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.
212 results found
-
Create a "natural language" editor to create Normalization rules
The process for creating Normalization rules is unnecessarily complex and difficult, particularly for those of us who are not familiar with Drools logic. Our previous LSP had an intuitive interface which made creating rules to change details in MARC records much less time consuming. Ex Libris would do well to create such an interface.
15 votes -
Navigating list of records
Would like to have a forward option when working in a list of catalog records. It's cumbersome to have to go backward to go forward to the next record in the list.
15 votes -
Add management information when publishing authority records using OAI-PMH
We want to publish our local authority data to a third party system. Adding management information such as Creation date, Modification date, Created by, etc. would be extremely valuable. Yet, management information enrichment is available for other kind of records, but not authorities (cf. in the documentation page https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Product_Documentation/010Alma_Online_Help_(English)/090Integrations_with_External_Systems/030Resource_Management/080Publishing_and_Inventory_Enrichment).
Could you please add manangement information when publishing authority records using OAI-PMH?15 votes -
Ability to configure the subject list names of the Browse Bibliographic Headings
Currently, the Browse Bibliographic Headings subject list names the CZ vocabularies and is OTB provided and cannot be changed.
As we use only a few of this vocabulary, we would like to be to configure it and be able to choose which one appears in the list.14 votes -
Include games and models as Resource Types
In accordance with the MARC21 Format for Bibliographic Data, when LDR pos. 06 = r (for "three-dimensional artifact"), we're supposed to follow the "Visual materials" definition of 008, described at https://www.loc.gov/marc/bibliographic/bd008v.html.
Currently, the Rules Used to Create the Resource Type Field (https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Product_Documentation/010Alma_Online_Help_(English)/010Getting_Started/050Alma_User_Interface_%E2%80%93_General_Information/Searching_in_Alma#Rules_Used_to_Create_the_Resource_Type_Field_MARC_21_KORMARC_and_UNIMARC) do not include games or models.
These would be indicated in the bibliographic record as:
LDR pos. 06 = r AND 008 pos. 33 = g (for "game")
LDR pos. 06 = r AND 008 pos. 33 = q (for "model")Could these specifications be added to this Rules list? They are currently listed as…
14 votes -
Add validating MARC field and record character limits
Please add the capability when validating records to check for MARC field and record character limits (9,999 and 99,999 octets respectively, https://www.loc.gov/marc/specifications/specrecstruc.html). We understand that Alma does not impose character limits on MARC fields and records, but we often exchange records with other vendors or companies. We need this feature to ensure that our data transfers properly and does not exceed data limits imposed by the MARC format.
14 votes -
Ensure that CZ & CDI Metadata is Linked Data Ready
I was advised by the Linked Data Group to post this idea here because I submitted the following for the LOD Working Group webinar in December:
Broader strategic and commercial alliances required to ensure that data is ready to be linked?
To engender confidence in CZ and make it linked-data ready, why don’t the Company do business with e.g. Backstage Library Works for authority control clean-up and maintenance?
Metadata is a global commodity so all stakeholders have responsibility for creating, sharing, enriching and maintaining it, and of course there are costs for all of these elements which we could share.
…
13 votes -
Notes on bibliographic records should open as a pop-up message when a user starts editing the record.
We have the option to add notes to bibliographic records in Alma which are only visible in the metadata editor. This is found under record actions – add note. The option to add notes here is very practical, but it is easy for the cataloger to ignore the note. To make the note harder to ignore it should open as a pop-up message when you first start to edit the bibliographic record in the metadata editor. This could be added as a feature that each library could turn on or off in their configuration menu.
13 votes -
Authority--Normalize periods in initialisms and acronyms by elimininating them, not replacing them with spaces
Currently large numbers of headings with initialisms and acronyms appear as "ambiguous" on the Authority Control Task List. When viewed in "edit" the headings appear both with and without periods. There is, in fact, no ambiguity because both forms of the heading appear on the same authority record. One form is in the 1xx field and the other is in the 4xx field. Examples are: PBS Distribution (Firm), NASA technical memorandum and JPS anthology of Jewish thought.
This is a problem because headings listed as "ambiguous" need to be manually edited to link to the authority record, one-by-one. There are…
13 votes -
Notes, expected receiving date and storage location ID for items should be visible in list view
When searching for physical items in the repository search it would be practical for a note field to be visible from the search result list. In advanced search for physical items, you can search for internal note 1-3, statistical note 1-3 and public note, it would save time if you could see these without editing each item. Using the existing option for adding and removing columns in the repository search (manage column display) you should be able to choose which of these fields you would like to be visible. These fields should then be included when you download an excel…
12 votes -
Back button in new MD Editor
Please add a Back button to the new MD Editor. This is necessary in the Relink item records to another bib record process. When we create a new holdings record in the middle of the relink process, the Back button allows us to go back to the relink process, and finish up. Details, please refer to Salesforce case # 909005.
12 votes -
Contribute to CZ records : GND Authority File for 1XX/7XX Fields
A library wants to enhance CZ Bibliographic Records, one is asked by ExLibris to comply to their cataloguing standards (Alma Community Catalog: Cataloging Standards, Policies, Rights, and Responsibilities (exlibrisgroup.com)). On page 7 of those standards it is stated:
"Since we have a one record policy in the CZ, the issue of languages has been the most challenging part of the solution. The current decision is that the language of the item dictates the language for cataloging. (…) Similarly, the forms of name used as authorized access points in the record should be consistent with the language of cataloging--– LCNAF if…
12 votes -
Add the 585 field to search index
The 585 Exhibition note is not currently indexed in Alma for searching. Would you please either add it to the Notes index or create a new index for it? Thanks.
12 votes -
Enable authority control on subdivisions
Currently, Alma creates a link between a full bib heading with an authority that has exactly the same subfields.
For instance:650 7 $$a Sports $$x Gestion. $$2 ram
Will fully link with authority:
150 _ $$a Sports $$x Gestion (ID: FRBNF11965041)If Alma cannot match an authority with the full heading, then it attempts to link the first subfield of the heading with an authority:
650 7 $$a Sports $$x Gestion $$z France $$y 1990-2020. $$2 ram
Will (partially) link with authority
150 _ $$a Sports(ID: FRBNF13318890)
The other subfields will remain unlinked and therefore not under authority control.…
12 votes -
Display all subject headings in results lists
It would be helpful to see all subject headings displayed in the search results page and to see all bibliographic headings after exporting a results list to Excel.
Currently after a search, the results list only shows three subject headings per bibliographic record. If there are more subject headings listed in the bibliographic record, it is only indicated with the phrase “and others”.
Exporting the results list to Excel also shows only three subject headings with the information “and others” if more subject headings are mentioned in the bibliographic record.
11 votes -
Remove alert in Metadata Editor for presence of marc 019 field
In the metadata editor, please update the Alerts so that the presence of marc field 019 in a bib record does not generate an error message on save. 019 contains the OCLC control number of duplicate records that have been merged and deleted from WorldCat. It's not a standard marc field, but it contains useful information for OCLC libraries.
11 votes -
Exclude some categories of vendor records from Alma authority control processing
We want to exclude some categories of vendor records from Alma authority control processing. Specifically, we want to exclude certain vendor records with non-standard headings from having those headings evaluated and changed.
For example, we recently loaded Naxos music vendor records which had the non-standard heading "$$a Purcell, Henry $$e Composer". This heading was flipped to "Purcell, H.", a medical doctor, instead of "Purcell, Henry, $$d 1659-1695", the composer.
How can we accomplish this? Are bib records at certain cataloging levels excluded from authority processing? Or are there subfield tags we could append to headings to exclude them from authority…
11 votes -
151 authority records need to validate 651 subjects
The Alma Link Bib Heading job is returning unlinked headings for 651 geographic subjects having valid LC 151 name (not subject) authority records in the CZ. This causes us to have to sift through/check on many valid headings when working to resolve unlinked headings, particularly as we are preparing to migrate--the first run of Link Bib Heading will have a huge results list that will include all of these "unauthorized" geographic subjects.
10 votes -
MARC field 026 should be searchable
To identify ancient editions, it's important to register the "fingerprint", that MARC21 register in tag 026. This tag should be searchable in ALMA and in Primo
10 votes -
Add a flag to indicate that a bibliographic record has been reviewed by a cataloger
Since bibliographic, holdings, and often items records are created at the point of order, it is impossible to easily tell whether or not a record has already been reviewed by a cataloger (for those types of resources that are still manually cataloged from the material in hand). A flag is needed to display (similar to the suppressed icon) on a list of titles in Repository Search so that staff can tell at a glance that a record has already been vetted by other qualified staff.
This is particularly necessary for staff working within a consortium; staff from one institution need…
10 votes
.png){kind=link}
- Don't see your idea?