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**Alma/Primo VE Main Resource Guide

This guide is one-stop site for everything related to FLVC's integrated library system (Alma) and discovery tool (Primo VE). Included are sections on training courses, basic functions of Alma, access to test environments, managing staff accounts, and more

Guidelines for the General Configuration Menu

Guidelines for the General Configuration Menu

The General System Administrator Role allows access to the General Configuration Menu in Alma's configuration area. It also provides access to the following other areas:

ACQUISITIONS:

  • Create Purchase Request
  • Manage Import Profiles
  • Exchange Rates Report
  • Acquisitions Configuration Menu

RESOURCES:

  • Publishing Profiles
  • Resources Configuration Menu

FULFILLMENT:

  • Fulfillment Configuration Utility
  • Create Fulfillment Sets
  • Bulk Change Due Dates
  • View Restore Request Jobs
  • View Overdue and Lost Loan Jobs
  • Create Fines and Fees Report
  • Process and Enrich Citations
  • Resend Printouts/Emails
  • Citation Alternate Suggestions
  • Fulfillment Configuration Menu

ADMIN:

  • All Processes and Sets options
  • Manage Users
  • Load Desk/Department Operators
  • HealthCheck Dashboard
  • Run a Job
  • Monitor Jobs
  • Manage Sets
  • Manage Exports
  • User Management Configuration Menu
  • General Configuration Menu

ANALYTICS:

  •  Analytics Configuration Menu

Rules of Thumb

  • Read the documentation before making changes. Use the Help Menu --> Help for this Page to make sure you understand what each table does and how it might affect other settings.​

  • Test everything in a sandbox first!​

  • Keep track of all your changes and submit them to the help desk along with the problem or your goal if you need help.​

  • Alma does not have a revert function. Take screen shots or export code tables before making changes in case you need to go back to a previous configuration.​

  • Many configuration settings are Institution-wide. Get consensus before making changes.

General Configuration Menu

The General Configuration Menu is context dependent and will change depending on whether you are configuring at the institution level or at the library level.

General Menu 

Libraries 

Add a Library or Edit Library Information (Institution Level)  

  • Summary Tab – Update organization unit name or description. Do not edit without coordinating with FLVC. 
  • Libraries Tab - Access contact information and calendar management for a specific library  
  • Contact Information - update the address, telephone number and email address of the institution.  Used to populate contact information on some letters.
  • Calendar Management – Set events and exceptions at the institution level (reminder: standard opening hours must be set at the library level).   

Add a Library or Edit Library Information (Library Level) 

  • Summary Tab – Do not edit this tab as this may impact UBorrow functionality.  Contact FLVC to coordinate changes.   
  • Contact Information - update the address, telephone number and email address of the library.  Used to populate contact information on some letters.  
  • Calendar Management – Set standard opening hours and exceptions at the library level. 

Relationships (Library Level) 

  • Deliver to: Determines if materials requested from the configured library can be picked up at another library. 
  • Circulate For: Determines if the configured library can check out materials belonging to another library.  
  • Acquire For: Determines which PO line owners may order for which shelving libraries 
    • relevant for certain institutions, i.e. those with order-only libraries (e.g. UF, FIU, FSU) or those with acquisitions consolidated in a single ordering library for all libraries & locations (e.g. UCF)  
    •  Not particularly relevant for institutions where the PO line owner is the same as the item library (i.e. most institutions) 
  • Supply From: Resource Sharing setting.  Do not touch! 

Define Campuses – Libraries can be organized under campuses to add an additional layer of granularity under the institution level. This allows the management of certain services at the campus level instead of individual libraries. Currently, campuses are only configured at some institutions. Consult with FLVC before making any changes.   

Locations 

Physical Locations (Library Level) - Physical locations are places that physical items are stored within a library. Key configurations include: 

  • Which fulfillment unit is used to determine how items within the physical location circulate.  
  •  Which circulation desk(s) can process materials from this location.   
  •  Whether or not the physical location is suppressed from discovery. 

Remote Storage (Institution level) - Used to manage offsite locations from which users can request materials. Configurations for institutions with remote storage facilities should be currently in place.  Consult with FLVC before making any changes.   

Work Orders and Departments 

Work Order Types – Set up an internal request to route physical items between locations and departments  .Materials are put into a processing type.  They receive a status of Item not in place.   Can add work order statuses to track different stages in processing while within the work order.  Can be configured at the institution or library level.

Work Order Departments – set the location or department at which the work order is processed.  Departments can only be assigned a single work order type.

External Systems  

Integration Profiles - Integration profiles allows Alma and external systems to communicate with each other.   

Notable integration profiles include:  

  • Cash export   
  • Patron load  
  • Self-Check Machines 
  • Real-Time Ordering  
  • Export invoices from Alma to an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.  

Consult with FLVC before making changes to any existing integration profiles.   

Integration XSL Converts - Used to convert patron load data from SIS systems into a format that can be read by Alma. Not currently used at any institution. Consult with FLVC before making changes. 

S/FTP definitions – Some integrations with third party systems require an S/FTP connection to transfer files between the two systems .  This area allows you to configure S/FTP connections which can then be assigned to integration profiles. May be useful to configure a single S/FTP definition for some vendors, e.g. if you are auto-loading both EOD and EDI invoices for a vendor, may want to configure an S/FTP definition so you don't have to configure S/FTP separately for EOD and EDI. 

Manage Encryption keys - Allows the encryption of files transferred via S/FTP.  Overview of functionality and instructions can be found here: FTPing encrypted files to Alma using PGP.  

User Interface Settings 

Alma Logo and Color Scheme – Changes how your institution’s Alma interface looks.  

Social Login Labels – You can configure Alma so that users can login with certain email or social media accounts.  This customizes the various messages they see throughout the authentication process.  

Identity Service Labels - This customizes the various messages that Internally managed users see throughout the authentication process.   

General Configurations 

Other Settings – Various miscellaneous settings.  A few notable configurations include: 

  • code_and_mapping_table_log_retention_period: Tracks changes made to codes and mapping tables.  Leave this value in place.   
  • email_contact_us: The email address or webpage used for the “Contact Us” link on patron facing letters. 
  • email_my_account: The email address or webpage used for the “My Account” link on patron facing letters. 
  • force_location_selection_on_login: Forces library staff to select their Location each time they login.  Useful if you have staff who work at multiple circulation desks and/or departments.   
  • system_time_format: changes how time is displayed in Alma 

Institution Languages - Configures what display languages appear in Alma (supported for Staff UI) and Primo VE (supported for patron facing) 

Country Names – Determines which countries appear and how their names are displayed in Alma dropdown menus. 

Home Page Notifications - Adds a message seen by library staff who have the home page notification widget enabled.   

CRM Contacts - Allows users to use the "Report To Ex Libris" row action to directly open a support case for electronic collections or portfolios. User must have an existing Salesforce account (e.g., the ability to file tickets with ProQuest) in order to enable this functionality within the Alma UI.

Staff Login Report - Records the last date a library staff has logged into Alma's Staff UI. Report data is configured to be retained for 90 days.  Please do not adjust this value.  

Institution Notifications - Adds messages that appear for all users at your institution when they log in.  You can customize a period of time in which the message is displayed.   

Validate ILS Migration Form - Only used during the ILS migration.  No current functionality.   

Data Sharing Profile - Allows your institution to opt-in to share data with Ex Libris.   

DARA Recommendations - Customize what recommendations under "View Recommendations."  Recommendations can be activated or deactivated to control which recommendations appear. 

Cloud Apps Configurations - Determines what apps are available to library staff via the Cloud App Center. You can enable all apps within the Cloud App center or just specified ones. Cloud apps are created and updated by third party developers outside of Ex Libris and FLVC.  Use at your own risk!   

Letters (Requires Letter Administrator role) 

Letters Configuration - Activate and deactivate letters, customize labels, make changes to the XSL template.  

Incremental changes to XSL templates are not saved within Alma.  If you choose to update the XSL, we strongly recommend you have a mechanism outside of Alma to save your revisions.   

Components Configurations - customize headers, footers shared across letter templates.   

Widgets  

Customized Widgets - Alma comes with a number of pre-defined widgets that can be turned on or off.  See Managing Widgets.  In addition to these pre-defined widgets, the Customized Widgets configuration page allows to link to other widgets created outside of Alma and have them display on the user's  Alma home page. 

Primo Widget Search Fields & Primo Widget Search Precision - Allows you to customize the Discovery Search for users who have this enabled.   

Network Groups 

Fulfillment Member - Related to fulfillment network configurations.  Do not touch.   

Institutions Relations - Configuration for pick up anywhere/return anywhere.  This functionality is not utilized.  

Security 

IP Group Configuration & Login Restriction Configuration - These settings prevent users within a certain IP range from logging into Alma.   

Redirection Allowed List – Ex Libris does not have any documentation for this page and for all institutions there is currently no configurations in place.  Please coordinate with FLVC before making changes.