Resources - Electronic Workflows and How-To's

• How to activate Community Zone Collections
• How to create an Alma import profile
• How to set up automatic holdings for e-resources
• E-Resources Training Sessions 2021
• Shared Open Access E-Resource Collections Workflow

How to activate Community Zone Collections

In order for an Electronic Collection or an Electronic Portfolio to be visible and accessible to users, it must first be activated. When activating from the Community Zone (CZ), the Collection or Portfolio is activated and then becomes a part of the Institution Zone (IZ) while still connected to the CZ for updates.

1. Identify an Electronic Collection or an Electronic Portfolio in the CZ that you wish to activate.

2. Click the “Activate” button. The Activation Wizard: Electronic Collection and Services Setup page appears.

3. Enter the required information in the Activation Wizard: Electronic Collection and Services Setup page. The Activation Wizard allows you to configure settings for the Collection and/or Portfolio that are required for user access. The Ex Libris documentation should be consulted for the most current details of the Wizard. However, the Wizard is comprised of 4 main sections requiring input, some of which only appear for specific types of collections:

   1. Local Electronic Collection Information (All Collections) - basic localized information about the collection. If the collection is to appear for users, some input will be required:

      1. Public name - If you want to override the electronic collection name that is exposed to the public, enter a new name in this field.

      2. Library - select the library of which this collection is a part.

      3. Level URL - the unproxied access URL for the whole of the Electronic Collection

      4. Additional descriptive information - the bibliographic record that describes the Collection. This will automatically come from the CZ but can be overridden with a bibliographic record in the IZ.

      5. Mark Bib as suppressed - if checked, the collection-level bibliographic record will not appear. Uncheck if you wish for the collection to be visible to users.

      6. Electronic Collection Proxy Enabled - Select “Yes” if the Level URL should be proxied.

      7. Electronic Collection Proxy Selected - If “Yes” was selected for the Electronic Collection Proxy Enabled, select the appropriate pre-configured proxy.

   2. Full Text Service (Selective Packages only) - contains the services available for the Collection being activated. More than one service may be available.

      1. Activate this electronic collection service - this activates the relevant service for the Electronic Collection. This must be checked in order for the collection to be accessible for staff locally or for users through Primo.

      2. Make service available - this makes the activated service available for the Electronic Collection. In conjunction with Activate this Electronic Collection, both must be checked in order for the Collection to be visible to users in Primo. If the service is activated but unchecked, the Collection will not be available for users in Primo but will be activated for testing by staff in Alma.

      3. Automatically activate new portfolios - check if the Collection is an aggregator. Uncheck if only specific portfolios are to be activated.

   3. Full Text Service - Linking Parameters (Selective Packages only) - contains the parameters that are required for some full text services. Depending on your authentication method or the provider, client ID or Shibboleth parameters may be required for title-level linking.

   4. Full Text Service - Proxy setup

      1. Proxy enabled - if access requires proxy access, it should be enabled at the service level to cascade to all individual portfolios.

      2. Proxy selected - if the proxy is enabled above, select the appropriate pre-configured proxy

   5. Activation Type (Selective Packages only) - decide which activation type is appropriate for the collection

      1. Activate all - activates all portfolios then available in the CZ without selection. If the Collection is an aggregator, select this and ensure that Automatically activate new portfolios was selected earlier in the Wizard.

      2. Activate electronic collection and selected portfolios via Excel file upload - when this option is selected, the search for portfolios in the Community Zone is done using the ISSN or ISBN (from the Excel file) 

      3. Manual activation - select the specific portfolios that should be activated from within the Alma web interface

   6. Activation Summary (All Collections) - this summarizes the service(s), portfolios, and total activations that will be carried out. The total activation count is the sum of the collection, service(s), and portfolios.

4. To complete the Wizard, click “Activate”. Selecting Activate causes an Inventory Electronic Collection Activation/Deactivation job to run. The results of the activation job can be viewed by selecting Report from the row actions list on the Monitor Jobs page for the job that ran. This report identifies the validation policy that you selected and provides a link to the file that was analyzed, that is, the file that was selected for loading in the Activation Wizard when you selected the Activate electronic collection and selected portfolios via Excel file upload option.

Relevant Documentation

• • Managing Electronic Resources: Activating Electronic Resources

  • Managing Electronic Resources: Activating an Electronic Collection Using the Activation Wizard

Last updated: 2/27/2020

How to create an Alma import profile

There are several types of import profiles in Alma.  Different import profiles may be appropriate for different types of materials.

Creating a Repository Import Profile

Repository import profiles are the most common import profile type you will create in Alma.  They can be used to load and update local electronic collections, and to load batches of records 

• Go to Resources > Import > Manage Import Profiles

• A list of all import profiles you have access to will appear.  In addition to those created for your institution, there are also import profiles that come from the Network Zone and the Community Zone.  

• Click Add New Profile to add a new import profile
• The first page will ask you to choose a Profile Type. In this case, choose Repository.  

• The next screen asks you to name the profile and give a description.  
• Fill in the originating system (if no match is found use “other”).  
• Choose the import protocol you will be using.  In this case, we will choose Upload File/s.  The other options are FTP and OAI.  
• Physical source format for MARC records is Binary
• Source format is MARC21 Bibliographic
• If you know the file name pattern you can enter it, but this is more important for import profiles that use FTP.  
• Be sure to uncheck Use Network Zone.  

• Once you have completed all the necessary fields, click Next
  
• The next page asks if you’d like to correct or filter the data in any way. Generally these can be left blank or as is unless you wish to specify one of the rules below.  
• If you have created an indication rule you would like to use to filter out certain records from your set, you can add it using the Filter drop-down.
• If you’d like to correct your data using a normalization rule you’ve created, you can choose that here as well.  
• Finally, if you have a specific validation profile you’d like to see used, you can also choose that here.  Generally MarcXML Bib Import is fine.  
• Click next when completed. 

• The next page asks you to detail your match profile for records.  This is important because it eliminates duplicates.  
• Under Match Profile choose whether or not you will be importing mixed serial or non-serial items.  Generally the answer to this is No.  
• Choose the Match Method, generally 035 (Other System Identifier), then enter the system identifier prefix (such as OCoLC).
• Under Match Actions 
  • Choose whether you would like to handle problems with matches manually or automatically.  
  • Choose how you would like records handled upon a match being found.  Generally Do Not Import or Merge are preferable.  
  • Check the box to match the record only with the same inventory
  • Choose a merge method, if using Merge. Note: If this is a Network Zone import profile, always choose the Consortium NZ Overlay all fields but local...rule  
  • Keep all other options blank.
  • Under Automatic Multi-Match Handling
  • Check Prefer record with the same inventory type (electronic/physical)
  • Check Skip and do not import unresolved records
  • Under Handle Record Redirection
  • Choose Delete under canceled record
  • Choose Merge Method overlay all fields but local
  • Under No Match, choose Import. 
• Click Next
• On the Set Management Tags page, you can choose whether or not you would like to publish to OCLC or suppress records from discovery.  Leave these as is. Click Next.
• In the Set Management Tags section, leave all conditions at default. Click Next. 

• On the Inventory Information page you will choose the type of information you are dealing with and where the records should go
• Under Inventory Operations choose the type of records you will be importing.  It is generally considered a best practice to choose either Electronic or Physical rather than Mixed. The type of inventory you choose will determine the mapping that appears below.  
• For electronic inventory
  • Choose whether or not the portfolio is standalone or part of an electronic collection.  
  • Choose the corresponding electronic collection.  Service is generally Full Text.  
  • Choose the appropriate Material Type.  
  • Choose whether you are importing a single record or multiple.  Multiple is more common.  
• Under Extract portfolio information from field, choose the MARC field where the URL information is stored in the bib record.  Generally this is the 856 field.  
  • Add the subfield. The information is contained in the Extract access URL from subfield.  This is usually $u or $x.  
  • Add any authentication notes necessary 
• Choose a default library and check Activate resource.   
• Click Save.  Your import profile should now be ready to run.  It is recommended to test the profile using a small number of records before running it on a large batch.  

EOD Import Profiles

Embedded Order Data (EOD) profiles allow you to import records with order data which is used to create attached PO lines.  Sometimes, these are overlaid by full records at a later point. 

• Creating an EOD Import Profile follows the Repository Import Profile creation until Inventory information is entered.  There is an additional tab for PO line information, and a section for fund mapping on the Mapping tab on an EOD profile that need to be completed before it can be run.  
  • On the PO line information tab 
  • Choose the PO line type
  • Fill in the vendor (or vendors) and the vendor account (Note: the vendor account must be in your list of vendors in Alma)
  • Choose the currency, and the acquisition method (usually purchase or purchase at vendor system)
• Under EOD mapping fill in the fields in which the order information is stored in the MARC record.  This information can usually be found or established in vendor documentation.  
  • Choose the default PO line owner library, and choose to Map the owner.  

• If necessary, go to the mapping tab and map.  You must use the existing fund code from Alma and ensure it matches the fund code from the vendor EOD profile.  
  • Funds can also be added at the point of invoicing, if necessary.  

• Click save when completed.

Update Inventory Import Profiles

When EOD information is added, or if you are overlaying or merging records with new ones, you can use an Update Inventory Import Profile. 

• Follow the instructions for Profile details for Repository and Normalization and Validation. You may choose to remove Vendor data at this time since the order record has already been created.  
• In the Match Profile tab
  • If choosing to merge, use the Consortium NZ Overlay all fields but local...merge method. 
  • Disable Merge and Combine

Pay special attention to the match profile to ensure the match method is correct.  In most cases you will be matching by PO line, but 035 (other system number) is also a reliable match-point for overlays or merges that are not for EOD records.  

• Under Match Actions choose whether you’d like to merge or overlay the records.  
• Under Automatic Multi-Match Handling check Prefer record with the same inventory type (electronic/physical)
• Under Merge Records and Combine Inventory for Multi-Match
• In the Mapping Tab
  • Choose the fields from the incoming records to map.  Location fields, number of items, and material type are the most important.
  • Under Holdings Record Mapping check update holdings call number
  • Leave Receive item unchecked.  
  • Under the PO Line Information tab be sure to enter the vendor reference number field and subfield if you are matching by PO line. 
  • The mapping tab may be left blank.  
• Save the import profile. 
  

Manually Running an Import Profile

• Prepare your records for import using MarcEdit or a similar program.  Ensure the mapped fields and subfields in the import profile match the fields in the records.  
• Navigate to Resources > Import > Manage Import profiles.  Select Run under the row actions list (...), then select file to upload your record file. 
• Once the records are uploaded click Run.  
• The job will run and you will be able to view the results and resolve any errors. 
  

Setting up an Import Profile via FTP

Marymount has two import profiles set up using FTP.  One is for GOBI and the other is for Ingram.  The instructions will detail general set-up of FTP import profiles, as well as specifics for the GOBI and Ingram profiles at Marymount. 

Basic Set-up

• Choose the appropriate import profile type (EOD, repository, overlay, etc.)
  • On the Profile Details tab 
  • Uncheck Use Network Zone
  • Create a profile name and add a description, if desired.
  • Choose the originating system (if no system is listed, choose Other)
  • Enter the file name patterns.  
  • You can find the file name patterns by opening the file from the FTP server and looking at the file. Use the * as a wildcard, and add in the file extension.  For example: *.mrc for MARC records for *.ord for order records. 
• Import protocol will be FTP
  • Choose the appropriate physical source format (usually binary), the appropriate encoding format (usually UTF-8), the source format should be MARC21 Bibliographic.  You do not need to set the status as active yet. 
  • Under scheduling 
  • Choose which files you would like to import (generally New)
  • Decide when you would like to schedule the job to run.  Note: Keep the scheduler status inactive until you have tested the profile.  
  • Under FTP information
  • Create a description for the FTP server
  • Enter the server name, the port used (21 or 22), and the username and password.  
• Designate the input directory
  • You can leave the Max number of files and Max file size as the default of 1 and 1MB, respectively.  
  • Choose FTP server secured if the server is secure (not necessary)
• Test the connection.  If you see files available and the get a message that the connection is successful, you can continue creating the import profile.  

Relevant Documentation

• Managing Import Profiles

Last updated 2/27/2020

How to set up automatic holdings for e-resources

Introduction

Alma has a feature that allows e-resource providers to set a library’s ebook, ejournal, and database holdings in the Institution Zone (IZ) on behalf of that library and update them on a regular basis. This eliminates the need for manual activation/deactivation and setting date thresholds. There are currently four participating providers: Elsevier, Ovid, ProQuest, and Springer. Review the considerations to determine whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages for your library.

Workflow

1. Communicate with the provider. Some providers allow you to obtain all the necessary information from their administration site, while others may require you to send them instructions to set up this feature.

1. Elsevier: create an institution token in the Elsevier admin tool

2. Ovid: contact Ovid to request your user name, password, and Ovid group

3. ProQuest: submit a support case to ask for automated holdings

4. Springer: create an institution token in the administrative site

2. Activate Community Zone (CZ) collections. The provider will activate individual titles from these electronic collections, which will result in the bibliographic records and electronic portfolios for your e-resources being copied from the CZ to your IZ. 

   1. Elsevier ScienceDirect Books Complete

   2. Elsevier ScienceDirect Journals Complete

   1. Books@Ovid Subscription Complete

   2. Books@Ovid Purchase Complete

   3. Journals@Ovid Complete

   1. Ebook Central Perpetual and DDA Titles

   1. SpringerLink Journals - AutoHoldings

   2. SpringerLink Books - AutoHoldings

1. Elsevier

2. Ovid

3. ProQuest

4. Springer

3. Create integration profiles. Within Alma Configuration, you need to create a separate integration profile for each provider. The process for creating these profiles is the same for every provider:

1. Select a provider

2. Enter account information (obtained in step 1)

3. Schedule the updates

Considerations

• Advantages

  • No manual intervention. This can save a lot of staff time, especially when there are few staff members dealing with e-resources or the library has a large number of holdings.

  • Accurate and detailed holdings

    • Theoretically, the provider has the most current list of your entitlements, so you do not need to figure out all of your holdings.

    • The provider enters date thresholds by the month, year, and sometimes volumes, whereas library staff often only enter the year.

  • Frequent updates

    • The jobs can be run weekly, so necessary changes are made right away, instead of waiting for staff to get around to it.

• Disadvantages

  • Varying degrees of quality in CZ records

    • Some are thorough and some are incomplete

    • Occasionally the records in CZ describe print instead of online.

    • A small percentage of records have incorrect metadata like OCLC number and ISSN.

  • Varying degrees of quality in CZ metadata

    • Some of the electronic collections do not contain all of a provider’s titles

    • There may not be records/portfolios for journal title changes

  • ProQuest purchase order lines. ProQuest is the only provider that also creates PO lines (POLs) for every title it activates.

    • Duplicate existing orders

      • When the job runs for the first time, ProQuest will create a POL for every title you have ever purchased, even if there already exists a POL for that purchase.

    • Not much acquisitions data

      • The POLs do not contain fund or price information, so they will need to be manually edited

Relevant Documentation

• Upload Electronic Holdings from Elsevier

• Upload Electronic Holdings from Ovid

• Upload Electronic Holdings from ProQuest Ebook Central

• Upload Electronic Holdings from Springer

Last updated 2/27/2020

E-Resources Training Sessions 2021

Session 1 | E-Resources Basics

 

Session 2 | Advanced E-Resources

 

Session 3 | E-Resources and Acquisitions

 

Session 4 | Usage Statistics

Shared Open Access E-Resource Collections Workflow

Involved Parties: CCC APAC NZ Manager ERC 

NEW RESOURCES

Requests from any library for new open access electronic resources to be added to Primo should be directed to Coordinated Collections Committee (CCC).

1. For each requested resource, CCC gathers input on which libraries are interested in opting in (“participating libraries”) and communicates in/out decisions to Alma/Primo Advisory Committee (APAC). Report should include resource name, URL, brief description, and decisions of all WRLC members (IZ level - need 14 responses). 
2. If only one library is interested in a particular OA resource, activation of this resource should be directed back to the appropriate IZ. (See Regular Review section for potential future reevaluation.) If more than one library is interested, APAC directs the E-Resource Committee (ERC) to investigate. 
3. Network Zone Manager checks on availability in the Alma Community Zone (CZ) and evaluates the catalog record quality and provides a brief report to ERC. Report should include: resource name, URL, brief description, participating libraries, CZ record number. ERC prepares a response with approval to move forward or, if not, itemizes specific reservations that need to be addressed.   
4. APAC reviews ERC response and makes a decision either to move forward or to wait for discussion of reservations. APAC directs NZ Manager to proceed with activation. 
5. NZ Manager activates the collection in the NZ, with configuration set for the participating libraries. NZ Manager tests access on behalf of participating IZs. NZ Manager configures SUSHI collection (if applicable) and provides access to usage statistics to participating libraries. NZ Manager notifies APAC when completed. 
6. APAC notifies CCC and ERC of successful activation. 
7. CCC publicizes new shared OA collections at home libraries and in WRLC Newsletter. CCC maintains list on WRLC Intranet of all shared OA collections that have been added. See Regular Review section.
   

REGULAR REVIEW

Each year, ERC prepares list of OA resources that are already activated in each IZ. Those with more than 4 libraries and with an overall Brief Level over 6 are prioritized and then submitted into the new resource workflow for reactivation as NZ resources. 

Each year, CCC examines current shared OA list and offers libraries the opportunity to reevaluate decisions on opt-in or opt-out. 

1. Any requests for changes are communicated to APAC. 

2. APAC directs NZ Manager to make appropriate changes.  

3. NZ Manager makes changes and communicates completion to APAC.

4. APAC notifies CCC and ERC.

5. CCC revises shared OA list.