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Alma Acquisitions Resource Guide

This guide covers all aspects of the Acquisitions process, which includes setting up funds, ordering, receiving physical items, activating e-resources, and invoicing. This guide also covers Serials patterns and arrival/check-in.

 

Details Pane & Sections Menu in Details Pane

The new layout in Alma features the details pane, which allows you to click on the edit button in the list of PO lines and Alma opens up a third panel that showcases all the details of the PO line without opening a new window and directing you away from the results list of PO lines. 

The details pane showcases the "Sections Menu", which are links that send you to the various parts of the PO line (PO lines information, funding, ordered items, vendor information etc.) for you to fill out prior to saving or ordering the PO line, in case you do not wish to scroll.

The "PO line tabs" appear underneath the Sections menu link to what were previously the tabs that appeared on the top of the PO lines details page. 

Old Layout:

  • The old layout had all PO line details as tabs.
  • If there were invoice lines, associated PO lines, alerts, communications, interested users, history, notes or attachments present on the PO line, the corresponding tab would appear with a fold at the upper right hand corner. 
  • The PO line action "Save as Template" shows up only after "..." is clicked in the top action menu. 
  • Replace (only) vendor appears as an action. This would allow you to change a vendor in a "Sent" or "Waiting for Invoice" status PO line without resending the PO line again. This option does not appear as an action in the new layout.

New Layout:

  • The new layout has PO line tabs appearing as left hand facets in the Details Pane, and "Alerts" appear as an icon underneath the PO line title. 
  • The PO line Summary facet lists links that direct the user to various parts of the PO line details (price, fund, vendor etc.) 
  • Notes and Interested Users now appear as sub-facets of the PO Line Summary instead of a separate tabs. 
  • Instead of "Description", the new layout calls the PO line description "Bib Description". The remainder of the PO line tabs appear underneath the PO Line Summary sub-facets (Bib Description, Invoice Lines, Associated PO Lines, Communications, History, Attachments).
  • Instead of a fold on each tab to indicate related transactions (invoice lines, associated PO lines, interested users etc.), the number of notes that appear on those facets appear next to the name. 
  • PO line actions appear on top of the PO line title just like it did in the old PO line. The option to assign the PO line to yourself or another user appears. All available actions remain the same, except for "Replace (only) Vendor) which is the ability to change the vendor in the PO line without resending the PO line. 

Search and Facets Improvements

 

Current PO line search facets:

  • Status
  • PO line Owner
  • Purchase Type
  • Alert
  • Vendor
  • Vendor Account
  • Acquisition Method
  • Reporting Code 

New PO line layout search facets:

  • Assignment
  • Workflow Step
  • PO Line in Claim (yes/no)
  • Alert
  • Purchase Type
  • Vendor
  • Vendor Account
  • Rush (yes/no)
  • PO Line Owner
  • Creation Date
  • Labels
  • Assigned User
  • Acquisition Method
  • Material Type
  • Reporting Code
  • Sent Date
  • Renewal Date

With the New PO line task list, you can also type to search in facets: 

Quick access to other areas of Alma 

While working on a PO line in the new layout, you can gain quick access to other areas of Alma without leaving the PO line page. Previously, clicking on bibliographic details, or item barcode in the PO line will navigate away from the PO line details page, and to get back to the PO line, you must search for the PO line again in the Alma advanced search bar. While using the new layout, you can access the following parts of Alma without leaving the PO line:

  • MARC Bibliographic Record
  • Metadata Editor
  • Physical item editor
  • PO Summary
  • Fund summary page filtered to the PO line level
  • Vendor Details page

 

 

 

Reported issues with New Unified PO Line Task List

If you experience issues in Alma while using the new PO line layout, please report them to help@flvc.org. Most likely, the issue is affecting users at other institutions as well, and it's important that we report issues as we encounter them to Ex Libris.

Known Issues

Ex Libris Case Number Issue Case Status
06868672

While the new layout is activated, user cannot export a set of PO lines from the Manage Sets page. 

Immediate fix while the issue persists: switch back to the old layout to complete the work.

 Active
06859235

If trying to create a label and apply to multiple PO lines in new layout, label is undiscoverable via facets and cannot be searched for even though you can see it on the new PO line. If creating a label for a single PO line, the label functionality works. It currently does not work when applying to multiple PO lines. 

Recommendation: Can add labels to single PO lines, but refrain from applying in batch at this time until there is a resolution from Ex Libris. 

 Active