Searching the Rialto Marketplace
The Rialto Marketplace search enables you to search across the entire Rialto catalog. This is the best place to begin when looking for a known title. You can search by keyword, title, author, or ISBN. Rialto presents search results by work, with each work further broken down into individual offers. For details, see Works vs. Offers.
Rialto Marketplace also matches the titles you are searching for to titles already owned by your institution, and provides you with full holdings information to help you make purchasing decisions on the fly. See Identifying Your Holdings in the Market.
Searching the Marketplace
Rialto offers two types of search: basic and advanced search. Basic search is ideal for quick title or keyword lookups, while advanced search lets you refine results with multiple detailed criteria.
Basic Search
You can perform a basic search in Rialto from the persistent search box at the top of every page (or go to Collection Development > Market > Market Search).
To perform a basic search:
- Select Market from the first drop-down list. Your most recently used option becomes your default the next time you log in to Alma (see what each option enables you to search in Searching in Alma).
- In the second drop-down list of the persistent search box, choose the field you want to search by:
- Keyword – Finds matches across title, author, publication year, and series fields.
- Title – Search by a full or partial title.
- Author – Search by the author’s full name or any part of the name.
- ISBN – Search by full ISBN (10- or 13-digit). You can type in multiple ISBNs at once (up to 256 total characters) if you separate each ISBN with a comma.
For an overview of how to perform a basic search in the Rialto Marketplace, watch the Basic Search video.
Advanced Search
Advanced search is available from the side navigation panel (Collection Development > Market > Advanced Search) or by selecting the spyglass icon next to the persistent search box (the persistent search box must be set to Market to perform an advanced search).
When the advanced search panel opens, you can build a search query using any of the parameters in the Query Builder (first dropdown). For a detailed explanation of all available parameters, see Parameters Included in the Recommendations Profile.
When you select a parameter in the first dropdown, the options in the second dropdown automatically adjust based on the selected parameter. For example, choosing Available X weeks ago enables you to choose between Less than or equal to and Greater than or equal to to build your query.
After selecting the desired condition in the second dropdown, enter the required value. When your criteria are set, select Search to run the advanced search and view the results.
You can refine your query further by selecting Add rule, which adds another parameter to the same advanced search. The Duplicate rule option creates a copy of the selected parameter row and reduces manual entries when working with parameters you wish to apply multiple times.
When building a query with multiple parameters in advanced search, you can control how those parameters relate to one another. There's a condition selector on the left side of the Query Builder that enables you to choose And or Or. Selecting And means that a title must meet all of the selected criteria to appear in the results; selecting Or means that a title only needs to meet one of the listed criteria to be included.
For more complex searches, you can select Add group to create a separate group of parameters. Groups allow you to combine multiple conditions together and then apply And or Or logic between groups. This enables highly customized queries—for example, finding titles that match all conditions in one primary group but any condition from another.
To start over, select Clear form to reset the advanced search fields.
For step-by-step guidance on performing an advanced search in the Rialto marketplace, watch the Advanced Search video.
Narrowing Down Results with Facets
When No Results Are Found
If a search returns no results, a No Results message appears with a suggestion to review your spelling, check the selected search category, or remove any active filters that may be limiting your query.
Here are a few additional tips for improving your search results:
- Try searching by title or author as keywords.
- If the title contains punctuation, try a search without colons, apostrophes, and similar characters.
- If the title contains diacritics or umlauts, remove those characters before searching.
- For long titles, try entering only part of the title to broaden the search.
Works vs. Offers
Rialto organizes search results into a hierarchy of works and offers:
- A work represents a single piece of intellectual content—one creative work—regardless of format, publication year, or edition.
- An offer is a specific purchase option for that work. A single work may have multiple offers, but each offer is tied to only one work.
This structure avoids duplicate results and groups all editions and formats of the same title together. Here are a few examples to help you fully understand this structure:
- A physical book and an eBook of the same title are different offers for the same work.
- The first edition and third edition of a book are different offers for the same work.
- A hardcover, paperback, and large-print version of the same title are three different offers belonging to one work.
- A translated edition (for example, English vs. French) is a separate offer within the same work.
- A revised edition and an unrevised reprint are separate offers for one work.
- A collector’s edition with bonus material and a standard edition are different offers linked to the same work.
When viewing search results, items are first presented at the work level. Once you identify the title you are looking for and select a work, you can view all available offers for that work.
Viewing Offers of a Work
From any work in your search results, you can open the full list of its available offers.
To view offer details:
From the search results, choose one of the following:
- Select View All Offers on the right side of the result.
- Select a format category (such as print or electronic) to open only those offers. Next to each format category, Rialto displays a lowest price indicator to help you quickly assess available options.
Once you open the offer level, you can use the Sort dropdown above the offers list to rearrange the results.
Select a specific offer to view its full details in the Details pane.
If 
appears at the top of the facets, Alibris offers are also available for these works. For details, see Working with Alibris.
Identifying Your Holdings in the Market
One of Rialto’s most powerful capabilities is its holdings awareness within the Marketplace, delivered through the work-level holdings badge and the Holdings panel. This panel helps you quickly identify offers that match titles already owned by your institution, preventing duplicate purchases and supporting informed decisions when acquiring additional copies.
For each matching holding, the Holdings panel displays key title metadata, including the title, author, publication year, publisher, and ISBN, along with shelving location and detailed inventory information. This includes the total number of copies owned and how many are currently available (not on loan). These details provide insight into usage and demand.
Holdings counts are based on available MMS matches rather than the total number of titles found, so the combined total of print and electronic matches may not always reflect the exact number of holdings in your institution.
Viewing Held Offers
From the search results, select an offer marked with the In your institution badge. The Details page opens, displaying all offers for the selected work. Note that Rialto checks for matching holdings on the Details page even if the work-level badge is not shown in the search results.
If matching holdings are found, the Holdings panel opens on the right side of the page, listing all titles already owned by your institution. Depending on the number of offers returned, the panel may take a moment to load, as Rialto performs real-time checks against your holdings to identify any recent additions that match the selected offer.
If a match is found, the information displayed in the Holdings panel varies depending on whether the item is held by your institution or by institutions within your Network Zone.
Holdings Panel When Offers Are Held by Your Institution
If your institution holds some edition of the offer you are viewing, the Holdings panel appears as follows:
Print items are displayed even if they are currently unavailable; electronic portfolios are displayed only if they are active. If an electronic resource has been purchased but not yet activated, other members of a consortium will not see it as owned.
Item process type information from Alma is also shown, such as Missing, Lost, Claimed Returned, Loan, Hold Shelf, or Acquisition.
For e-books, the Holdings panel also displays the access model, which defines how many users can access the resource simultaneously. Access models that have corresponding Rialto icons are displayed as icons, while others appear as access model codes. Hover over the code to view a short description. For more information, see Managing Access Models.
Holdings Panel When Offers Are Held by Your Network Zone
If some edition of the offer is held by your Network Zone, the Holdings panel appears as follows:
For institutions that belong to a Network Zone, the Holdings panel includes a separate section showing holdings available in associated institutions. This search retrieves titles that are available in the patron-facing discovery index and may include records from Institution Zones, the Network Zone, or the Community Zone.
When a holdings record is linked to the Network Zone, you can select the link to view additional details. The 'Held By' Details screen opens, displaying information about the institution that owns the title.
In cases where the title is available across multiple institutions within the Network Zone, a different page opens. Select the Available For tab to view a list of institutions where the title is accessible.
In some cases, an Available For statement appears in the Holdings panel for specific portfolios. This indicates that the offer is accessible only to patrons who belong to defined inventory network groups, such as a specific campus, library, institution in a collaborative network, or a combination of these.
For electronic holdings, the Available For statement may be applied directly to the portfolio or inherited from the associated collection or service in Alma. For more information, see Configuring Distributed Access to Electronic Resources. If no Available For statement appears, the offer is available to all patrons without restrictions.
Suppressed Titles in Rialto Holdings
By default, Rialto is configured to display holdings that are marked as suppressed in Alma. Titles with suppressed holdings can be excluded from queries with features such as Title Alerts and Selection Plans.
Some libraries choose to suppress holdings rather than delete them when resources are no longer available. For these institutions, suppressed holdings should not appear in Rialto and should not be included in holdings-based queries.
Rialto can be configured to hide suppressed holdings from the Holdings view and to exclude them from holdings-related queries. Administrators can manage this setting from the configuration page, under the Other Settings table.
Print Availability Badges and Messaging
Rialto displays availability information for print offers to help users understand when items are expected to arrive after ordering. Basic shipping-status information appears as badges on offers, both in the offer list and in the Details pane when an offer is selected. Hovering over a badge displays additional details. In the Details pane, an estimated delivery timeframe also appears next to the badge.
Shipping estimates reflect supplier shipping time only and do not include cataloging or processing time. Availability messaging and estimates may vary by region. For more information about badges, see List of Rialto Badges.
The following badges and shipping estimates may appear for an offer:
| Shipping Status | Time Estimate in Details Pane | Description |
|---|---|---|
 Available |
Available from supplier. Expected to ship in X-Y weeks |
The title is available from a supplier, and the shipping estimate is based on current averages. |
| In stock with supplier |
There is stock available with a supplier. Shipping times depend on the best available discount. |
|
 In Stock |
In Stock. Usually ships within a few days |
Copies are on the warehouse shelf and ready to ship. This shipping status only appears for North American customers. |
 Not in Stock |
Not currently in stock. Orders accepted | The item is not currently in stock. Orders are accepted, and Rialto attempts to source the title. Shipping time is unknown. |
 Not yet published |
Not yet published. Advance orders accepted | Orders will ship as soon as the title becomes available. |
 Out of print |
Out of print | The item is not currently available. |
Rialto also surfaces Rapido resource-sharing availability so staff can see borrowing options alongside purchase information; for details, see Rapido Integration.
Adding Offers to the Shopping Cart
After identifying the offers you want to purchase, you can add them to the shopping cart. You can accumulate multiple offers in the cart and submit them together in a single checkout action (see Adding Offers to Shopping Cart and Checking Out).
To add offers to the shopping cart:
- From the search results, select the work you are interested in. The list of available offers for that work opens.
- Locate the offer you want to purchase and select Add to Cart from the row actions menu.
After selecting Add to Cart:
- The item gets marked with the In your cart badge both at the work and offer level.
- Other users see the In other carts badge, helping prevent duplicate orders.
- A confirmation message appears in the upper-right corner of the Alma window.
- The cart icon at the top menu displays an updated item count.
Select the linkable In your cart badge (
) to have the offer appear in the user's cart, with a focus on the selected item.
To see the names of other users that have the offer in their carts, hover over the "In other carts" badge.
When you are ready to proceed to checkout, select the Cart icon (
) to open the shopping cart. The cart displays all offers added during the session. For checkout and purchase instructions, see Adding to Shopping List and Checking Out.
To return to the search results, select the Back arrow (
) at the top of the offers list.
Rialto respects Ebook Central market restrictions to prevent orders for materials that cannot be sold based on your institution's type. When an offer is not available for purchase, the Add to Cart option is disabled. Hovering over the disabled action displays the message: Offer is currently unavailable for purchase.
For institutions that use Leganto: Rialto displays an additional action at the offer level (Link and Add to Cart) for titles that are included in the weekly reading list feed received from Leganto.
Selecting Link and Add to Cart links the purchase request to all associated Leganto citations for that title. The offer displays a Linked Reading List badge once the link is created, indicating that the purchase request is connected to one or more citations in Leganto. For details, see Leganto integration.
Adding Offers to DDA Pool
The following roles are required to add offers to the DDA pool:
- Purchasing Operator, Super Selector, Selector
If your institution is subscribed to a Demand Driven Acquisition (DDA, the same as Patron Driven Acquisition, PDA) agreement with a platform (see Patron Driven Acquisition), the Rialto Marketplace displays the electronic offers eligible for DDA with the DDA icon by the title.
DDA-eligible offers can be added to your institution’s DDA program for the relevant platform. Once added, the platform monitors patron usage of the title. When usage reaches the threshold defined in your DDA agreement, the title is automatically purchased. Until that threshold is met, the title remains in the DDA pool.
Vendor approval is required before a title becomes active in the DDA pool. This approval process may take several hours or several days. During this period, the offer displays a Pending DDA badge in feeds and other lists.
Adding Offers to the DDA Pool Manually
The following roles are required to add offers to the DDA pool:
- Rialto Administrator, Rialto Manager, Purchasing Operator, Super Selector, Selector
To add an offer to the DDA pool:
-
Locate an electronic offer marked with the DDA icon and select the Configure DDA dropdown at the top of the offer list. If you do not have one of the required roles, the Configure DDA dropdown is not visible.
Configure DDA dropdown -
Select the ordering library, desired fund (option appears after you select the library), and Reporting Codes for this title, then click Apply. Adding Reporting Codes enhances internal reporting and analytics.
-
Select the Add to DDA from the row actions menu. If you did not fill out the Configure DDA dropdown before selecting Add to DDA, Rialto prompts you to provide the necessary information before adding the offer to the DDA pool. Once you select Add to DDA, the Pending DDA badge appears by the offer.
Once the vendor approves the title, the badge updates to In DDA Pool.
To streamline bulk workflows, you can set Add to DDA as the default row action for eligible electronic offers via the Select ' Add to DDA ' action as default for current selection checkbox in the Configure DDA dropdown.
This option changes the primary action from Add to Cart to Add to DDA for the current list only. The default resets to Add to Cart when you leave the list. Physical offers always retain Add to Cart as the default action.
DDA configuration selections persist across the current browser session and apply throughout Rialto. Clearing the selection removes it globally. If your session times out or you sign out of Alma, you must reapply the configuration.
Adding Offers to DDA Automatically
In addition to manual selection, DDA-eligible offers can be added automatically through Selection Plans, if configured by a Rialto Administrator.
Selection Plans allow administrators to:
- Define a recurring feed of eligible offers
- Add a capped number of records to the DDA pool per run
- Schedule runs on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis
The maximum number of records added per run (the cap) and the execution frequency are defined within the Selection Plan profile. For detailed instructions, see Selection Plans.
Adding Offers to a List
Lists are dynamic repositories that help you save and organize offers for future reference. Adding an offer to a list tags it, allowing you to easily return to it later for further analysis or purchasing. You can view all offers associated with a specific list at any time, add a single offer to multiple lists, and move offers between lists as needed.
To add an offer to a list, the list must already exist. For instructions on creating and managing lists, see Working with Lists.
To add an offer to a list:
-
When viewing offers, select a title you want to add to a list, and select Add to List in the row actions list. Then choose the list to which you want to add the offer.
-
Once the offer is added to a list, the In your lists badge appears on both the offer and work level. On the work level, this badge may indicate that a single offer appears in multiple lists or that different offers from the same work appear in different lists. Other users see an In others’ lists badge on the work and offer level, helping prevent duplicate effort.
Hovering over the In your lists badge on the work levelTo see the lists in which the offer is included, hover over the "In your lists" badge.