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Alma Resource Management Guide

This guide explains all aspects of the cataloging process, including loading, editing, and deleting bibliographic records, holdings records, and item records in Alma.

Importing Bib Records

Importing Bib Records

Importing Records in Alma can be done in a few different ways and depending on the type of record and where the records come from, importing may require you to reach out to FLVC to discuss a custom set up.

 

Methods of Import

 

Import Profile

When you receive a set of records (MARC, or other types of files) from a vendor, you'll need a way to get them into your Alma catalog. Creating an Import Profile will provide:

  1. a way to get your vendor records into Alma catalog,
  2. a way to organize your records into a collection,
  3. choice of whether to load records manually, or schedule your records through FTP. 

You can use the Import Profile's settings to:

  1. customize how you want the records to match with previously existing records,
  2. adjust fields and subfields using a normalization rule,
  3. set up how the records will show in your Primo display to users
  4. and more customized or nuanced settings your library wishes to implement

Import profiles can load records into the Institution Zone or the Network Zone

 

OCLC Import

 

 

Activate from Community Zone

When you purchase records or a subscription to a vendor's records, it may be possible to forego importing the records and simply activate the already existing collection from the Community Zone in Alma.

How to Activate

Navigate to the Community Zone collection

If activating the entire collection, select the "Activate" button for that specific collection,

 

if only selecting specific portfolios, you may search inside the collection for the specific portfolio record and select "Activate." You can also use the checkboxes to select multiple portfolios and them activate them all by clicking the "Activate Selected button. 

 

The Activation Wizard will appear 

 

Importing Multiple Holdings

In order for an import profile to accept multiple holding record fields (e.g. 949 fields, depending on your configuration) and create multiple holding records, the Multiple Portfolios radio button must be activated in the Inventory Information tab.  If the Single Portfolio radio button is activated, you will get an error on importing a record with multiple holding record fields and no holding records will be created.

 

Custom Import Workflow

If after troubleshooting with a member of the Data Quality team at FLVC, you find that none of the straight-forward importing methods works for your  records, then we may need to set up a meeting to discuss a custom import workflow.