Alma
Your feedback matters to us. Help us improve Alma by telling us what you’d like to see using the message areas below. You can also can support something already posted.
We would love to be able to respond to every idea that is submitted, but this is not feasible. We are, however, committed to responding to the most popular ideas—those that have received the most points.
For more information please review our FAQ and guidelines. Thank you.
1996 results found
-
enhance current authorities reports
Hi, Sir,
The current authority reports can list local authority headings that are or are not linked to bibliographic records. Please enhance the authority statistical report function by adding:The ability to generate statistics on CZ authority records, including local/CZ authority records for author and subject headings.
A statistical summary and detailed list of bibliographic records linked to local/CZ authority records for author and subject headings.
A statistical summary and detailed list of local bibliographic records with author and subject headings that are not linked to local/CZ authority records.
This will allow librarians to systematically review and update records, ensuring…2 votes -
Support "Parent" fields in COUNTER R5.1 IR reports
COUNTER R5.1 reports can be harvested into Alma, and then users can review these reports in Analytics.
For ‘Item Reports’ (IR) not all “parent” fields are supported in Alma and in Analytics.Mandatory parent fields for IRA1 in R5.1 are:
ParentTitle
ParentAuthors
ParentArticleVersion
ParentDOI
ParentProprietaryID
ParentPrintISSN
ParentOnlineISSN
Parent_URI
(See https://cop5.countermetrics.org/en/5.0.3/04-reports/04-item-reports.html)NOTE: If any parent information is included in an Item Report, the ParentDataType MUST be specified (see https://cop5.projectcounter.org/en/5.1.0.1/03-specifications/02-formats-for-counter-reports.html#report-body)
These fields should be supported by Alma and Analytics.
12 votes -
Implement Checks on the Authority Heading Type for Institutions Using ID-based Authority Control
Currently, when authority linking in Alma is based on ID rather than text, Alma does not check whether the authority heading type in the bibliographic record matches the heading type in the authority record. For example, Alma will link a 600 tag in the bib record for personal names with an authority record whose heading is in tag 110 for corporate names if their ID matches, even though Alma would not offer that option if F3 were pressed.
We would like Alma to (1) avoid linking in such cases and (2) flag these instances in the authority control task list.
…
2 votes -
Improve Request Limit configuration to match Loan Limit configuration
Request limit configuration is currently extremely limited:
- It applies across the whole instutition
- It is a single limit which can't be distinguished for different material types, items or kinds of requests
- It is linked only the user group of the patron.
We propose that request limit config should match loan limit config and allow for other variables:
- Application to a specific library
- Limit by item policy, location, material type, user group, statistical category and job category.
An additional improvement would be to allow some link up between request limits and loan limits. They are particularly problematic for remote storage integrations…
4 votes -
Collection - report who added title and when
When adding titles to Collections (Resources\Manage Collections) it would be helpful if it reported who and when a title was added to the collection. Report of this via Analytics would be preferable but displaying in Alma would be a start.
3 votes -
Automatically suppress bib records generated from the Order It! Amazon plug in.
Allow the option to automatically suppress bib records created from the Order It! Amazon plugin. Additionally, allow the option to have the titles of the generated brief bibs typed in all capital letters as per standard practice for acquisitions brief bibs. Brief bibs typed in all caps help visually distinguish them from full bibliographic records.
1 vote -
Top Level Collection Analytics
Please add top Top Level Collection information to Analytics. Specifically, we are looking for data on changes to the collection such as items added, who added them, when they were added, and any changes to the collection or sub-collections and who made the changes.
11 votes -
Allow us to create duplicate borrowing requests via the Users API
The SUNY system has created an ILLiad addon that automatically converts ILLiad borrowing requests into either Alma borrowing requests or Alma hold requests (depending on whether the requested item is locally available). We're using the Users API to create these requests in Alma. We've figured out how to override the Alma function that blocks the creation of duplicate hold requests when necessary, but we there's no way for us to override the function that blocks the creation of duplicate borrowing requests. Please add this feature to the Users API.
4 votes -
Overlap and Collection Analysis reports enhancement
As a collection development librarian, I propose allowing the selection of multiple collections we want to compare. Repeating the same process for different collections is time-consuming. For example, we have 8 active IEEE collections, and I have to match them one by one with other collections.
Also, is it possible to re-run the Overlap analysis report if I forget to include some collections, instead of creating a new analysis each time?20 votes -
Add Fulfillment Note to the New 2025 Manage Patron Services Table Customization
We use the Fulfillment Note field to track Lost Items by recording the patron ID, replacement cost, and billing date to our Finance department, allowing us to efficiently identify returned lost items. Additionally, we check out lost items to a dedicated patron record to facilitate tracking, reordering, or withdrawal over time. Adding this feature to the Manage Patron Services Customization Table would help ensure these notes are consistently recorded.
15 votes -
resource sharing lending participating items, exclude by provenance
Would it be possible to add a new filter to the Resource Sharing Lending Policies Participating Items? At present it is only possible to exclude by material type, item policy and location. We would like a new filter for item provenance please.
6 votes -
Enhancing Security in Alma: Restricting Return without scanning the item, Claim Return, Found Functions to High-Level Roles
The new Alma Manage Patron Services, implemented in February 2025, allows any role to "Return" an item without scanning it. This function should be restricted to high-level roles only. Similarly, the "Found" and "Claimed Return" functions should also be limited to high-level roles.
Currently, WS students can access these functions with the Circulation Operator – Limited role. While we are in the process of removing the Actions Customizations from the Settings wheel, our preferred solution is to restrict access to these functions to higher-level roles.
7 votes -
Problems receiving documents from POL (Purchase order Line)
Since the change to Alma's new visualization, when receiving the document from the order (POL) there are two behaviors that, in our opinion, are regressions:
- When we mark the check for “Keep in department” Cataloging copy, this check is not marked for future reception. We request that this check be kept marked by default.
- When the reception date has to be entered, marking a date before the current date on the calendar is not allowed.What we are asking for is that, since this improvement that has been presented (display of all data integrated in the POL), when…
0 votes -
Ability to change discovery import profile
It would be useful to make change to discovery import profile via API. For example, to make change Harvest start date and End date and run the job in all supported way (e.g. reload and delete). Currently there are some OAI resources that do not support harvesting deleted records and we had to do "reload and delete" manually and regularly.
3 votes -
Show more details about Work orders in user roles
When work orders are attached to circulation desks, the details of the work order cannot be edited.
This leads to a problem with maintaining roles, since the work order only shows its associated circulation desk. It is impossible to see from the user record what work order is associated with that user, making it difficult to add or remove desired work orders.
If the role parameters could show at least the Code, then that would provide useful information. This would be useful both in the user role view and the preset user profiles.
This idea was generated because my support…
22 votes -
Notes field in recurring renewals
The notes field should only be for notes pertaining to that order that we have entered into the field. Not system generated notes ie "The PO Line has renewed automatically on 2025-01-02 by the system" or "this PO Line has been cancelled". These notes should go in the history field. Over time these notes take over and push the notes we want to see to the bottom. So you end up going through pages of notes trying to find the important notes. So system generated notes should go in the history field.
3 votes -
View upload status in Alma Digital
I'm uploading large files to Alma Digital (by designating a folder path on AWS). Once I save the representation, I get a message that "The file upload is in progress and may take a few minutes." But there is no way to monitor the progress of the upload from within Alma. It would be very helpful to have some sort of status bar showing the progress of the upload in MB. Thanks.
Please add some way to view the status of an ongoing upload3 votes -
Ability to create Alma Analytics Objects from Primo VE Network Reports Folder
The institutions of the consortia working in the Network use the same analytics reports. In the case of Alma Analytics, it is possible to add new Alma Analytics objects from the Alma Analytics Network Folder. However, there is no possibility to add new Primo Analytics objects from the Primo Analytics Network Folder. Please implement such a possibility, as it is very important for consortia, especially those with consortium IT support centers.
3 votes -
convert bib. records to sub collections in bulk
We discovered in Alma the possibility of creating collections of archival materials, which gives us the opportunity to create a hierarchy of collections and subcollections. Visually it also looks good. We do not yet have DIGITAL ALMA, we cannot load materials themselves, but a reader receives comprehensive and detailed information about library collections.
At the same time, we encountered a problem: we have collections with dozens of subcollections, and each subcollection needs to be edited separately. It takes precious time and a feeling of wasting energy on creating records of subcollections, when we have their bibliographic records ready with all…1 vote -
Usability issues with the New Circ UI
- When processing items from a cart, if they are scanned at Return items and the item is a Ship physically item, the new UI just brings up the item and in small letters says Next Step - System - and the library its to go to. It also says not on loan (which in this case is not helpful, because there is an active request). The system "ships" the item, but doesn't tell you that it did and in order to print the shipping slip staff have to go back to the lending queue and find it.
- We believe if…
11 votes
- Don't see your idea?