Work With Templates: Recommended Practices

Naming Convention for Shared Templates

1. Names of holdings templates

When applicable, please name templates for holdings

with a prefix taken from 852$b, and
include it in square brackets

to ease sorting and increase findability.

For example -

2. Prefix PUL

Template names prefixed with PUL signal that they have been standardized for use across PUL.

Please take note not to alter any shared template with a name that starts with PUL

Recommended Practices

Alma does not lock any template in the shared folder. Catalogers can edit and delete a shared template, except for those supplied by Ex Libris. We recommend the practices below to prevent inadvertent changes or loss.

1. Do not change the designated default templates, which are -

PUL Books Template: for a new bib record
PUL New Holding: for a new holdings record

If you select another template and make it the default one, then everybody's default template for a new record will be changed to what you have chosen!

If you will be using a template frequently and it differs from the PUL default, the solution is to make your favorite template a menu option by following the instruction Customize the display of templates as menu options. This way, changes you make will only affect your own interface.

2. Do not change a shared template

Any change (editing, deletion, renaming, etc.) you make to a shared template for bib or holdings records affects not just you but also every PUL user of the MDE. It's the same as editing or deleting a shared file in Google Drive.

If a shared template does not quite meet your needs, duplicate it and save it to your private folder, then modify the private template to fit your job tasks.

Am I editing a record or a template?

Take notice of the badge in the header area to ascertain whether you are editing a template or a bib/holdings record.

Badges (Header area)

	You are editing a bib/holdings record.
	You are editing a template, which, if in a shared folder, affects all users across PUL.

Tabs (Left Pane)

Switching tabs/sub-tabs in the Left Pane only switches the list of records, and what’s displayed in the Main Pane doesn’t refresh until you click on a record from the list.

Shall I save a template to the Private or Shared folder?

Private templates

Save templates that fit your particular needs to your private folder. Only you can access these templates.

You may make a private template either by creating one from scratch or by duplicating an existing one and modifying it.

Select the Private option in the Save Template window that pops up, as seen in the example.

Shared templates

Save templates that fit your team’s needs to the shared folder.

If it is a holdings template, please follow the naming convention when applicable.