fulfillment: limits access to the API Usage, Analytics Objects, Analytics Usage Tracking, Borrowing Requests, Course Reserves, DARA, Fines and Fees, Fulfillment, Lending Requests, Local Authorities, Requests, Resource Sharing, System Events, Title, and Users subject areas.
- Designs Analytics – Resources: limits access to the Analytics Objects, Analytics Usage Tracking, API Usage, DARA, Digital Inventory, Digital Usage, Digital Waitlist, E-Inventory, Licenses, Link Resolver Usage, Local Authorities, Physical Items Historical Events, Physical Items, System Events, Title, and Users subject areas.
- Designs Analytics – Acquisition: limits access to the Purchase Requests, Analytics Objects, Analytics Usage Tracking, API Usage, DARA, Funds Expenditure, Local Authorities, System Events, Title, Usage Data (COUNTER), and Users subject areas.
For more information on Design Analytics roles, see Design Analytics Roles.
Limited Anonymization of Report Details
Report details can be anonymized to protect patrons' privacy. Besides the option for anonymization of all user details, there is now an option to anonymize all user details, except for the following which remain visible in reports. This hides patron information while leaving information regarding library staff activities visible.
The following fields in the Users subject area:
- User Details > First Name
- User Details > Last Name
- User Details > Primary Identifier
- Email > Email
The fields in the following dimensions:
- Analytics Objects > Created by
- Analytics Usage Tracking > User Details
- Borrowing Requests > Assigned to
- Course Reserves > Librarian
- DARA > Assigned to
- DARA > Modified by
- E-Inventory > Electronic Collection PO Line Approver
- E-Inventory > Portfolio PO Line Approver
- Fines and Fees > Staff Operator Details
- Fulfillment > Loan Operator Details
- Fulfillment > Return Operator Details
- Funds Expenditure > PO Line Approver
- Lending Requests > Assigned to
- Physical Items > PO Line Approver
- Physical items > Receiving Operator
- Purchase Requests > PO Line Approver
- Purchase Requests > Purchase Request Approver
- Purchase Requests > Purchase Request Assigned To
- Purchase Requests > Purchase Request Creator
- Purchase Requests > Purchase Request Modified By
For more information, see Anonymizing Analytics Report Details.
Lending Requests Returned to Temporary Location
Items that are shipped for fulfilling a resource sharing lending request are moved to a temporary location. If, before shipping, the item was already in a temporary location then, when returned, the item would revert back to the permanent location (instead of the previous temporary location). Now, the item will revert back to the previous temporary location.
For more information see Temporary Location Information.
Hold Shelf Policy for Resource Sharing Requests
Idea Exchange URM-93313
To prevent items from sitting on hold shelves for extended periods of time, Alma now enables you to configure if the maximum time for an item to remain on a hold shelf before being returned to the lending library should be based on:
- Due Date for the request
- Circulation Desk Hold Shelf Expiration Time
For more information see Managing the Hold Shelf.
Display User's Loan Due Date in Borrowing Request Page
NERS Enhancement (ID #8125) URM-191486
You can now display the Due Date of the loan associated with the borrowing request.
You can configure this in the Records Customization page.
For more information see Customizing the Record Display.
Sort Lending Resource Sharing Requests by Location
To efficiently organize your lending requests, you can now sort lending requests by location. After selecting Sort by: Shelving Location, when printing pickup slips, the pickup slips are printed in order by shelving location.
This is only relevant for requests that have not yet shipped.
For more information about working with lending requests see Managing Lending Requests.
Support for Visiting Patrons Functionality Using the Inn-Reach D2IR API
It is now possible to integrate Alma with Inn-Reach using version 3 of the D2IR API. This will enable using Alma and Inn-Reach in an integrated manner for supporting the Visiting Patrons workflow, in addition to the classic resource sharing requesting workflow.
For more information see InnReach API Implementation Guide.
Support Pickup Location for InnReach Requests
Alma now supports Pickup Location for InnReach requests. When a new borrowing request is created via the D2IR V3 call, the pickupLocation element is parsed. The information is used to identify the requested Alma pickup location. The location reported by InnReach must be a valid Alma location.
If there is no match to an existing location then the default pickup location of the owning Resource Sharing library is used (as is the case today).
For more information see InnReach API Implementation Guide.
Borrowing Task List — Print Slip in Bulk
Idea Exchange-203318
The Print Slip bulk action enables the library staff to reprint received or returned slips in bulk. When multiple borrowing requests are selected, selecting Print Slip reprints all the slips.
For requests that were not received, no print slip is printed. For requests that were received but not yet returned, the Resource Sharing Receive Slip Letter is printed. For requests that were returned, the Resource Sharing Return Slip Letter is printed. When multiple items are selected, all slips that were received/returned are printed and a message appears indicating which slips were printed successfully and which slips could not be printed.
For more information see Managing Borrowing Requests.
Dismiss/Activate Notes Action in Right Pane of Resource Sharing Task Lists
February 2024 Fulfillment and Resource Sharing
Both the borrowing and the lending resource sharing task lists now allow dismissing or activating notes from within the right pane of the task list. This makes it easier to manage the request notes without having to navigate to the full Edit form.
For more information about working with notes see Managing Notes
Conditional Terms of Use for Digital Requests
Lenders that provide a document delivery service can now indicate whether the supplied document can be made available to the patron in digital form, or whether the digital content requires manual handling by the borrowing staff, such as printing a physical copy that can be shared with the patron as a non-returnable physical copy. This new option enhances copyright control by enabling the lender to specify to the borrower that the document cannot be shared with the patron. As a lender, you can enable the relevant terms from Configuration > Fulfillment > Resource Sharing > Shipping Terms of Use. By default, only the NONE term is enabled.
When the message is received on the borrower side and a term of use is selected by the lender, an alert is added to the request indicating that the request has a loan condition. The received digital file is not automatically forwarded to the patron, and the borrower request remains in a Shipped Digitally status.
In addition, the Shipping Terms Of Use condition appears in the Request information on the right pane.
For more information see Delivering Digitized Items Using the Document Delivery Page.
Resource Sharing Off Time Updates
Previously, Rapid users needed to update both Alma and RapidILL when setting their library off times. Now, when the parameter rs_update_rapid_with_lending_offtime (Configuration > Fulfillment > General > Other Settings) is set to true (default false), when updating the resource sharing library's Inactive dates range in Alma (Configuration > General > Libraries > Add a Library or Edit Library Information > Summary tab > check Temporarily inactive for lending), the date range in RapidILL is automatically updated with the data configured in Alma.
- The start date must be less than one year in the future.
- The duration cannot be longer than 30 days.
- Setting this configuration to true means that the configured inactive dates override the dates submitted using RapidILL webpages.
- The temporarily inactive checkbox remains selected after the date range until it is manually deselected.
Linked Open Data Enrichment for IdRef Authorities
Idea ExchangeURM-203688
The Linked Open Data enrichment process for bibliographic records that are linked to IdRef authorities now also generate URIs to the IdRef authority records. This enables libraries that work with IdRef authorities to benefit from their Linked Open Data capabilities. For more information, see Using Linked Open Data While Working with Bibliographic Records.
Retrieval of LOD Enriched MARC Record
Retrieval of a MARC record with Linked Open Data enrichment is now supported using the Bib GET API
For more information see the Developer Network.
BIBFRAME Records Are Now Supported in the SRU as a New Record Schema
The SRU protocol facilitates the search for a BIBFRAME instance, whether it is sought after as a BIBFRAME record or as a converted MARC record. Users can search for BIBFRAME records in the same manner as they do for other record types. BIBFRAME records seamlessly integrate into existing workflows and are treated as converted MARC records. This support for BIBFRAME enables the integration of Alma search with other automated systems, facilitating processes such as inter-library loan, copy cataloging, and selection.
For more information, see: SRU documentation in the Ex Libris Developers Network.
Read-Only Browse Bibliographic Headings Access
Previously, only users with roles permitting work in the Metadata Editor could access Browse Bib Headings. Now, a read-only Browse Bib Headings is accessible to all users, much like the repository search feature, offering greater access to the library's repository. This enhancement proves beneficial for users seeking to view a list of records by title, author, or subject, even without precise search terms for retrieval.
For more information, see Browsing Bibliographic Headings.
Repository Import - Limit Match of Bibliographic Records to a Specific Electronic Collection
Idea ExchangeURM-96415
Alma now facilitates targeted matching of incoming repositories specifically to a chosen electronic collection and not the entire catalog. This ensures avoidance of multiple match events, enhancing data accuracy, and simplifying management processes.
For more information, see Creating/Editing an Import Profile: Match Profile.
Option to Publish Entire Bibliographic Records Repository
Institutions now can efficiently export the complete content of their bibliographic records through a newly introduced general publishing option. This enables users to customize pertinent publishing profiles that encompass the entire repository. This option is activated by a new checkbox, Publish the entire repository in the General Profile configuration page.
This option is relevant only for bibliographic-level publishing.
For more information, see Creating a General Publishing Profile.
Filtering Holdings Sets Using Indication Rules
Alma users can now apply indication rules to filter collections of holdings records either during the process of saving a holdings search or by utilizing the "Filter Set" feature on the Manage Sets page. Additionally, when generating indication rules through a form, it is now feasible to create rules based on the metadata of holdings records. This functionality proves especially beneficial for libraries aiming to refine their holdings sets using metadata not included in the search indexes.
For more information, see Creating a Form-Based Indication Rule.
Exporting Bibliographic Rank in the General Publishing Profile
Within the General Publishing Profile, there is now a feature allowing the inclusion of the Bibliographic Rank as part of bibliographic enrichment. To enable this, mark the "Add Management Information" checkbox, provide the repeatable field where you want the enrichment placed (if not already configured), and indicate the subfield for inclusion of the bibliographic rank.
For more information on the bibliographic rank, see Bibliographic Ranking in Metadata Editor.
For more information on the general publishing profile, see Publishing and Inventory Enrichment (General Publishing).
Deletion of Community Zone Originated Records
Idea ExchangeURM-210338
Previously, users were able to remove a Network Zone bibliographic record from their institution tab, given that the record is created within the network zone or has a "Held by" indication. However, deleting a record that originated from the community zone was not enabled. Users are now able to delete a Network Zone bibliographic record from the Institution/Network tab, even if the record has its origins in the Community Zone.
For more information, see Deleting Bibliographic Records.
New Save and Receive Action Added to Item Editor
NERS Enhancement (ID #6669)URM-206228
A recently introduced functionality, the Save and Receive action, has been incorporated into the "Physical Item Editor" page in Alma. This action will be accessible under the following conditions:
-
Users possessing Receiving Operator/Receiving Manager roles for the owning library of the Purchase Order (PO) line, and/or users with Receiving Operator/Receiving Manager roles for a library designated as "acquire for" the owning library of the PO line.
-
When the "Receiving date" field is unfilled, and the "PO line" field is populated.
This feature enables users to work on an item (in the Item Editor), save and receive the item in a single action. Upon selecting Save and Receive, a dialogue window is displayed enabling users to fill in the receiving date and choose whether to keep in department.
The department listed under "Currently At" directly impacts the ability to save and receive the item; an error occurs if the user is not in the correct department. Furthermore, the values shown in the "Next step" field within the dialogue window correspond to the "Currently At" department.
For more information, see Updating Item-Level Information.
Configurable Physical Item Condition
Idea ExchangeURM-208272
Libraries now can customize the selection of physical conditions available for describing items in the physical item condition field. This feature proves beneficial for libraries seeking a more diverse range of terms to accurately depict the physical condition of their items.
For more information, see Configuring Physical Item Condition.
Pre Release Indication for Upcoming Community Zone Collections
This will be released gradually during March 2024.
A new Pre Release indication is now displayed for Electronic Collections that are currently in the process of being added to the Community Zone by the Ex Libris content team. This proactive feature enables customers to stay informed about the most recent content additions, eliminating the necessity to contact Ex Libris or provider support teams for updates.
- The Pre Release indicator only appears for Community Zone Electronic Collections.
- For Electronic Collections that are Pre Release, all actions other than the "Portfolio list" are disabled.
- All Community Zone Portfolios under "Pre Release Electronic collections" also have a "Pre Release" indication and will have their actions disabled.
- Community Zone Titles that only have Pre Release portfolios associated with it also have the "Pre Release" indication and will have their actions disabled.
For more information, see Contributing to the Community Zone – Local Electronic Collections.
Automatic Upload Electronic Holdings from Taylor & Francis (Journals)
Libraries can now easily update their holdings for Taylor & Francis Journals through the Automatic Upload of Electronic Holdings feature. When activated, this process automatically downloads a file with your holdings information from the Taylor & Francis platform in a standardized format, and then updates your holdings in the Taylor & Francis collection. This integration eliminates the need for manual updates when the Taylor & Francis side makes changes.
Obtaining the token ID for the Journals integration will be available in the Taylor & Francis site from February 13.
The following Community Zone collections should be activated in order to utilize the automated process for journals:
- (Journals) - Taylor & Francis Current Content Access (Community Zone Collection ID = 611000000000002216)
- All portfolios that are updated from the various upload electronic holdings integrations modify the portfolio as "Available".
- All portfolios are activated from the Community Zone.
- A portfolio that is not found in the Community Zone, will not be created locally. The job only activates matching portfolios from the Community Zone.
For more information, see Upload Electronic Holdings from Taylor and Francis.
Collection-Level Access Model Setting
Idea ExchangeURM-209130
Users now have the capability to establish an access model at the collection level, with all portfolios within that collection automatically adopting it. This functionality is especially advantageous for libraries employing auto-activated collections, ensuring that each new addition seamlessly inherits the access model.
This empowers users to define and oversee access models at the collection level, promoting a consistent and efficient approach to portfolio discovery.
For institutions that have the "Ebook Central Perpetual, DDA and Subscription Titles" Collection activated from the Community Zone and have the "Upload Electronic Holdings" integration enabled with "ProQuest Ebook Central", the new "Electronic Collection Access Model" field will be disabled.
For more information, see Managing Electronic Resources.
Overlap Analysis Tool Now Presents Link Resolver Usage Data as Part of the Report
The Overlap Analysis reports have been updated with the addition of two new columns:
- Link resolver usage (access)
- Link resolver usage (appearances)
Dedicated columns have been incorporated into Electronic Portfolios within the report to showcase the Link Resolver usage of each portfolio. This data mirrors the information available in Alma analytics and can be accessed from the Alma UI under portfolio search results in the "Other details" section.
The "Analysis information" tab in the Excel report generated through the overlap analysis has been improved to display usage range information, consistently covering the past 12 months.
This enhanced information is valuable for librarians as it provides insights into the portfolio's usage, aiding in the assessment of its overall value.
If a portfolio has no associated usage, irrespective of whether it is from the Community Zone or any other portfolio, the report will display N/A as the indication.
For more information, see Overlap and Collection Analysis Reports.
Master Usage Type Renamed to Primary
As part of our continuous efforts to promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and to remove any unintentional bias from our system, the digital representation Usage Type of Primary is now supported when using a CSV file to import the metadata for digital bibliographic records as well as in APIs and when using the SRU protocol. Note that Master is still a supported value for backward compatibility purposes.
OAI MODS Now Supported for Remote Digital Repositories
Idea Exchange URM-204771OAI MODS format is now supported for importing digital bibliographic records from remote digital repositories. To support this enhancement, the following changes were made:
- When configuring a remote digital repository (Configuration > Resources > Record Import > Remote Digital Repositories), OAI MODS is now available as a format. Note that you must select Other for the remote system type for this option to be available:
Remote Digital Repository Details - Format MODSFor more information, see Managing Remote Digital Repositories.
- When configuring a digital import profile (Resources > Import > Manage Import Profiles) and selecting a remote digital repository instance with OAI MODS configured as the format, the Source format and Target format fields are filled in with OAI MODS:
Import Profile Details for MODS Remote Repository
Digital Viewer Now Supports ePub
Idea Exchange URM-197712The Digital Viewer now supports the display of files in ePub format.
Collection Type Now Changeable
You can now change the collection type of a collection from logical to fixed-list and from fixed-list to logical. You can do this by selecting or clearing the Logical Collection checkbox when editing a collection. (Previously, this was non-editable.) When a logical collection is changed to a fixed-list one, the titles in the collection are changed to a fixed list and are no longer updated. When a fixed-list collection is changed to a logical one, you must add a logical set to the collection. A job updates the titles of the collection according to the set.
For more information on Collections, see Managing Collections.
Update Record Identifier with MMSID Task for MODS Now Available
The task updates the recordIdentifier element with the Alma MMS ID.
When adding this task to a process, an option is available to record the change in the recordinfoNote element under the recordIdentifier element.
Select the checkbox to have the change recorded as a note in the MODS record.
For more information on MODS normalization processes, see Working with MODS Fields, Normalization, and Validation.
Download All Files in Representation
You can now download all of the files of a representation with one action. To support this feature, a Download All link was added to the Digital Representation Resource Editor.
Selecting the Download All link saves the files of the representation to a zip file on your computer. If the total download size is very large, the new Download Digital Files job runs and downloads the files to an external server. (You can monitor the job from Admin > Manage Jobs and Sets > Monitor Jobs.) When the job finishes, you are sent an email with a link to download the files.
MODS Enhancements
The following enhancements were made to the Alma and Primo search and display fields for MODS records:
- Update to Alma search keywords:
- <physicalDescription><form> is searchable under the title’s Other Physical Details keyword.
- <physicalDescription><digitalOrigin> , <originInfo><dateOther> , <originInfo><dateCaptured> without iso8601 encoding, <language><languageTerm> with attribute type equals text is searchable under the title’s Notes keyword.
- <language><languageTerm> with attribute type equals code is searchable under the title’s Language keyword.
- <identifier> with a type attribute value that is not already mapped today (for example, not isbn, issn, ismn) is searchable under the title’s Standard Number keyword. The type attribute value is searchable under the Standard Number Source keyword.
- <location><holdingSimple><copyInformation><sublocation> is searchable under the title’s Sublocation keyword.
- <relatedItem><location><url> is searchable under the title’s Electronic Location and Note keyword. <location><url> is already searchable.
- Update to Primo display:
- <location><url> and <relatedItem><location><url> elements are displayed under the Links section in Primo.
- <physicalDescription><form> and <physicalDescription><interentMediaType> are displayed under the title’s Physical Description / Format field.
- <language><languageTerm> with attribute type equals code is displayed under the title’s Language field.
- Update to Primo search:
- <language><languageTerm> with attribute type equals code is searchable under the title’s Language keyword.
- <originInfo><dateOther> , <originInfo><dateCaptured> without iso8601 encoding, <identifier> with a type attribute value that is not already mapped today (for example, not isbn, issn, ismn) is searchable under the title’s General keyword
- For display and indexing purposes, in Alma and Primo, a colon is added to the bibliographic title between the <title> element and the <subtitle> element.
Rollout of the New Layout for the PO Lines Task List
The new, next-generation, Alma UI design is available for the PO Lines task list. In this release, the new UI is automatically set as the default for all users, with no option to opt out.
For a general overview of the new PO Lines task list, see New Unified PO Line Task List. See also Searching for PO Lines - New Layout; Managing PO Lines - New Layout.
For more information see the New Unified PO Line Task List in the Alma 2023 Roadmap Webinar Series.
There is a known issue with saving a faceted PO lines list as a logical set with the following facets:
- Owner
- Assigned user
- Vendor account ID
- Creation date
- Sent date
- Renewal date
The issue will be corrected as part of the March 2024 release. Until then, we recommend to base logical sets on advanced search query results and not on facets.
Improvement to the New Layout for PO Lines
Some improvements were implemented to the new layout for PO Lines.
- The existing Material Supplier and Fund fields were enhanced to allow users to select the value from a list which opens in a sliding panel. This is in addition to the existing option of selecting a value from the dropdown menu or typing the name of the vendor/fund.
The Change Vendor dialog box will not have the option to select a vendor from a list within a sliding panel.
-
There is now a default action in the confirmation pop up when selecting Save or Save and Continue. This saves the user from having to explicitly select the common action.
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Changes in the PO line (such as change of material type) are now reflected in the related inventory. This is similar to the behaviour in the old layout.
-
Save and Continue is now considered to be a main action and appears more prominently on the right hand side with the institution theme color.
For more information see Editing PO Lines.
Enable Users to Keep in Department when Receiving Items from a PO Line
When performing the Receive action in the PO line for Ordered Items, a dialog box now appears enabling users to update the receiving information.
For more information see Receiving Physical Material.
The department listed under Currently At directly impacts the ability to receive the item from the PO line; an error occurs if the user is not in the correct department. Furthermore, the values shown in the Next step field in the dialogue window correspond to the Currently At department.
Bulk Deletion of COUNTER Reports
Idea Exchange-99582
Previously when deleting COUNTER reports, users needed to delete them one by one. Now, before deleting COUNTER reports, users have an option to select multiple reports for deletion. In addition, the Select All and Delete All options were added.
This functionality is only available to the Usage Data Operator role.
For more information see Manually Uploading and Deleting COUNTER Data.
Receiving Workbench - New System Event (Webhook) for Receiving Continuous Materials
Alma Integration Profile type "Webhooks" (Configuration > General > Integration Profiles) was enhanced with a new event. This event is called Receive - continuous PO line.
When selected, an event will be triggered in the following cases:
- From the receiving workbench select the Continuous tab and then the Manage items screen. Then select Receive in the row actions menu. As a result, an event is sent for the selected item.
- From the receiving workbench select the Continuous tab and then the Manage items screen. Select multiple items and then Save & Receive in the row actions menu. As a result, an event is sent for each item which was selected.
- From the receiving workbench select the Continuous tab and then the Manage items screen. Select Receive new items.
An event upon receiving will only be triggered for an item received from the Receiving WB in the Continuous tab. The One-Time tab will not trigger an event when an item is received.
For more information see Webhooks.
Top Right Menu in Alma Now Supports 'Alt' Keyboard Shortcuts and Voice Dictation Software
Users can enhance accessibility by utilizing the 'Alt' shortcut mechanism or voice dictation software to interact with the top right menu icons. By pressing the 'Alt' key, the menu displays shortcut options, enabling users to navigate and select functions without relying extensively on mouse input.
For more information, see Global Alma Hot Keys.
For information on the keyboard shortcuts available in the MD Editor, see Metadata Editor Menu and Toolbar Options.
Letters Configuration - Easy Selection of Letter Example XML File
Previously, users had to navigate to the Letter Examples side-pane, choose the desired XML by selecting the corresponding radio button, and then click Save to pick another XML letter file for testing the XSL. Now, a new dropdown has been introduced above the XML editor, displaying all available example letters XML files. Users can effortlessly switch between files by selecting an option from this dropdown. Upon selection, the XML editor content is replaced with the information from the chosen file, and the letter preview is automatically refreshed.
For more information, see Using Example Letters for Testing.
Manage Sets List Now Customizable
Users now have the option to personalize various aspects of the Manage Sets List. This includes determining the sequence and appearance of sections and facets, as well as customizing the display of records. To begin customizing the Manage Sets List, simply select the customization icon (
) located at the top right corner of the page. This provides you with a range of options that enable you to configure the sections within the edit view, select the elements visible in the record view, and select the facets that are available for the list.
For more information, see Manage Sets List Customization.
Information Icon - Aria Label Enhancement
Alma now enhances the PopOver component (Information icon 
) to enable support for both Click and Esc commands. When hovering over the icon, the text "More information" is revealed. Clicking the component displays more descriptive text on the focused are in the UI. Deactivating the component can be achieved by selecting the Tab button, selecting the Close icon (
) in the text box or clicking outside the text area. For more information, see Info Icon.
Real-Time Notification Upon Job Completion
Upon completion of a job initiated from the UI, a popup notification appears. Furthermore, all such notifications are accessible through the notification icon () on the top menu bar. Rather than repeatedly refreshing the page while awaiting job completion, you can engage in other activities, and a notification will appear regardless of your location in the UI.
For more information, see Real-Time Notifications.
Enable Filters Selection to be Sticky Cross Sessions
Previously in the Alma UI, scope filters were automatically defined by default. Consequently, every time a user visits an Alma page that was previously viewed and set with the defined filters would need to re-set the filters because the page reverted to the default settings.
To address this, Alma now enables users to define filters based on their preferences. By making the filter sticky, the recurring need to manually re-select the defined filter settings of a viewed page is eliminated.
The sticky filter feature has been implemented in the Manage Sets UI. The Scope filter, for example, is automatically saved so that the previously viewed filter settings are sticky and are saved when users re-visit the page.
For more information, see Managing Search Queries and Sets > Filtering Sets.
Customization Improvement of the New Layouts Lists
The enhancement of the latest layout lists now offers improved customization. Users are no longer required to manually drag and drop entries to conceal them. Instead, checkboxes are provided, enabling users to easily select and hide entries within the new layout lists. One instance of this improvement is found in the customization of sections for Lending Requests.
For more information, see Lists and Tables in Alma.
Recommendation for Mail Relay and Support DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM)
NERS Enhancement (ID #8197)URM-193518
(Updated: February 22, 2024) The best practice and recommended approach is to move over to your own institutional mail relay.
Gmail and Yahoo announced that emails lacking DKIM signatures may be flagged as spam.
DKIM support is applicable to all email service providers and not just subject to Gmail and Yahoo.
DKIM, or DomainKeys Identified Mail, serves as an email authentication method specifically designed to identify fraudulent sender addresses in emails, addressing the issue of email spoofing.
It is strongly recommended to configure DKIM, especially for institutions sending emails to Gmail and Yahoo addresses. Additional email service providers are expected to follow up with similar practice in the near future.
The following instructions are relevant for institutions that have configured the Mail-Handling integration profile to utilize "Send directly from Ex Libris" while using their own domain, at the 'SMTP EnvelopeFrom address' field (as opposed to the @exlibrisgroup.com address):
Institutions that use Ex Libris’s mail relay and wish to continue using it, should configure DKIM to ensure their emails remain trusted and mitigate the risk of your emails being treated as spam.
Once the DKIM functionality is activated for your institution, the Mail-Handling Integration-Profile will include support for DKIM digital signatures in outgoing emails. Configuration instructions can be found here.
If your institution cannot undertake any of the above, please reconfigure your Mail-Handling integration profile to "Send directly from Ex Libris" and set the 'SMTP EnvelopeFrom address' field to <your_user>@exlibrisgroup.com
For more information, see:
SAML and CAS Now Available as Authentication Methods for Analytics Reports
You can now configure Analytics to use SAML and CAS as authentication methods when accessing the report URL from analytics objects. To configure SAML or CAS as the authentication method, set the analytics_auth_method parameter (Configuration > Analytics > General Configuration > Other Settings) to SAML or CAS.
Configure Custom HTTP Header to be Sent with Webhook Requests
Users can now optionally configure a custom HTTP header to be sent with each webhook request. The header name and value should be separated by “:”
For more information see Webhooks.
View Full Workbook in Analytics Link Added to DV Homepage
When a Data Visualization dashboard is added as the Alma homepage, only one tab of the dashboard is displayed. To display the full DV workbook, a new View Full Workbook in Analytics link was added to the bottom of the homepage. Selecting the link opens the DV dashboard within Alma Analytics, allowing access to all of the workbook tabs.
For more information on configuring a Data Visualization dashboard as the Alma homepage, see To select a data visualization (DV) workbook to be displayed as the Alma homepage.
Physical Books Retention and Physical Books Deselection Dashboards Now Available
The Physical Books Retention and Physical Books Deselection data visualization dashboards are now available under the Alma > Inventory folder. These dashboards provide collection managers with insights on the uniqueness and redundancy of the physical book items in the institution. The dashboards display visualizations of physical book data according to different cross-sections such as classifications, libraries, and marked for retention. In addition, there are tabular reports for in-depth analysis.
- Physical Books Retention
The Physical Books Retention dashboard is designed to provide insight about single book items in the institution and possible actions they require. For example, identifying items that must be committed to retain by the library holding them. Data is derived from Physical Items, Titles, and Fulfillment subject areas.
Physical Books Retention - Physical Books Deselection
The Physical Books Deselection dashboard is designed to provide insights about items you may want to deselecting due to low usage or alternative ways to receive the title. Data is derived from the Physical Items, Titles, and Fulfillment subject areas.
Physical Books Deselection
For documentation on the dashboards, see the Documentation tab of each dashboard as well as the information on each individual report tab.
These dashboards were added as out-of-the-box objects to the Alma menu for the following roles: Analytics Administrator, Designs Analytics, General System Administrator, Physical Inventory Operator, and Physical Inventory Operator extended.
Additional Enhancements
- May 2024 Fulfillment and Resource Sharing URM-199977
Support for additional actions was added to the integration with the NACSIS ILL system. For more information see Alma Integration with NACSIS-ILL. - May 2024 Fulfillment and Resource Sharing URM-209437
Support for the SLNP PresentVerbundDaten message is now available. This enables a network to query Alma and send requests for item information. For more information see the Developer Network. - May 2024 Metadata Management URM-199977
GND Profile Updates: Ongoing GND profile updates. - May 2024 Metadata ManagementURM-190971
The Authority Control Task List now includes two new GND reports:For more information, see Using the Authority Control Task List.- GND records split with automatic redirection
- GND records split without automatic redirection
- May 2024 Metadata ManagementURM-198289
Network Zone templates are now available for an institution to be used when cataloging Community Zone managed authorities such as GND and BARE. For more information, see Working with Record Templates. - May 2024 Metadata ManagementURM-155440
Editing long fields in Metadata Editor: The color display of subfields in the Metadata Editor distorted the cursor placement indication when editing long fields. Now, when the cursor is placed in a field containing more than 1000 characters, the subfield colors are not displayed, so that cursor placement indication is accurate. - May 2024 Electronic Resource Management URM-213020
During the portfolio contribution process, local bibliographic records are relinked to the newly created community zone record.
To preserve the network zone topology, if the local bibliographic record in a consortia member was linked to the network zone, then the network zone bibliographic record will also be linked to the same community zone record. All linked bib records in other consortia members will also be re-linked to the same community zone record.
For more information, see Contributing to the Community Zone – Portfolios. - May 2024 User Experience, Accessibility & Infrastructure
The current DigiCert SAML Certificate will expire in August 2024. If your institution uses this certificate, we recommend that you consult with the IT department in your institution, and, if required, replace the certificate for Alma and/or Primo VE. If you do replace the certificate, this must be done in coordination with your IDP. For more information see Replacing a Signed Certificate.URM-212411 - May 2024 Analytics and Insights SF: 07066307 URM-199566
The PO Line Label field was added to the following locations. It displays the labels that are assigned to the PO line:- E-Inventory > Cost Usage > Cost Usage POL
- E-Inventory > Electronic Collection PO Line
- E-Inventory > Portfolio PO Line
- Funds Expenditure > PO Line
- Physical Items > PO Line
- Purchase Requests > PO Line
- May 2024 Analytics and Insights URM-210997
The Public Access Model field was added to the E-Inventory > Electronic Collection and E-Inventory > Portfolio Details for Consortia Members > Electronic Collection. This is in addition to this field's current location under the Portfolio folders. It displays the patron facing access model, which is presented to the patron in the discovery system. For more information on Access Models in Alma, see Managing Access Models. - May 2024 Analytics and Insights SF: 06636449 URM-213455
The NLM Geographic Classifications folder was added to the Other Classifications dimension for all subject areas in which it appears. It contains the NLM Geographic Code and NLM Geographic Name fields, which display the name and code of the geographic location, used for various purposes by NLM.These fields will be populated with historical data throughout the month of May 2024 as part of the semi-annual indexing. - May 2024 Analytics and Insights URM-215382
In the Analytics Object List, the Pin to Analytics Menu button was made more accessible in split-view. Clicking this button adds a direct link to the selected analysis object from the Alma Analytics Menu. - May 2024 Analytics and Insights URM-216920
Improvements were made to the following Data Visualizations dashboards:- Books Retention – Institution
- All the filters from the first canvas were pinned, so that they carry over to the second canvas.
- Overall Titles is based on OCLC or Normalized Title Author and not MMS ID. The documentation tab in the DV was updated accordingly.
- Books Deselection – Institution: Explanatory text was improved for better clarity.
- Books Retention – Institution
- May 2024 Analytics and Insights Idea Exchange SF: 05531113 05657836 05858438 05885188 06552441 06891457 URM-211443
To support the new Deactivate feature for licenses, the status of Deleted for previously deleted licenses was changed to Inactive as these licenses still appear in the license list. Going forward, deactivated licenses will have the status of Inactive and deleted licenses will be removed from the database and not reported on in analytics. For more information, see Deleting Licenses or Amendments and Deactivating and Reactivating Licenses or Amendments. - May 2024 Analytics and Insights URM-221167
The PO Line Approver Locked Out Date field will be removed from Analytics for the August release in all locations in which it appears. This field was removed from Alma long ago and is no longer relevant.
- April 2024 Metadata ManagementURM-211160
On the Alma UI Physical Holdings search results page, the label named Create Logical Set has been changed to Create and Filter Set. For more information, see Searching in Alma.
Create Logical Set button relabeled to Create and Filter Set - April 2024 Acquisitions URM-207785
PO line indexing is moving from Oracle text to SOLR. This allows for better performance in searching for PO lines, especially in the receiving workbench. This will also enable future enhancement for searching in PO lines.
Note that this infrastructure change had an unintended consequence in which bib update automatically updated bib description in PO lines. This unintended behavior took place in NA03, AP01 and EU00, during February. After identifying this, we reverted it and this behavior does not take place anymore. - April 2024 Acquisitions URM-213464
Heads up for the delete license feature that will be released in May. This enables users to permanently delete licenses from Alma. Note that existing licenses with the status "Deleted" will get the new status "Inactive", and these licenses will not be removed automatically from Alma. - April 2024 Analytics and Insights URM-213259
The E-Inventory > (Portfolio Details for Consortia >) Portfolio > Proquest Purchase Model field was renamed to Purchase Model, since the field can now display the purchase models for JSTOR in addition to Proquest.This development supports an E-Inventory development to expand integration capabilities to include JSTOR titles, which will be released in May.
- April 2024 Analytics and Insights URM-212583
The Title Author Combined and Normalized field was added to E-Inventory > Portfolio Details for Consortia > Bibliographic Details. It displays the first 100 characters of the Title field, a hyphen, and the first four characters of the Author field, in lowercase and normalized to remove all special characters. Is helpful for finding overlapping physical and electronic records, or for finding overlapping records in different institutions within a network zone. - April 2024 Analytics and Insights URM-206966
The following fields were added to E-Inventory > (Portfolio Details for Consortia >) Electronic Collection:- CDI Coverage Calculation Date – the date the CDI coverage was calculated
- CDI Coverage Percentage – the percentage of titles from a collection that has coverage in CDI. The coverage can come from the same provider or from other sources.
For more information, see Electronic Collection.
- April 2024 Analytics and Insights URM-213004
In the Usage Tracking Data Visualization dashboard, the Institution filter was moved to the top of the page:
Institution FilterSelect an institution to filter the results per institution. By default, the dashboard is filtered to your home institution or Network Zone.
- April 2024 Analytics and Insights URM-208984
The new Deep Link Authentication Method Analytics configuration page is now available (Configuration > Analytics > General Configuration > Deep Link Authentication Method). It contains the analytics_auth_method parameter that was previously under Configuration > Analytics > General Configuration > Other Settings. For more information, see Analytics Configuration - Deep Link Authentication Method. - April 2024 Analytics and Insights SF: 06870146 URM-205949
The Proxy For User Type field was added to Users > Proxy For. It indicates the area for which the proxy was created – Circulation, Fulfillment, or Researchers (Esploro). This is useful for owners of both Alma and Esploro to determine if the proxy displayed in a report is relevant for Alma (Circulation / Fulfillment) or Esploro (Researchers). - April 2024 Analytics and Insights URM-206155
Leganto Analytics folders and subject areas no longer appear for Alma customers without Leganto.
- February 2024 Linked Open Data
The Linked Data enrichment process applied to bibliographic records connected to FAST authorities is revised to the URI format to align with the entity URI structure. The format now follows this pattern: http://id.worldcat.org/fast/XXXXX. For more information, see Linked Data in the Developer Network.URM-201398 - February 2024 Linked Open Data
Support for BIBFRAME records extends to their publication as part of general publishing. Users can leverage BIBFRAME works and instances held in Alma for use in external systems as required. For more information, see Publishing and Inventory Enrichment (General Publishing).URM-210035 - February 2024 Metadata Management
The SBN "Italian Union Catalogue (Servizio Bibliotecario Nazionale)" redirection mechanism is enhanced to support the handling of Bibliographic related records. For more information, see SBN Redirection (Fusione)URM-180702 - February 2024 Digital Resource Management URM-207912
You can now display an image in Full View when viewing images with the Digital Viewer on a mobile device in portrait orientation. To display an image in Full View, select the Full View icon or tap the image. - February 2024 Analytics and Insights URM-209773
The following fields were added to E-Inventory > Portfolio Details for Consortia Members > Institution to align it with the fields located under the Institution dimension available in every subject area:- Institution Address Line 1
- Institution City
- Institution State Province
- Institution Country
- Institution Postal Code
- Institution Timezone
- Data Available As Of
- Data Updated As Of
- February 2024 Analytics and Insights URM-193380
The ACRL and IPEDS dashboard was updated to reflect the changes made to the guidelines for 2024. - February 2024 Fulfillment and Resource Sharing URM-208240 SF: 06918869
Libraries can now configure what happens when a purchase request is relinked to a new MMS ID. When a purchase request is linked to a citation, and the purchase request is then relinked to a different MMS ID, when the parameter purchase_request_relink_citation (Configuration > Fulfillment > General > Other Settings) is set to true (default), the citation is linked to the new MMS ID. When the parameter is set to false, the citation remains linked to the original MMS ID.If the original MMS ID had an associated copyright record, the copyright is cancelled and not applied to the newly linked MMS ID, and an alert is added indicating that the copyright was cancelled.
Relink a purchase invoiceFor more information, see Creating Requests for Citations.
- February 2024 Fulfillment and Resource Sharing URM-186377
Excel files are now supported in the course loader (Configuration > General > External Integrations > Integration Profiles) directory, in addition to .csv.
Input File PathFor more information, see Configuring Course Loading.
- February 2024 Fulfillment and Resource Sharing URM-191244
When configured, archived lists can be included in the Demand in other lists calculation that enables library staff to see which reading lists or courses utilize the same resource when reviewing and processing citations. When the parameter demand_in_other_lists_include archived_lists (Configuration > Fulfillment > General > Other Settings) is set to true (default false), archived lists are included in the Demand in other lists calculation and are displayed in the This Record In Other Lists table. When set to false, citations associated with at least one archived list are excluded from the Demand in other lists calculation.
Demand in other lists indicationFor more information, see Configuring Other Settings (Fulfillment).