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.
- or
1106 results found
-
Improve locate process to accurately determine an article’s availability based on the partner’s portfolio coverage
Currently, when a digital resource sharing request include only the publication date year, the system interprets the publication date as January 1 of that year. If the partner’s portfolio coverage includes only volume/issue, the availability is calculated based on the volume/issue information in the request. However, if the portfolio coverage includes both year and month, then the availability is calculated based on dates only. Even if the coverage also includes volume/issue, the volume/issue data in the request is ignored, and the link resolver does not estimate dates based on volume/issue. The locate process then checks if there is an…
14 votes -
Allow user preferred pick up location while retaining other options
Currently in the TOU you can allow pick-up at "Any pick-up location" or at" User affiliated Campus Pick-up locations". If the latter is set, only pick-up locations of the user's campus are available. We need an extension to the former rule, that lets the user's preferred pick-up location (a new parameter in the user profile) be selected as default option, while still allowing the user to select a different location when placing the request.
Obviously, the "User preferred pick-up library" needs to be added to the user profile.77 votes -
Physically Received by Library
It should be possible to change the status of a Borrowing Request to Digitally Received by Library from Physically Received by Library or vice-versa, if the wrong Format was received. Currently, it is impossible to create a barcode if the item was Digitally Received.
19 votes -
COUNTER metric PR_P1 or DR_D1 Searches platform to calculate Total Usage in Analytics databases cost per use reports
We request that the Total Usage field used in constructing the databases cost per use report utilize the COUNTER PRP1 Searches platform or DRD1 Searches platform metric.
Within the group of university libraries that are part of REBIUN (https://www.rebiun.org/), we have agreed to use the PRP1 metric, or alternatively DRD1 Searches platform, to calculate the cost per use of databases.
However, when configuring the report in Analytics, we encountered the problem that Alma uses the DR – Unique Title Requests metric. https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Product_Documentation/010Alma_Online_Help_(English)/080Analytics/Alma_Analytics_Subject_Areas/E-Inventory#Cost_Usage
Therefore, even if we build a cost per use report, it…
92 votes -
Extend the "interested users" functionality
Acquisition librarians want to extend the current "interested users" functionality in order to serve the end user in a better and faster way. The current "interested users" functionality is not sufficient enough, to become useful and really benefit from this functionality we would like to extend it with:
• The ability to sort the interested user list.
Use case: some users (e.g. academic staff) have priority and should get the issue first!
• Make it possible to create hold requests on these items regardless of the existing fulfillment policy:
Use case: some libraries don't allow requests for available…279 votesDear community, this idea was reviewed and accepted, below you can find the suggested design, please feel free to comment if you have further suggestion:
1. It will be possible to sort the interested users list using arrows. The hold requests will be activated as per the order in the interested users tab.
2. A check mark for ‘Loan to first interested user’ will cause the received item to be automatically loaned to the first interested user when the item is received.
3. It will be possible to print the list of users (in the proper order) when the item is received
Thanks,
Noam Fass | Alma product management team -
a box "holdings" to tick on Electronic Portfolio Editor level
EXL advised us to tick to box "Cancellation restriction" in the POL to mark our journals holdings... even if the feature is at first not what it takes.
Editors require libraries to maintain some subscriptions (holdings) and libraries have to make yearly inventory on these holdings.Our request : a "holdinds" box to tick to be configured on Electronic Portfolio Editor level.
28 votes -
Mass deletion of purchase requests
Purchase requests can be mass rejected but cannot be mass deleted after that, so they need to be deleted individually, which is frustrating and time-consuming.
21 votes -
Work order email notification option
We use work orders to request items from our other branches to be loaned out via interlibrary loan.
When the branch is unable to find the book, they click Mark as Missing on their Pick from Shelf list.
Unfortunately, this simply deletes the work order and doesn't notify us that the work order was deleted. We have to go into our Monitor Requests queue and actually scroll through all the completed requests to find the ones that were marked as missing.
I would like to request that when creating a new work order, there is an option to…
16 votesHello All,
This idea has been closed as part of a cleanup process for ideas older than two years with fewer than 20 votes.
This cleanup process is necessary to streamline our idea management process and ensure that the most relevant and impactful ideas receive the attention they deserve. If you still feel strongly about this idea, you may submit it via the NERS process.
We value your feedback and encourage you to continue submitting and voting for ideas that you believe will enhance Alma.
Alma Product Team
-
Obligate the user to choose a pick up location in the resource sharing form
On Renouvaud the users could fill in a form to request an article or a book for the Inter Library Loan.
But, they don't read all the form and much of them don't choose a pick up location.
The problem is that if they don't choose one, a "default pick up location" is selected.
We would like that the drop down menu begin not with a pick up location but a little sentence which ask the user to choose a location (see attachments).
Thanks !
55 votes -
Change Repository Search "Contains" to drop-down to enable searching "Contains Phrase", "Starts With", and "Equals"
In the repository search simple search, the only search operator you can use when searching available indexes is contains (e.g., FIND all titles WHERE title CONTAINS ____.
We would like to request that the CONTAINS operator be turned into an advanced-style dropdown menu to enable searches like this:
FIND all titles WHERE title CONTAINS PHRASE ____
FIND all titles WHERE title STARTS WITH ____
FIND all titles WHERE title EQUALS _____In many cases, an advanced search is not required, it is simply the contains operator that needs to be modified, and performing an advanced search just to modify the…
136 votesThis idea was discussed with the Alam UX focused working group and it was agree it is lower priority. We will consider this request in future changes we might do in the search.
-
Lending Publication Date
In Lending Analytics, the Publication Date field retrieves the date the Journal began publishing, and not the date the Article was published, despite the fact that the date in the Lending request is the Article's publication date. As a result, we are unable to check if we have supplied scans according to Copyright Law.
22 votes -
Add "Managed By Library" facet in "Monitor Requests & Item Processes"
There's a need to check the list in transit from a library to another library.
In "Monitor Requests & Item Processes" menu, there are 'Pick up location' or ' 'Owning Library' facets.
But there's no facet to check destination of the item.It will be very helpful, if the facet is given by Alma.
63 votes -
View pick-up location in Requests tab of Manage Patron Services
It would be helpful if pick-up location was displayed on the Requests tab under Manage Patron Services. Currently, in order to view pick-up location when helping users at the desk, staff need to click '...' and 'Edit' in order to view that part of the request.
Attached is a photo of the current interface where staff would like to see pick-up location as an optional column display.
6 votesHello All,
This idea has been closed as part of a cleanup process for ideas older than two years with fewer than 20 votes.
This cleanup process is necessary to streamline our idea management process and ensure that the most relevant and impactful ideas receive the attention they deserve. If you still feel strongly about this idea, you may submit it via the NERS process.
We value your feedback and encourage you to continue submitting and voting for ideas that you believe will enhance Alma.
Alma Product Team
-
Automatic orders claiming
At the moment Alma only sends one claim request to the vendor. If the ordered item is still not received, staff need to follow up and re-claim manually; usually a number of times.
We would like to see claim cycle functionality in Alma so that we can configure follow-up claims based on a set interval per vendor, as well as a maximum number of claims to be sent before the order is automatically cancelled and the vendor automatically notified. It would also be useful to be able to see the history of claims for an order, and be able to…
130 votesDear community,
As described in a comment below, In December 2019 Alma introduced the Reclaim functionality which is set to address the need described in this idea. See https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Product_Documentation/010Alma_Online_Help_(English)/020Acquisitions/050Purchasing/Receiving_Material/Processing_Claims for more details.
The concept of limiting the number of reclaims sent before canceling the order was not added as part of this enhancement, it is recommended to open a new dedicated idea exchange to validate the need and see that the community supports this.
Thanks,
Tamar Fuches
Alma product team
-
Alma to support Hold Information in SIP2 checkin reponse
We have a sort assistant (RFID equipment) that displays the next step/destination of an item on screen. It also generates a hold slip (with the hold patron name if there's a request for that item) or a transit slip (if it needs to be sent to another library).
However the hold information is not provided in the SIP2 checkin response which means having to scan in the item again in Alma to get this information.Could the following SIP2 extension fields be added to resolve this issue:
CY - Hold Patron Id
DA - Hold Patron Name84 votes -
Make approved Purchase requests searchable in Primo
By default, Purchase Requests are suppressed from search and discovery in Primo, whatever their status (In review, Approved, Rejected).
We would like the library to have the possibility to automatically unsuppress Purchase Requests and to make them searchable once they have been Approved.21 votesThis idea has not received sufficient support from the community through votes. As a result, it is being closed to allow those votes to be reallocated to other active proposals. We appreciate the contribution and encourage continued participation in shaping future initiatives.
-
Display Requester when "activate next" on expired hold shelf
On the Expired Hold Shelf - Activate Next the expired requester name is displayed, however when you "activate next" Alma processes the request but doesn’t display who it is for.
It would be really usefull for Alma to display the Next Requester information at this point.
Currently you need to track down the item in Active Hold Shelf to find the next requester.
4 votesHello All,
This idea has been closed as part of a cleanup process for ideas older than two years with fewer than 20 votes.
This cleanup process is necessary to streamline our idea management process and ensure that the most relevant and impactful ideas receive the attention they deserve. If you still feel strongly about this idea, you may submit it via the NERS process.
We value your feedback and encourage you to continue submitting and voting for ideas that you believe will enhance Alma.
Alma Product Team
-
Resume auto renewals for all copies when request is filled or cancelled
Currently Alma only resumes auto renewals for the one copy it has recalled, and the other copies of that title have to be manually renewed in order to restart the auto renewals process. It is difficult to explain to users why one copy is auto renewing again and their copy is not, because there doesn't seem to be any logical reason or advantage to this.
5 votesHello All,
This idea has been closed as part of a cleanup process for ideas older than two years with fewer than 20 votes.
This cleanup process is necessary to streamline our idea management process and ensure that the most relevant and impactful ideas receive the attention they deserve. If you still feel strongly about this idea, you may submit it via the NERS process.
We value your feedback and encourage you to continue submitting and voting for ideas that you believe will enhance Alma.
Alma Product Team
-
Allow Resource Sharing Request status as displayed in user account to be customizable
When viewing resource sharing requests in a patrons account the system truncates the request status description. For example status of Ready to be sent is truncated to Ready. Desk staff (not always those who work directly with RS requests) see Ready they assume the item is available for pick up. While we can train staff given the large number of staff and turnover, ensuring everyone knows and retains the information about what those truncated status descriptions mean is a nearly impossible task. We would like to be able to customize the display for our library to use language…
1 vote -
Automate Work Order creation based on item location.
Boston College would like to be able to configure Alma so that work orders are auto-created for materials in a designated location when they are placed on loan.
Here is the desired workflow:
- Item is loaned.
- At the same time, Alma automatically places a work order on the item.
- When the item is returned to the managing circulation desk the work order is triggered and the item is routed to the correct work order department for processing.
The purpose of this request is to improve the management of the laptops that Boston College Libraries loan to patrons, and to facilitate…
149 votes
- Don't see your idea?