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
No existing idea results
- ~ No ideas found ~
1750 results found
-
Add Lender/Borrower addresses to Label code table in select Fulfillment and Resource Sharing letters
Fulfillment letters and Resource Sharing related letters would benefit from having an easy mailing label field, to be toggled on and off in the “Labels” section for letter editing when a Library would like to add a mailing label to a letter.
With collaboration from our Alliance colleagues, we created a shipping label directly on our Ful Resource Sharing Request letter. When we print our pull slips, a second page is automatically generated with a printed mailing label with the Borrowing Schools address information, along with information to allow our mail room to expense it to the correct fund. By adding this to the pull slip, we skip needing to print a separate shipping label later, increasing our efficiency and saving paper.
We think this is a valuable enhancement to the use of this letter, and think it should be added as a “label” or set of labels to toggle on and off for other folks to use and not have to write the extensive coding we did. We like not having to waste paper and cut out extra steps when doing Resource Sharing.
We also think this could be added to other letters, such as the Borrowing Receive letter, to be kept with the item until we need to mail it back.
Fulfillment letters and Resource Sharing related letters would benefit from having an easy mailing label field, to be toggled on and off in the “Labels” section for letter editing when a Library would like to add a mailing label to a letter.
With collaboration from our Alliance colleagues, we created a shipping label directly on our Ful Resource Sharing Request letter. When we print our pull slips, a second page is automatically generated with a printed mailing label with the Borrowing Schools address information, along with information to allow our mail room to expense it to the correct fund. By…
8 votes -
Add the Lender's mailing address to the Resource Sharing Receive Slip Letter xml
Adding this xml to the letter code would allow us to print the Lender mailing address on our Resource Sharing Receive Slip Letter. This would help us be more efficient by printing just this single letter at the time this item is received, as we normally would. Then, when our patron returns the item with the slip, we won't have to physically print out the mailing address, and can use the slip already enclosed in the book.
For example, this xml info is included in the Ful Resource Sharing Request Slip letter in the following fields: "notificationdata/partnershippinginfolist/partnershippinginfo/address1" and address2, 3, 4, 5 etc. and /partnershippinginfo/city , state, and postal_code.
With those lines, we created a mailing label for our outbound resource sharing requests to print on our pull slips, which has increased our efficiency. We're wanting to do the same with our receive letter.
Adding this xml to the letter code would allow us to print the Lender mailing address on our Resource Sharing Receive Slip Letter. This would help us be more efficient by printing just this single letter at the time this item is received, as we normally would. Then, when our patron returns the item with the slip, we won't have to physically print out the mailing address, and can use the slip already enclosed in the book.
For example, this xml info is included in the Ful Resource Sharing Request Slip letter in the following fields: "notificationdata/partnershippinginfo…
20 votes -
Send an email to specific library staff member once an Invoice or Purchase Order is paid for
I would like a function that you could alert a library staff member once an invoice or purchase order is paid for. Sometimes, library staff need to know that an order has been paid for so they can turn on access or know how much is left to spend on a fund. It would be a neat functionality that a letter can be generated from Alma directly to a library staff member once the PO has been paid.
1 vote -
Utilize dual due date either "End of Term" or "Fixed Time period" :which ever is less.
Universities frequently want all materials returned at the "end of term". But they also wish to allow fixed loans (21 days for example).
We need the Fulfillment to allow both EOT and Fix whichever is less. That way when EOT comes into play loans with automatically switch to EOT due dates.
Solution: We need to be able to have two DueDates on a TOU and set the rule to apply the least days of the two policies. OR on the DueDate policy, add fixed data AND “End of Term”.
WorkAround: Set reminder on specific date to switch the TOU from Fixed due date to “End of Term” policy. Then on later date, manually switch the policy back.to the Fixed due date. This needs to be done on different dates for books and media loans so multiple TOUs need continual edits.
Universities frequently want all materials returned at the "end of term". But they also wish to allow fixed loans (21 days for example).
We need the Fulfillment to allow both EOT and Fix whichever is less. That way when EOT comes into play loans with automatically switch to EOT due dates.
Solution: We need to be able to have two DueDates on a TOU and set the rule to apply the least days of the two policies. OR on the DueDate policy, add fixed data AND “End of Term”.
WorkAround: Set reminder on specific date to switch the TOU from…
1 vote -
Troubleshooting/business intelligence: Make authentication method field useful (searchable in Alma, reportable in Analytics, customizable)
We need business intelligence about the big picture of which authentication method we use for each eresource.
There is an "Implemented Authorization Method" field in the vendor interface record but this data is only available by drilling down into the vendor record, and to those users with appropriate permissions. It's essentially invisible; there is no way to expose this data: it's not a searchable field in Alma, it's not a queryable field in Analytics, and it's not available through the APIs. The values are also not customizable but do not encompass the real life categories we need.
why?
1) troubleshooting: we want a way for staff to see how a resource is authenticated so that they can effectively troubleshoot at the point of need with patrons2) trends: we want to understand what proportion of our resources use which kinds of authentication methods and how that is shifting over time in order to plan (staffing, outreach, costs, infrastructure)
3) we want the drop down choices to be customizable. They do not currently encompass all the authentication methods we have implemented/that vendors require.
Here, https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Product_Documentation/010Alma_Online_Help_(English)/020Acquisitions/090Acquisitions_Infrastructure/010Managing_Vendors#Editing_Vendor_Interface_Information I see "Much of the information you enter here is for informational purposes only, and has no effect on Alma's functionality. "
The documention states that the Implemented Authorization Method dropdown is not editable: "Method of authorization. Possible values are:
Empty, Certificate, IP address, IP address + password, Other, Password, Script, Unrestricted. These values are pre-defined by Ex Libris."We need to be able to expose, analyze, and make available on the fly in support of use cases.
We need business intelligence about the big picture of which authentication method we use for each eresource.
There is an "Implemented Authorization Method" field in the vendor interface record but this data is only available by drilling down into the vendor record, and to those users with appropriate permissions. It's essentially invisible; there is no way to expose this data: it's not a searchable field in Alma, it's not a queryable field in Analytics, and it's not available through the APIs. The values are also not customizable but do not encompass the real life categories we need.
why?
1) troubleshooting:…4 votes -
'Open Day' in Grace Period
It has been more than 4 years in planning since July 2019. I hope this planned item will appear in the schedule of new release of ALMA in the nearest future.
Grace Period only for open days
https://ideas.exlibrisgroup.com/forums/308173-alma/suggestions/32157484-grace-period-only-for-open-days1 vote -
Resource Sharing label colors
Allow us to customize the color of Resource Sharing labels, especially the Assigned To label. Having the Assigned To label a different color would make it stand out, make it easier to find, and let others know that they can move on.
4 votes -
Add 'Assigned date' to user roles
We often need to know the date that a role was first added to a user's account. The status date is not static and because we use the API for updates from our SIS the status date often gets updated with random dates. The API updates also make the history tab difficult to use to track down role additions versus changes.
We should be able to easily see a column that includes the date a role was initially assigned/added in the context of all of their roles in the General Information tab.
We also need the date a role was added to be available in Analytics. We need the ability to generate reports that include this information as part of our user management strategies and to identify and troubleshoot potential widespread issues where checking user accounts individually is unsustainable.
We often need to know the date that a role was first added to a user's account. The status date is not static and because we use the API for updates from our SIS the status date often gets updated with random dates. The API updates also make the history tab difficult to use to track down role additions versus changes.
We should be able to easily see a column that includes the date a role was initially assigned/added in the context of all of their roles in the General Information tab.
We also need the date a role was…
4 votes -
No requesting when available items in institution
We would very much like there to be an option in Alma fulfillment units (On Shelf Request Policy): "No requesting when available items in institution".
The meaning of which would be that if there is at least one (requestable) item available at any holding, the user will not be able to make a title request. The system will consider all items in the institution, not just one holding at a time.
Currently we use the "No Requesting from available holding" option which means that when all (requestable) items on one holding are checked out, then the user can make a title request. There are however often items available in other holdings (often in other libraries) and the user will not understand that the request only will apply to the items on holdings where all items are checked out. The worst-case scenario would be when a user waits for weeks for a requested book he or she could have fetched from another library the very same day. Our libraries are not far from each other.
Another complication is when items are being recalled even though there are available items in other libraries. This is also hard to understand for our users.
A third complication is when an item, belonging to a holding not involved in the request, is checked in, the request will not apply to that item. We want a request to be valid for all requestable items.
We do not want to use “PickUp Anywhere Regardless of Availability” because that would mean too many book transports. We need to stop the users from requesting available material on open shelves.
We would very much like there to be an option in Alma fulfillment units (On Shelf Request Policy): "No requesting when available items in institution".
The meaning of which would be that if there is at least one (requestable) item available at any holding, the user will not be able to make a title request. The system will consider all items in the institution, not just one holding at a time.
Currently we use the "No Requesting from available holding" option which means that when all (requestable) items on one holding are checked out, then the user can make a…
6 votes -
Make “Public access model for “Owned” purchase model” retrievable in Analytics query
When an Ebook Central ebook in the CZ is both owned and available in a subscribed subscription collection, the unlimited users license appears in the portfolio tab Acquisitions/Public Access model, and the number of users for the owned copy appears in "Public access model for "Owned" purchase model." Analytics cannot report out '“Public access model for “Owned” purchase model” in any case. All I can get is Public Access Model. When I report out both Purchase Model (owned, subscription, DDA) and Public Access model, and get owned and subscription but only Public Access Model unlimited users, I know that;s for the subscription but I can't tell how many user licenses the owned copy has. Our faculty want to know when an ebook is owned AND how many user licenses it has before they assign it to a class. I put this information in a public note.
When an Ebook Central ebook in the CZ is both owned and available in a subscribed subscription collection, the unlimited users license appears in the portfolio tab Acquisitions/Public Access model, and the number of users for the owned copy appears in "Public access model for "Owned" purchase model." Analytics cannot report out '“Public access model for “Owned” purchase model” in any case. All I can get is Public Access Model. When I report out both Purchase Model (owned, subscription, DDA) and Public Access model, and get owned and subscription but only Public Access Model unlimited users, I know that;s for…
7 votes -
Analytics shared dimension
Hi,
We would like to be able to create a report showing remaining charges listed by user and include the block reason.The charge data is in subject area "Fines and Fees" and the block reason is in subject area "Users".
We raised this as a case (06837145) but were told it's not possible without a shared dimension, this is the request to create that shared dimension.
Thanks
Ian3 votes -
Open / Closed Stacks Request Possibilities Priority
Currently, when a library owns a title in several copies, and that some of these copies are dispatched between physical locations attached to both closed and open stacks fulfillment unit, all copies behave like open stacks.
In other terms: if we have two items, one in open-stacks and one in closed-stacks, title-level requesting is blocked as long as the open-stacks item is available. Hence, open stacks configuration takes precedence over the closed one.
We would like that whenever an available item is stored in a closed stacks location alongside other open stacks available items, users still can request the item from Discovery, request being placed on the closed stack item.
For more technical information: SF Case 06737777.Thank you very much in advance, best regards,
Renaud Arlettaz for SLSPCurrently, when a library owns a title in several copies, and that some of these copies are dispatched between physical locations attached to both closed and open stacks fulfillment unit, all copies behave like open stacks.
In other terms: if we have two items, one in open-stacks and one in closed-stacks, title-level requesting is blocked as long as the open-stacks item is available. Hence, open stacks configuration takes precedence over the closed one.
We would like that whenever an available item is stored in a closed stacks location alongside other open stacks available items, users still can request the item…
65 votes -
Sticky temp location in item record
We are running into a persistent problem, wherein our circulation staff will remove an item from a temporary location, however, while the radial button in the item record does switch from Yes to No the temporary location field sticks and doesn't re-set to blank. This is an issue with reporting. We are able to fix it by running a job but when circulation staff restore an item with a temp location, the temporary location field in the item record should also adjust to it's original status of blank instead of having the temporary location stick.
1 vote -
Analytics
Buenos días, queremos solicitar la siguiente mejora:
Que el área temática de Analytics: Fund Transactions --Transaction Expenditure Amount recoja la suma de todas las líneas de factura, tanto las Regular como las de Additional changes, Shipment, Insurance, Discount, Overhead y Adjustment.
Esto es extremadamente importante para poder extraer las estadísticas de gasto.
Muchas gracias y un saludo,3 votes -
Show barcode field of requests in Manage Patron Services
Please add the ability to see the barcode of a requested item (where available) on the Requests tab of the Manage Patron Services screen. It is possible to see barcodes on the Monitor Requests & Item Processes screen but not this one.
9 votes -
Default options for tasks should be configurable by the library
I have a support case open (Case 06893601) that requests the ability to change the default option for “In-House Use”. This support case and others like it could be addressed by allowing the library to configure whether an action is the default.
A search of the Idea Exchange for "change default" results in a lengthy list from all areas, the cumulative effect of which clearly illustrates the need for this change.A few examples:
Reading Room Final Check-in
Warning message to confirm Check-In for Shipped Items
Release remaining encumbrance
Metadata Editor Templates to suppress from discovery and Don't publish to WorldCat
Linking local portfolios to CZ at the Institution level
Quick PrintI have a support case open (Case 06893601) that requests the ability to change the default option for “In-House Use”. This support case and others like it could be addressed by allowing the library to configure whether an action is the default.
A search of the Idea Exchange for "change default" results in a lengthy list from all areas, the cumulative effect of which clearly illustrates the need for this change.A few examples:
Reading Room Final Check-in
Warning message to confirm Check-In for Shipped Items
Release remaining encumbrance
Metadata Editor Templates to suppress from discovery and Don't publish to…23 votes -
Add Job Category to Staff Login Report
Add the Job category column to the Staff Login Report to facilitate the management of professional accounts
28 votes -
Include submitter name with Report to Ex Libris form
Any Alma user who can access the action menu of a portfolio or electronic collection can submit the Report to Ex Libris form, but the Salesforce case is opened with the CRM contact chosen on the form. Unless the submitter includes their own name in the form's description field, it becomes impossible for the CRM contact to determine who opened the Salesforce ticket.
Please include the name or primary ID of the logged-in Alma user in the Salesforce ticket. This will facilitate follow-up with the staff member who reported the issue.
4 votes -
Make it possible see in invoices both total price and other currency(SEK, USD, DKK)
Make it possible to ses total amout and the currency for a specific countrys amount.
3 votes -
Add Associated PO Line field to New Order Import Profile & Update PO Lines job
Alma lacks the functionality for batch adding an Additional PO Line to a group of PO Lines. Because Alma lacks this functionality, a great deal of manual work is required.
Here is the use case: we made a large prepayment (the parent POL), and now we are creating technical orders (the child POLs) for all the items we chose to purchase with that pre-payment. We need each of the child POLs to have the parent POL as its Associated PO Line. We can create the child POLs in a batch using a New Order Import Profile. However, we have no way to batch-assign the Associated PO Line to all the child POLs. The New Order Import Profile does not have an Additional PO Line field, and the PO Line jobs in Alma do not include the ability to add or update an Associated PO Line. So, there is no way to add an Associated PO Line aside from manually editing each individual PO Line. This is a lot of manual work. We suggest this problem should be addressed in two ways:
1) We need to be able to add an Associated PO Line as part of the New Order Import Profile. This should be one of the options in the PO Line Information tab.
2) Associated PO Line should be one of the fields that is updatable in the Update PO Lines Information job. This will ensure we can batch-add an Associated PO Line to PO Lines that are already in Alma.
Alma lacks the functionality for batch adding an Additional PO Line to a group of PO Lines. Because Alma lacks this functionality, a great deal of manual work is required.
Here is the use case: we made a large prepayment (the parent POL), and now we are creating technical orders (the child POLs) for all the items we chose to purchase with that pre-payment. We need each of the child POLs to have the parent POL as its Associated PO Line. We can create the child POLs in a batch using a New Order Import Profile. However, we have no…
45 votes
- Don't see your idea?