Alma
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132 results found
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Add Vendor contact details to Analytics
We would like to be able to report on the Vendor contact fields of address, phone and email in Analytics.
148 votesThis Ideas exchange to add vendor contact details to Alma Analytics" has been completed as part of the May 2021 release, in conjunction with the revamping of the User Subject area.
It is possible to create a report in the “Users” subject area of all users who are contacts by filtering by the field “User Record Type” from the “User Details” folder -
Title starts with search in Advanced Search
Change "Title Starts With" search in Advanced Search
There are situations when it's easier or more efficient to search by the beginning of the title. However, the “Title Starts With:” search in Advanced Search in Alma requires the user to know whether the title begins with an article (A, An, The) or not, and if so, which article it begins with. So users are expected to remember if a title begins with "A", "The", or no initial article in order to perform the search successfully. Why not just return both results, and let the user decide, instead of forcing them…
145 votesDear all, the title starts-with search was already updated to take non-filing characters into account, allowing librarians to search with or without them.
If for some reason you're not seeing this behavior in your environment, please open a support case with examples so this can be investigated.
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Sort Order option in ALMA for file list displayed in Primo for a Digital Representation
For files attached to a Digital Representations, provide an option in ALMA to choose a sort order for how these files display in the U-Resolver in Primo.
This would allow a scenario where the year could be placed at the start of each label (for multiple files in a series) and a choice made in ALMA to display the sort order in Primo so that the file for most recent year is at top of list. In this scenario, the current fixed sort order places the most recent file at bottom of U-Resolver list (which means it can potentially drop…3 votes -
Anonymize loans and request older than X
Hi there,
We need to access the recent history of patron loans and requests. For example, when a patron returns an item and there is damage found afterwards or something is missing, we contact the last patron to know what happened.
This way we can resolve about 80% of such cases.But by law, we are bound to anonymize loans and requests older than a year. We don't have this possibility in Alma.
It would be great to add a parameter in the configuration interface in order to anonymize all loans or requests completed before [date].
2 votesPlease note the ‘Loan Anonymization Rules’ configuration option, found under the Fulfillment Configuration. This option allows to set under what conditions loans will be anonymized, including the ‘Days Since Loan Ended’ or the ‘Number of Loans to Retain’.
These rules are especially required for loans, in order to be able to retain history information that is required for inventory management, for example if item is lost ordamaged. The rules are less of an issue for requests history.
Thanks,
Moshe -
Add API call to fetch all holdings and items associated with one bib record (MMSid)
It would be great to have a single API call to fetch all holdings and items related to an MMS id, which would return all this data in one big XML file. The way it works now, if you want to get, say, all of the barcodes for all items associated with a single MMS id, you have to do an api call for every holding record. So if you have a bib that has one item in 6 different locations, you have to do 6 API calls.
66 votes -
Ability to change Acquisition Method in POL
My understanding is that ExL cannot change the Order Line Type due to the inventory database structure. However, what about the Acquisition Method -- Purchase, Approval Plan, Purchase at Vendor System, Gift, Technical, etc? It would be extremely helpful to be able to change the Acquisition Method after an order is sent.
For example, we have some POLs that should have been Purchase at Vendor System instead of Purchase.
We had issues with a depository account where the POLs migrated as Purchase, but tracking our account balance was easier after changing all of them to Technical POLs.
We also have…87 votesThe ‘Update PO Lines Information – Advanced’ job can be used for this purpose.
Please see
exl-edu.com/01_Alma/Alma_Workflows/Acquisit.. -
Suggestion for Increase of Shared Dimensions Between Subject Areas in Analytics
We have donors who require reports on how we are spending their endowment funding. These reports include Fund Transaction data, Bibliographic Details, and Holding Details. The idea is that the donor should be able to locate any item within our library that we have purchased on their funds. Unfortunately, Holding Details lies within the Physical Items subject area, and currently is not a shared dimension in the Funds Expenditure subject area. Holding Details (such as in the case of Call Numbers) are closely linked in usefulness with Bibliographic Details.
My suggestion, therefore, is that ExLibris please add Holdings Details as…
28 votesThe suggestion here is to add information from the physical items to the funds expenditures subject area. It was opened three years ago. Three years (perhaps after this was opened – Ideas Exchange states “three years ago” but not an exact date) ago we added the fund information to the physical items subject area. This should satisfy the need of creating a report with data from both areas. See https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Release_Notes/030_2016/06July_2016/Alma_July_2016_Release_Notes/08Analytics_-_July_2016_Enhancements
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API query to retrieve only those user accounts where active fines/fees exist
We want to export user fine/fee data to our SIS (PeopleSoft) while retaining the ability to manage patron fine/fees in Alma. The Alma bursar export does not meet our needs because it closes out the fine/fees in Alma. The user API only allows for checking accounts individually to determine whether a fine/fee exists. The 'users' query does not provide a filter for whether a fine/fee is on the retrieved user's account.
11 votesThe Export User Blocks action in the Users Integration Profile ? This action is used to export users that should be blocked due to unpaid fines. It can be used to routinely export a list of users that owe more than a given amount.
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Toggle cancelled borrowing requests in a "terminated" status
Borrowing request can be cancelled by staff or by patrons. This happens fairly frequently.
Now the problem is that cancelled borrowing requests stay "active". This creates a lot of noise in the list of active borrowing requests. RS staff has begun to delete the cancelled borrowing requests in order for them to only see the really active ones. This of course has a consequence on Analytics. I am unable to know how many borrowing requests were cancelled because they don't exist any more.
So ideally, cancelled borrowing requests would keep their cancelled status, but have an activity status of terminated…
38 votes -
Add Holdings Record note elements to Alma Analyics
Holdings note fields would be excellent for Alma Analytics Currently we can not report on 866 $x/$z or 852 $x/$z, but would very much like to. We end up exporting MARC, extracting fields into Excel, and doing cumbersome somersaults to merge those notes with circulation data for weeding reports.
81 votesThis is being closed as already supported. A lot of work has already been done on the holdings record in Alma. For example the latest comment here in the ideas exchange states
“Seconding both Katie Dunn and JMC on the need for both searching multiple instances of 852 $x and $z, as well as expanding the number of fields searchable. We currently use the more narrowly-defined fields rather than the catch-all 852 $x, but would find both expansions very helpful.”
The Alma Analytics physical items subject area includes the entire 852 field. it is in the “holding details” folder. We have also added several separate fields based on specific sub fields of the 852.
For example see this from Jan. 2018 release notes:
January 2018 Analytics
The following fields from the Physical Items > Holding Details folder are no longer marked as under construction and can be used for saved… -
automatically remove lost item fees at discharge
When a lost item is returned and discharged, by definition it no longer requires replacement, so all replacement costs (except overdue fine) should be automatically deleted from the patron's record. It looks like we have to do that manually now, which is unnecessary and time-consuming.
14 votes -
Remove Resource Sharing Library
It should be possible to remove the out of the box Resource Sharing Library if your institution is not using it.
9 votesThis is supported but requires EXL Support help.
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Add column to Patron service on the Loan-tab which shows that the item has been requested by another user
Our fulfillment department often gets phone calls of patrons who do not understand why their loan can not be renewed. Now we have to click the View queue in Actions to check this, but it would be much more convenient to see in a blink of an eye that there are requests immediately on the loan tab.
25 votesTwo columns in the Manage Patron Services page display the most recent status and date for the item if any renewal has been attempted. See https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Release_Notes/0099_2017/100_March_2017/Alma_March_2017_Release_Notes/04Fulfillment_-_March_2017_Enhancements#Renewal_Enhancements_in_Manage_Patron_Services
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Expand the options for UG student body size in new comparative analytics
In the new comparative analytics option (announced in the December 2016 release notes), could the options for the UG student body size be expanded to include higher student counts? The Open University is surely not the only institution that has more than 20,000 UG students?
3 votes -
Default pickup location in direct requesting
In Direct Requesting, have the default pickup location be the PATRON'S home library OR have the default be BLANK. Right now, the default is the ITEM'S location. If the default is accepted, the patron may have to travel some distance to pick up the item.
16 votesSee July 2017 Release Notes -
“A new customer parameter, ful_network_default_pickup_inst, controls the initial value of the pickup institution field in a fulfillment network request form.
*If the parameter’s value is set to blank, the initial value of the pickup institution is blank.
*If the parameter’s value is set to patron, the initial value is set to the patron’s institution, meaning that linked account users will show the patron’s source institution.
*If the parameter’s value is set to local, the initial value is set to the local institution, as it has been in the past. This is the default."
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Allow for format de-duplicating in YBP Real Time Ordering
When we were testing the Real-Time Integration between YBP and Alma, we found that if we own either the print or electronic format, but we receive a request for the other format, the order attaches to the existing bib, even if it is in the wrong format. In these cases, if the format is different, what should happen is that the system should create a new brief MMS record for the order's format. I've been told that adding additional matchpoints to prevent this would have to be an enhancement request. As YBP has told me that three other libraries also…
0 votes -
Default of "partial" for Digitization Request Form
We primarily get digitization requests for book chapters or journal articles. We would like to have the option to set the Digitization Request Form so that it by default opens with the "partial" box checked. this would simplify requests for patrons and make the workflow less inefficient due to "bad" requests.
1 vote -
Decrease time allowed between duplicate resource sharing requests
Currently, there is a forced 10 minute wait time before submitting duplicate resource sharing requests for the same title. We very often have patrons requesting multiple parts of a set that requires library staff to submit additional requests on behalf of the patron. Having a 10 minute wait time between requests is unreasonable and a significant waste of staff time to input requests. A request for six volumes of a set will take a staff member at least 50 minutes to submit all requests, if the requests are timed and spaced evenly.
The threshold for blocking duplicate requests should be…
78 votesDo note that requesting the same title but with a different volume,chapter, pages or note is allowed without having to wait. This is intended to allow requesting multiple parts without having to wait.
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Can option for viewing 'Ready to be Paid' invoices be added to Acquisitions menu?
In the 'Receiving and Invoicing' section of the Acquisitions menu,
there are options for displaying invoices in various stages of processing: 'Review', 'Approve' and 'Waiting for Payment'. (See Alma_menu.PNG)It would be very useful to be able to display invoices 'Ready to be Paid' - i.e., which have passed the review stage and await running of the job for export to ERP, which changes them to 'Waiting for Payment' status.
Can the menu be configured to include this option?113 votesDear All,
I am setting this idea to "Already Supported" status as we have a link to 'Ready to be Paid' invoices in Alma.
Kindly,
Zohar Shemesh
Alma Product Team
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Make fine/fee types editable
Our library has many unique types of fines/fees, AND many of the fine and fee types in Alma's FineFeeTypeDefinition's Description table do not apply to us. Rather than providing customers with a fixed list, why not create an editable table of Manual Fine and Fee Types, similar to the Reasons for Transactions table that controls options for waiving fines?
50 votesHi,
Please note that the list of fee types can be updated by Ex Libris support, which can add up to 10 institution defined fee types.
Moshe
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