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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.

Serial Prediction Pattern

Serial Prediction Patterns

If you do not want to create serial items manually, you can add a prediction pattern to the holding record. To add a prediction pattern to a serial:

  1. Search for the serial by title or ISSN using a "Physical Titles" search> Holdings of correct bib record. 
     
  2. Find holding you'd like to add a prediction pattern to > "..." > Edit
     
  3. The holding will open in the Metadata Editor. Editing Actions > Expand from Template > choose the template that works best for you > Add all > Ok.          
     
  4. You will see an 853 and a 590 field added to your holding record. You can make additional edits to the 853 by clicking in the field, and adding subfields if refinement such as regularity ($$y), or calendar changes ($$x) are needed. Visit Library of Congress's 853-855 - Captions and Pattern-General Information for additional information > Save. 

Creating Predicted Items from a Prediction Pattern

  1. Click anywhere in 853 field > Record Actions > Next predicted Item's information. 
     
  2. Fill out the Next Predicted item's information form. The following example is stating that this twice monthly/bi-weekly published title subscription begins 01/01/2023 (Issue Date- format must be yyyymmdd). The first issue of the year comes out 1/9/2023, and it is Volume 75, Issue 1 > Close. 
     
     
  3.  Note that there are binoculars at the beginning of the 853 field. This indicates that there are active predictive items attached.  
     
  4. Click anywhere in 853 field > Record Actions > Open predicted Items.                                                         
     
  5. Review the list of predicted items that generated. If the items look correct and you would like to publish, select Save. If the items are incorrect, select Discard. After discarding, follow step 2 by going back to Next Predicted item's information form or 853 field to make changes.
     

Other Prediction Examples:

New Republic, ISSN: 00286583

New republic is released monthly, with combined issues 1&2 (January and February) as well as 7&8 (July and August). The volume # in 2023 is Volume 254. There is also a calendar change in January. To create a prediction pattern for this: 

The 853 should look like:

|a v. |b no. |u 12 |v r |i (year) |j (month) |w m |x 01 |y ce21/2,7/8 |y cm01/02,07/08

Subfield x : Calendar year, 01 is January

Subfield y: Regularity pattern, "ce21/2,7/8" = combined enumeration 2 Issue # 1/2,7/8

Subfield y: Regularity pattern, "cm01/02,07/08" = combined month Month (MM) 01/02,07/08

 

Next Predicted Items Information

(Record Actions > Next Predicted Items Information):

Plug in details from the 853 in the form for the Calendar change (x) and 2 Regularity pattern (y) fields. 

  1. First level of enumeration (a) is volume number- 254
  2. Second level of enumeration (b) is issue number - 1st issue will be issue 1
  3. First level of chronology (i) is year of published volume - 2023
  4. Calendar change (x) - 01 (pasted from 853 - January)
  5. Regularity pattern (y) fields- ce21/2,7/8 (pasted from 853)
  6. Regularity pattern (y) fields- cm01/02,07/08 (pasted from 853)
  7. Issue date - defaults to current date but should be updated to beginning of year's subscription in YYYYDDMM format. 20230101

Click "Close" when form completed. When predicted items are viewed ( Record Actions > Open Predicted Items):