Primo VE 2024 Release Notes
Release: Additional Information:
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Click here to view the CDI-related updates at the bottom of this page.
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Click here to view the monthly release and maintenance schedules.
Features
Linked Open Data - Discovery of Person Entity
May 2024 URM-207351
(Updated June 26, 2024) With the integration of Linked Open Data (LOD), Primo VE can now associate records with LOD, specifically persons (such as authors and historical figures) and display this information in the UI. The person entities are based on LoC (Library of Congress) and are enriched with Wikidata.
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In this phase, person entities are linked only to local records that are linked to LCNAMES authorities.
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The information gathered from the LoC and Wikidata is updated once weekly.
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Currently, this functionality is supported in English only.
To support this functionality, the following changes were made to the UI:
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Autocomplete Person – Person entity suggestions are now provided for search terms entered for simple and advanced searches. Selecting a suggestion opens the associated Person page.
Autocomplete in Simple Search -
Person Info Card – Displays the person's information in the Recommendations panel on the Full Display page if the record is associated with a linked person entity. Selecting the person's name in the card opens the Person page. A title may be associated with more than one person entity. The order of the cards in the Related Persons section is based on the following priority: 1) Creator, 2) Contributor, and 3) Subject. In the following example, the book is linked with the author and the person about which the book was written.
Person Info Card - Right Panel of Full Display -
Person page – Displays the person's information on a full page. In addition to the person's information, this page also includes the following sections, which enable users to discover titles associated with that person: Titles in Library Written by Person, Titles in Library Written about Person, and People Associated with Person.
Person Page
For more information, see Searching for Linked Open Data - Person Entity.
Analytics - Person Entity Discovery
To support this functionality, the following actions have been added to the Action Usage subject area:
| Group | Subgroup | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
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Exploration |
Related Persons |
Click on the link to Wikipedia |
On the Person page, the user selected the person's link. |
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Click on "Show more" on a related person |
In the Person Info Card, the user selected the Show more link to expand the card. |
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Related person section appeared |
In the Full Display, the Person Info Card appeared. |
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Click on the link from info card to full person page |
In the Person Info Card, the user selected the person's link. |
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Click on the link from autocomplete to full person page |
The user selected the person's autocomplete suggestion. |
Configuration Options
This functionality is disabled by default. Refer to the following table to enable this functionality and configure related options.
| Element | Description |
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Discovery Customer Settings page (Configuration > Discovery > Other > Customer Settings) |
The following parameters were added to this table to support the discovery of person entities:
For additional information, see Discovery Customer Settings. |
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Person Entity Labels code table (Configuration > Discovery > Display Configuration > Labels) |
The following codes have been added to support the Person page:
The following codes have been added to support the Person Info Card on the Full Display page:
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Aria Labels code table (Configuration > Discovery > Display Configuration > Labels) |
The following codes have been added to support accessibility for the Person page:
The following codes have been added to support accessibility for the Person Info Card:
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Support HAN Proxy for CDI Links
May 2024 URM-114601
Previously, the HAN proxy was not supported for use with links returned from CDI, preventing users from viewing full text when a proxy was necessary for an electronic resource. With this enhancement, you can now apply a HAN proxy to CDI links to enable on-campus users to view full text.
Configuration Options
This functionality is disabled by default. Refer to the following table to enable this functionality and configure related options:
| Element | Description |
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Central Index and Proxy Set-up page (Configuration > Discovery > Other > Central Index and proxy set-up) |
This page has not been updated, but now you can specify a HAN proxy in the CDI Proxy field. For additional information, see Configuring Central Index and Proxy Settings for Primo VE.
Use Proxy Configuration in Primo VE
The Use proxy only if the user is off-campus option is not supported and should not be selected for HAN proxies. |
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Integration Profile List page (Configuration > General > External Systems > Integration Profiles) |
This Alma configuration is not new, but it configures your resolver proxy (such as HAN or EZproxy). For more information, see Resolver Proxies.
Proxy Resolver Configuration in Alma
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Support Discovery of Local Authority Records
May 2024 URM-98287
You can now expose local authority records to users. When enabled, the new Authorities Search page enables users to search for and view authority records, find different names and relations between authorities, as well as find bibliographic records that are associated with a particular authority record. For more details, see Configuring Authority Search for Primo VE.
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This functionality requires re-indexing and will be ready after the upcoming Alma semi-annual indexing, which is scheduled to occur between May and June in the production environments (which may vary from region to region). If you want to test this feature earlier in your sandbox environment, please reach out to Support for re-indexing.
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Currently, we support only local authorities (not Library of Congress or Mesh).
Brief Results:
After performing an Authority Search, the following authority types appear like resource types in other types of searches (such as library searches):
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Type of Authority |
MARC Field Mapping |
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| Uniform title | 130 $a-- $x |
| Subject term | 150 $a |
| Personal name | 100 $a $d |
| Meeting name | 111 $a $d |
| Geographic term | 151 $a -- $x -- $y |
| Genre/Form subdivision | 185 $v |
| General subdivision | 180 $x |
| Corporate name | 110 $a |
In the following example, the search results include all matching authority types:
Selecting the Search for records with this term link in the Authority Search results, returns results that include all titles that use the selected authority.
Full Display:
Selecting an item's title in the Authority Search results, opens the Authority Details page, which displays the following information:
Analytics - Discovery of Local Authority Records
To support this functionality, the following action has been added to the Action Usage subject area:
| Group | Subgroup | Action | Description |
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Search |
Authorities |
Authority search |
The user performed an Authority Search. |
Configuration Options
This functionality is disabled by default. Refer to the following table to enable this functionality and configure related options.
| Element | Description |
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View Configuration page (Configuration > Discovery > Display Configuration > Configure Views) |
This functionality is disabled by default. To enable this functionality. perform the following steps on the Links Menu tab:
For additional information, see Configuring Discovery Views for Primo VE. |
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(new) Authority Search Labels code table (Configuration > Discovery > Display Configuration > Labels) |
The following codes have been added to support Authority Searches:
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Add "Exclude CDI Resource Types" Option to CDI Scopes
May 2024 URM-186643
Currently, you have the ability to limit CDI searches to records of selected CDI resource types (maximum of five selections). With this enhancement, you can now exclude records of selected resource types (maximum of 5 selections). When the new option is configured, records matching all CDI resource types are returned except for those matching any of the excluded CDI resource types. For more information, see Adding a Search Profile.
Configuration Options
To support this functionality, the Exclude resource types option has been added to the Define CDI Search Scope - Resource Types page, which is accessed by editing a CDI search profile on the Search Profiles page (Configuration > Discovery > Search Configuration > Search Profiles).
For more information, see Defining Specialized Search Scopes for CDI.
Translate Letter Names for Patron Opt-In/Out in My Library Card
May 2024 URM-211923
Libraries that enable patrons to use Primo VE to select letters for opt-in/out can now configure and translate the letter names.
The Library Notices Opt In Display code table (Configuration Menu > Discovery > Library Card Configurations > Library Notices Opt In Display) has been added to support this functionality. For more details, see Configuring Display Labels for Library Notices Opt-In for Primo VE.
For additional configuration information, see Configuring Library Notices Opt-In.
Showcase Carousel Enhancements
May 2024
The following improvements have been made to the Showcase Carousel:
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Embed Showcase Carousel in Primo VE URM-214618 – Since this functionality is not limited to external sites, we have provided an example of how to embed the Showcase Carousel in Primo VE sites. For more information, see Primo Showcase - How to Embed in the Ex Libris Developer Network.
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Increase Maximum Number of Items URM-215556 – The maximum number of carousel items has increased from 10 to 20 items.
- URM-218706 SF: 07092487
Local Thumbnail Support – The carousel now supports local thumbnails (Configuration > Discovery > Display Configuration > Thumbnail configuration). Previously, thumbnails were limited to the out-of-the-box thumbnails from Syndetics, Google, and Alma-D. - URM-216413 SF: 07043093, 07046861, 07047901, 07123257
Accessibility Improvements – The following accessibility improvements were made to the Showcase carousel: titles hierarchy, increased space between navigation bullets to 8px, and fixed the order of navigation arrows.
CDI Subject Normalization and New Keyword Field
February 2024 URM-199834 URM-203586
Following customers feedback that the subject terms in Primo VE were inconsistent, not normalized, duplicative, and lead to user confusion, we undertook a project to vastly improve the quality of CDI subject terms. Subject terms are being received in CDI in various formats and styles from providers and aggregators. To address the reported issues, incoming subject terms are now mapped to a controlled vocabulary, which is based primarily on LCSH and MeSH. The outcome of this mapping is the following:
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Subject field (Normalized) – This indexed field includes only subjects that match the CDI controlled vocabulary. They are deduplicated and normalized.
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Keyword field – This new field includes all subjects that could not be mapped against the CDI controlled vocabulary. These subjects are considered keywords, which are also indexed and searchable.
For more details, see Using Normalized Subject Headings from CDI.
When disabled, the existing Subject field for display, search, and facets is used.
Configuration Options
This functionality is disabled by default. Refer to the following table to enable this functionality and related options.
| Element | Description |
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Views Wizard - General tab (Configuration > Discovery > Display Configuration > Configure Views) |
The new Use normalized CDI subjects checkbox enables CDI's normalized Subject index in your view. This functionality is disabled by default. |
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Views Wizard - Brief Record Display tab (Configuration > Discovery > Display Configuration > Configure Views) |
The new Keyword field can be configured to appear in the Brief Display lines. |
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Views Wizard - Full Record Services tab (Configuration > Discovery > Display Configuration > Configure Views) |
The new Keywords field can be configured to appear in the Details section in the Full Display. |
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Full Display Labels code table (Configuration > Discovery > Display Configuration > Labels) |
The following code was added to support the customization of this label in the Full Display (English only):
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Embed Primo VE Showcase Widgets on Any Website (Idea Exchange)
February 2024 URM-183810
This enhancement enables you to embed a visual carousel of records tailored to the library’s specifications, helping libraries promote their content in other websites. The Primo VE Showcase utilizes Primo VE searches with pre-filters, conditions, and facets to dynamically display results. For example, it can show new books about a specific subject that were added to the catalog in the last 7 days, using a subject filter and date facet. As new records are added that match your search query's parameters, they automatically appear on your website.
For more information regarding the configuration of the carousel widget, see Primo Showcase – How to Embed in the Ex Libris Developers Network.
Configuration Options
The Discovery Showcase Allowed Domains page (Configuration > Discovery > Other > Discovery Showcase Allowed Domains) enables external domains to embed a showcase widget that displays a carousel of library records within an external domain. For more details, see Adding Domains for Discovery Showcase.
Shared Digital Resource Improvements (Idea Exchange)
February 2024 URM-203450
Previously, when Digital Resource Sharing was enabled for your IZ, the following digital objects were shared with all institutions in the network:
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Alma-D records stored in your Alma repository and in your remote digital repositories.
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All records that you imported from external data sources (which are also considered digital objects but are not managed in Alma).
With this enhancement, you can now indicate whether you want to share digital records that were loaded from external data sources with other institutions.
Configuration Options
When Digital Resource Sharing is enabled in Alma, external records are no longer shared by default with other institutions. If you want to share these records with other institutions, set the new shareExternalResources customer parameter to true on the Discovery Customer Settings page (Configuration > Discovery > Other > Customer Settings). These records appear in searches using the Entire Network scope as long as it exists in each member of the consortium.
Changing the value of the shareExternalResources parameter requires you to re-index or reload the data.
Support Configuration of Displayed Holdings Level in Get It (NERS # 8141)
February 2024 URM-194854
Currently, the holdings level in the Get It section works as follows:
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If there are only items in one location, the Location Items page opens by default for the location in Get It.
Example of Location Items Page -
If there are items in more than one location, the Locations page opens by default in Get It, which requires users to select the location first.
Example with Multiple Locations on Locations Page
With this enhancement, you can configure whether to display the Locations page by default when there is only one location available.
Configuration Options
This functionality is disabled by default. To enable this functionality, set the new display_location_level_in_getIt_single_location parameter to true on the Discovery Customer Settings page (Configuration > Discovery > Other > Customer Settings).
Request Patron Consent When Registering at Another Institution
February 2024 URM-206897
When remote registration is enabled in a fulfillment network, the Register button appears in Get It to allow users from an institution to register to get access to services from another institution. Prior to this enhancement, users had no knowledge that their personal information was passed to the other institution during registration. With this enhancement, users will now be notified and given an option to confirm or cancel the registration request.
Configuration Options
This functionality is enabled automatically as part of the remote registration functionality. The following table lists additional options associated with this functionality.
| Element | Description |
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Fulfillment Customer Parameters page in Alma (Configuration > Fulfillment > General > Other Settings) |
Ensure that the uresolver_remote_register parameter is set to Manual to display the Register button. |
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Get it service labels code table (Configuration > Discovery > Display Configuration > Labels) |
The following codes have been added to support the customization and translation of the labels displayed in the Registration Consent dialog box:
These labels are configured in the patron's institution. |
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Aria Labels Code table (Configuration > Discovery > Display Configuration > Labels) |
The following codes have been added support accessibility for this feature:
These labels are configured in the patron's institution. |
Display SMS Wanted Field in My Library Card (Idea Exchange)
February 2024 URM-197457
You now have the option to display the SMS Wanted checkbox in My Library Card > Personal Details by setting the new display_sms_wanted parameter to true on the Discovery Customer Settings page (Configuration > Discovery > Other > Customer Settings). When enabled, this checkbox is selected only if the preference to receive SMS is enabled in the user's details in Alma. By default, the SMS Wanted checkbox is hidden.
Automatically Enable Quicklinks
February 2024 URM-210293
Make your end users’ search and discovery experience smooth and seamless with Quicklinks, which automatically embeds direct links to PDF and HTML full-text documents within the search results. With over 40 content providers supplying direct links and over 1.5 billion articles supported by Quicklinks, users can spend less time navigating to full text and devote more time exploring the valuable resources available to your patrons. Hundreds of institutions are already using Quicklinks, seamlessly exposing links to their patrons.
With the May release, our plan is to enable Quicklinks automatically for all customers, but you have the option to opt out of its automatic enablement.
For more details regarding Quicklinks, see Quicklinks in Primo and Primo VE.
Configuration Options
The Quicklinks feature is disabled by default, but it will be enabled automatically if you do not opt out prior to the May release. If you decide to opt out, you can enable it manually any time after the May release.
If you have enabled the Quicklinks feature in a view, you will continue to display Quicklinks after the May release.
Support HTML Coding in Additional Labels (NERS #8134)
February 2024 URM-195782 (Updated February 21, 2024)
Support for HTML coding for labels varies between codes in Primo VE, and in some cases, there is very little support. With this release, the working group has selected a set of codes and fields that allow HTML coding, including the <href> tag for linking. HTML support has been added to the following codes/fields:
| Code Table/Field | Description |
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View It Labels code table (Configuration > Discovery > Display Configuration > Labels) |
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Error Messages Labels code table (Configuration > Discovery > Display Configuration > Labels) |
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Resource Sharing Labels code table (Configuration > Discovery > Display Configuration > Labels) |
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Citation Labels code table (Configuration > Discovery > Display Configuration > Labels) |
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Collection Discovery Labels (Configuration > Discovery > Display Configuration > Labels) |
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Rapido Labels code table (Configuration > Discovery > Display Configuration > Labels) |
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Description field in the General tab on the Collection Resources Editor page (Resources > Manage Inventory > Manage Collections) |
Defines the description for the collection. To translate the description, select the Globe icon next to the field. |
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Public Note field in the Services tab on the Service Details page (Configuration > Fulfillment > Discovery Interface Display Logic > General Electronic Services) |
Defines a public note for the General Electronic Service. To translate the public note, select the Globe icon next to the field. |
Additional Enhancements
- May 2024 URM-186978
Bibliographic Call Number Browsing Improvements - Indexing – Previously, only the first part of the bibliographic call number (subfields $$a or $$h) was used for searching and browsing. After the semi-annual indexing, the value of the $$b subfield will be indexed from the following fields to determine the results for bibliographic call number searches:Call Number Search Field LC call number
050, 055, 090
Universal Decimal Class Number
080
Dewey Decimal Class Number
082, 092
Other Classification Number
084 This is useful for librarians who want to search for the entire call number, not just the classification part.
- May 2024 URM-206877 SF: 06935497
Support Subject Indexing of MARC 689 Field for German Region – For use with the German region, normalization rules were added to support the search and display of the MARC 689 field. For more details, see Working with German MARC and the 689 Field in Alma.689 $D 6XX Synonym p
600 – Subject Added Entry – Personal Name
b
610 - Subject Added Entry – Corporate Name
f
611 - Subject Added Entry –Meeting Name
s
650 - Subject Added Entry – Topical Term
g
651 - Subject Added Entry – Geographic Name
u
630 – Uniform Title
- May 2024 URM-214236
Linked Data - Add Dedup Local Key for Work URI – As part of the BIBFRAME (Bibliographic Framework) integration in Alma, you can now create a complete key to Dedup records that include BIBFRAME's Work URI. To support this functionality, the match/F50 key can now be added as a key to a Dedup complete key on the Edit Dedup/FRBR Complete Key page (Configuration Menu > Discovery > Other > Dedup/FRBR Complete Key Combination). For more information, see Configuring the Dedup and FRBR Complete Keys in Primo VE and Understanding the Dedup and FRBR Processes (Primo VE). - May 2024 URM-206027
Split Configuration for Hypertext Linking Using Exact and Only – With the addition of the Use "Equals exact phrase" for hypertext linking (for Title, Author and Subject only) option in the May 2023 release, the Equals exact phrase operator did not provide enough flexibility. With this enhancement, you can now specify separately whether exact phrase searches are used for Subject, Author, and Title searches.To support this functionality, the Use "Equals exact phrase" for hypertext linking (for Title, Author and Subject only) field has been split into three checkboxes (Title, Author, and Subject) in the Edit Search Operator dialog box, which accessed from the Advanced Search Configuration tab on the View Configuration page (Configuration Menu > Discovery > Display Configuration > Configure Views). By default, all three checkboxes are selected. For more information, see Changing the Supported Search Profile Slots for Search Operators.
New Checkboxes for Equals Exact Phrase Operator - May 2024 URM-215015
New Linking Template for InfoBase – The following template has been added to the Custom linking for Central Index databases page (Configuration Menu > Discovery > Other > Custom linking for Central Index databases) to support InfoBase collections other than the Films on Demand collection. For more information, see Configuring the Central Index Linking Templates for Primo VE.Provider Template Name Syntax Instructions InfoBase Publishers, Inc.
infobase_pub_linking (All InfoBase collections except for Films on Demand)
http://online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid={customerID}&itemid={{control/addsrcrecordid}}&articleId={{control/sourcerecordid}}
Search for template infobase_pub_linking and in the template replace {customerID} with aid code as provided by InfoBase.
- May 2024 URM-184112 SF: 06423020, 06615241
Analytics Improvements – In Alma Analytics, staff accounts in the Network Zone can access all of their member institutions' data, but they could not do so in Primo VE Analytics. With this enhancement, the NZ can view their member institutions' data in Primo VE Analytics for all Subject Usage areas. - May 2024
Monthly Refresh of CSL Styles – With this release, we will begin updating the CSL style repository monthly to ensure that CSL styles are updated more often to reflect changes to styles. - May 2024 PRM-47751
EndNote Icon for Primo Export Options – The EndNote icon has been updated to eliminate multiple <path> elements and style attributes that required CSS manipulations to maintain it.
- March 2024 URM-208694
Support Testing of UNIMARC Normalization Rules for External Sources – To fully support the ability to import UNIMARC records from external sources into Primo VE, we now allow you to test the normalization rules during configuration. To support this functionality, the Unimarc option has been added to the Testing Normalization of non-Alma Primo VE records page (Configuration > Discovery > Loading External Data Sources > Test Normalization Rules):
Testing Normalization of Non-Alma Primo VE RecordsFor more information, see Testing Normalization Rules for External Data Sources.
- February 2024 URM-204293
Resource Types Filter Bar - Additional UX Improvements – Added the following improvements to the Resource Type Filter Bar:- When hovering over unselected resources, the cursor now indicates that the resource is selectable.
- For RTL languages, the icons and text for the More field's menu now support the RTL direction.
- For the Hebrew interface, the more field is now aligned properly.
- February 2024 URM-201509
Updates to Japanese Conversion File – The following changes were made to the Japanese conversion file:- Removed the following conversion:
836F 846F # 药 to 葯 - Added the following conversions:
846F 85AC # 葯 to 薬
836F 85AC # 药 to 薬
- Removed the following conversion:
- February 2024 URM-199493
Support Search by ID for Webhook Searches – Search in Webhook records was not supported by ID (it was possible to search for example by Title). From now on, it will be possible to search by ID as well. We may also add a note here that in order to support it, the customer should allow search by rid on the external data used in the search webhook. This was developed to fix issues with permalinks for the search of Webhook records.To support this functionality, you need to allow search by rid on the external data used in the search Webhook.
- February 2024 URM-193381
Suppress Indexing of Private Information – Previously, private information contained in 561 fields with the first indicator set to 0 were indexed and searchable. With this enhancement, you can prevent this information from being indexed by setting the new Exclude when first indicator equals 0 checkbox per private field in the Primo VE Customized Holdings for Search mapping table (Configuration Menu > Discovery > GetIt Configuration > Holdings Search Configuration). For more information, see Configuring Holdings Search for Primo VE.
New Checkbox on Holdings Search Configuration Page - February 2024 URM-186044
Collection Discovery Optimization – In order to optimize thumbnails appearance in the Collection Discovery records, we changed the call to include retrieval of the thumbnail from OPR together with the delivery information. - February 2024 URM-185292
Update Key Calculation – Added the Japanese title 年報 to the REMOVE_COMMON_WORDS OTB list to prevent false dedup.
- January 2024 URM-206152 SF: 06341903, 06858172
Support Translation of Library Notices – In the initial release of the ability to opt in/out of library notices from My Library Card, the notices did not reflect the interface language. With this update, the library notices are now translated based on interface language. For more details, see Additional Library Card Configurations for Primo VE.
Library Notices in My Library Card - January 2024 URM-205169 SF: 06858191, 06890848
Default Sort for Newspaper Search – Previously, the default_sort_newspaper_by_date_newest parameter was added to allow the sort of featured newspapers by date newest. With this enhancement, the setting of this parameter is extended to all Newspaper Searches to sort by date newest instead of relevance. - January 2024 URM-209601 SF: 06931395
Synonyms File Update – The terms antiracist/anti-racist have been added to the out-of-the-box Synonyms file. - January 2024 URM-204133 SF: 06858503
TSVCC Conversion File Update – The TSVCC conversion files was updated to include the following character mappings:Map To Group U+752F 甯 | U+5BD7 寗
U+5BE7 寧 | U+5B81 宁 | U+5BD5 寕 | U+5BDC 寜 | U+F95F 寧 | U+F9AA 寧
U+894D 襍 | U+3C77 㱷 | U+4316 䌖
U+96DC 雜 | U+6742 杂 | U+96D1 雑
- January 2024 URM-194948 SF: 06760773
Enable Customization of Maximum Exceeded Views Message – You can now use the following code in the Library Card Labels code table to customize/translate the Maximum number of views exceeded message, which appears after a user attempts to download an item too many times from My Library Card > Requests:Code Description/Translation 310044
Maximum number of views exceeded
Resolved Issues
CDI-Related Updates
This section lists the fixes and enhancements associated with CDI by their release date to ensure that Primo/VE customers are aware of the availability of these updates during and between releases of Primo/VE. When available, CDI updates are released on the first Wednesday of the month.
Unless otherwise specified, these updates apply to both Primo and Primo VE environments.