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Patron File - Mandatory and Non-Mandatory Fields - Use Cases:
The elements in this chart provide access and authentication for students & staff. The SIS Match Identifier provides a mechanism for updating the patron file from the student and HR systems. Users with external authentication such as LDAP, SSO can use the library’s resources from off campus. Community Users do have the option of using a social login with an additional configuration. Email, phone and address provide options for notification, although consider your institutional privacy rules. Statistical categories offer potential to enhance analytics. Expiry and purge dates allow for patron file clean up.
Element | Use Cases | Mandatory? |
|---|---|---|
Primary ID | Mandatory for physical circulation: loans, bookings, holds, reserves, fines, fees, blocks. | Mandatory. Choose an ID that is unique within your institution. According to Users in Alma: “All users in Alma have a primary identifier, which is part of the core user information. They may also have additional identifiers (for example, a student ID, barcode, and so forth.” |
Email address | Notify patrons when requested items become available or if fines owed. | Mandatory |
First Name | Core information | Mandatory |
Last Name | Core information | Mandatory |
SIS match identifier | Necessary for synchronization with SIS; keeps your patron file up-to-date Export fines/fees/blocks to Bursar system; | This 3rd party integration allows Alma to retrieve relevant user information from the SIS, such as user names, passwords, and user identifiers. |
Example: LDAP, Single sign on. Provides access to electronic resources via Primo VE from both on and off campus; User may use Primo VE to create bookings/holds/requests, etc., patrons store search results, history & favourites. | Must exist for all relevant users. | |
Phone number | SMS notification | Subject to institutional privacy rules. |
Address | Print mail notification | Subject to institutional privacy rules. |
Statistical categories (e.g., department, school, program) | Analytics: such as programs/departments can be mapped in Alma; Managing User Statistics allows reports to be filtered by users, by user group, category, and so forth. | No |
Expiry date | Tagging records for patron file clean-up. | No |
Purge date | The date on which the user will be purged. See Purging Users. | No |
Provide alternate login for users, e.g., community users who are not included in your SIS integration. | No |
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