Alma Virtual Workshop (March 2021)
- Sandhya Panicker (Unlicensed)
- Minjie Chen
- Peter Green
- Sal Hamerman
Owned by Sandhya Panicker (Unlicensed)
Alma virtual workshop ran from March 8th 2021 to March 11th 2021.
Link to the Alma workshop schedule on Google Drive (with Zoom links)
Please contact Sandhya Panicker <panicker@princeton.edu> or Mark C. Zelesky <mzelesky@princeton.edu> for information on the workshop.
Alma workshop schedule
| Date/Session # | Duration | Time | Agenda | Topics | Functional Groups |
| March 8th AM Session 1 | 1 hour | 9:30-10:30 | Introduction – all staff | Introduction • Workshop overview & agenda • Inventory model, searching • User roles and tasks | Cataloging, Circulation, DRDS, Finance, Reserve & Resource Sharing, Acquisitions, ERM |
| 30 minutes | 10:30- 11:00 | Break | |||
| 1 hour | 11:00-12:00 | Technical services overview | Technical services overview • Fund structures • Vendors, accounts, interfaces, EDI • Licenses | Finance, Acquisitions, ERM | |
| 1 hour | 12:00-1:00 | Lunch | |||
| March 8th PM Session 2 | 1 hour 30 minutes | 1:00-1:30 | Ordering | Ordering • Order line types • Ordering lifecycle • Ordering physical one-time; physical subscriptions, electronic subscriptions | DRDS, Acquisitions, Finance, ERM |
| 1:30-2:30 | Deep dive | • PO line approval workflow (auto vs. manual; approval thresholds) • Fund code rules | DRDS, Finance, Acquisitions, ERM, Marie Wange-Connelly | ||
| 30 minutes | 2:30-3:00 | Break | |||
| 1 hour 30 minutes | 3:00-3:30 | Receiving, activating | Receiving, activating • Receiving one-time • Receiving subscriptions (with/without prediction) • Activating e-resources | Cataloging, Finance, Acquisitions, ERM | |
| 3:30-4:30 | Deep dive | • Demonstration of Portfolio Loader for selective e-resource activations or updates • Vendor Import profiles, automating and manual loading of files | Finance, Acquisitions, ERM | ||
| March 9th AM Session 3 | 1 hour | 9:00-9:20 | Invoicing | Invoicing • Invoicing lifecycle & integration options • Creating and editing invoices • Taxes | Finance, Acquisitions, ERM |
| 9:20-10:00 | Deep dive | • workflow interdependencies • approval thresholds • linkage with PO’s • Searching for titles to link invoices to PO’s if missing | Finance, Acquisitions, ERM | ||
| 30 minutes | 10:00-10:30 | Break | |||
| 1 hour 30 minutes | 10:30-11:00 | Manual cataloging and record management | Manual cataloging and record management • Post-receiving processing & work orders • Metadata Editor: templates, locked records, copy cataloging, form editor, headings, etc. • Authority control • Item editor | Cataloging, DRDS, Acquisitions, ERM | |
| 11:00-12:00 | Deep dive | • Metadata Editor: What would the process of copy/original cataloging a title look like from beginning to end? • Using normalization rules to complete cataloging. • Assigning tasks | Cataloging, Acquisitions, ERM | ||
| 1 hour | 12:00-1:00 | Lunch | |||
March 9th PM
| 1 hour 30 minutes | 1:00-1:30 | Bulk Catalog | Bulk catalog, inventory, and delivery maintenance • Import profiles • PDA/DDA • Bulk processing – records, inventory, order lines, users | Cataloging, DRDS, Acquisitions, ERM |
| 1:30-2:30 | Deep dive | • How do we attach/add incoming batch records to an existing electronic collection’s portfolio if these are coming from outside Alma (i.e., not from CZ)? • How do we import individual ebook records (2 examples: 1. From MarcEdit, & 2. a single record using an Import Profile) & ensure that they import with Electronic Holdings? • Are batch loads of records automatically activated upon import? • How do you attach batch loads of records to existing POs? | Acquisitions, Cataloging, ERM | ||
| 30 minutes | 2:30-3:00 | Break | |||
March 9th PM
| 1 hour 30 minutes | 3:00-4:30 | Q & A | Q & A | Acquisitions, Cataloging, ERM |
| March 10th AM Session 6 | 1 hour 30 minutes | 9:00-9:30 | Fulfillment overview | Fulfillment overview • Infrastructure: libraries, locations, circulation desks • Fulfillment policies • Blocks and overrides • Patron limits; loan limits | Circulation, Reserves, Resource Sharing, DRDS, Acquisitions |
| 9:30-10:30 | Deep Dive | Circulation desks Pieces counts in item record vs fulfillment notes. (fulfillment notes) | Circulation, Reserves, Resource Sharing, DRDS, Acquisitions | ||
| 30 minutes | 10:30-11:00 | Break | |||
| 1 hour 30 minutes | 11:00-11:30 | User management and notices | User management and notices • User records: structure, ownership, synchronization • Registering new users • Customizing and testing notices | Circulation, Reserves, Resource Sharing | |
| 11:30-12:30 | Deep dive | • Creating patron records for guest borrowers and family members. • Notices | Circulation, Reserves, Resource Sharing | ||
| 1 hour | 12:30-1:30 | Lunch | |||
| March 10th PM Session 7 | 1 hour 30 minutes | 1:30-2:00 | Patron services | Patron services • Loan, return • Fines and fees • Overriding blocks | Circulation, Reserves, Resource Sharing, DRDS |
| 2:00-3:00 | Deep Dive | • Fines and fees • Bursar transfers • Billing • Troubleshooting (where/when discharged) | Circulation, Reserves, Resource Sharing | ||
| March 11th AM Session 8 | 1 hour | 9:30-9:50 | Requests and resource sharing | Requests and resource sharing • Placing and managing requests • Monitoring requests and work orders; hold shelf maintenance • Other request types: digitization, resource sharing | Circulation, Reserves, Resource Sharing, DRDS, Acquisitions |
| 9:50-10:30 | Deep dive | • Hold shelf • work orders | Circulation, DRDS | ||
| 30 minutes | 10:30-11:00 | Break | |||
| 1 hour | 11:00-11:20 | Course reserves | Course reserves • Courses and reading list • Scan-in reserve management | Reserves, Resource Sharing, DRDS | |
| 11:20-12:00 | Deep dive | Reserves, Resource Sharing, DRDS | |||
| 1 hour | 12:00-1:00 | Lunch | |||
| March 11th PM Session 9 | 1 hour and 30 minutes | 1:00-2:30 | Q&A | Fulfillment Q & A | Circulation Reserves, Resource Sharing, DRDS |
| 30 minutes | 2:30-3:00 | Break | |||
| 1 hour and 30 minutes | 3:00-3:30 | Alma Analytics | Alma Analytics • Widgets & Dashboards • Folders • Existing reports • New analysis • Benchmark Analytics • Subscribing to Analytics | Cataloging, Circulation, Reserves, Resource Sharing, DRDS, Finance, Acquisitions, ERM | |
| 3:30-4:30 | Deep dive | • Cataloger statistics (numbers and types of records cataloged within given date range) • what information is included in Cataloger Activity report? • is this the only report? • can it be customized? • What are practical size limits on query results exported as XML? • Compare with exporting sets as XML for easy access to all BIB subfields. • Pending invoices • Pending/open PO’s | Cataloging, Circulation, Reserves, Resource Sharing, DRDS, Finance, Acquisitions, ERM | ||