Recommendations to College Libraries for

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Data Planning and Information Gathering

The goal of this page is to suggest print and electronic data cleaning strategies that might help to streamline your migration efforts to Alma. For a broader understanding of the requirements needed to implement Alma and Primo visit Getting Ready for Alma and Discovery Implementation.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

The recommendations below contain tips or suggestions for ways to tidy up your data get organized before migration to Alma. This is not a ‘one size fits all’ guide – but a list of local considerations that you can begin to think about. Ex Libris suggests that local data cleaning may streamline the migration process and help to ensure to best possible outcomes. Read Getting Ready for Alma and Discovery Implementation, Appendix A - Fulfillment Simplificationto gain a fuller understanding of Ex Libris' suggestions. As you explore this information in the Ex Libris Knowledge Center, consider keeping the https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Product_Documentation/010Alma_Online_Help_(English)/120Alma_Glossary open in a new tab for quick reference.

Organization and Simplification of locations, patrons and item types:

Making sure that records and collections in your original source database are well organized is one thing you can do to ensure a best possible migration outcome. If there are small collections that no longer need to stand on their own, consider merging them into larger ‘locations’. Depending upon your system, you may choose to merge collections ahead of time OR simply choose to map two collections together upon migration. Note: In Alma, a location is defined as a “physical place where items are stored” that is “associated with a library.” Locationsthat have similar fulfillment (circulation) policies and blocks will become associated with your library’s fulfillment units.

• Consider categorizing Plan to categorize locations into about five “location type categories” that share common circulation policies: For example: regular loan; limited loan, short loan/reserve, closed stack, and media.

• Ex Libris expects that most locations should fit into one of the above categories and recommends that libraries restrict the number of ‘item type’ circulation exceptions to five. Item type circulation exceptions are only used in situations where items cannot circulate in the same way as the majority of items in their location, for any given user group. To read more about Item Exceptions, refer to the Alma Configuration Form Guide, pages 17-18; 21; & 52.

• The diagram below illustrates the relationship between the bibliographic record, libraries, holdings records, locations and item records.

  

• Visit https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Product_Documentation/010Alma_Online_Help_(English)/040Resource_Management/050Inventory/010Introduction_to_Alma_Inventory#Physical for additional information describing the relationship between ‘location,’ ‘holding’ and ‘item' in the institutional zone (IZ).

• Also consider amalgamating user groups that share common permissions.

Electronic Resource Handling in Alma

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– Planning Considerations:

Analytics:

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ExLibris Migration Resources - Getting Ready

A selection of Ex Libris migration guides and tutorials can found in the links below – this additional information may help to further inform your data cleaning decisions.

• https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Implementation_and_Migration/Migration_Guides_and_Tutorials/Overview_of_Migration: migration phases in a nutshell

• https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Implementation_and_Migration/Implementation_Guides/02Getting_Ready_for_Alma_and_Discovery_Implementation: explains library and Ex Libris' roles and responsibilities; project team roles; technical migration requirements; cutover prep for third parties; data format requirements; training; fulfillment simplification; optional data preparations

• https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Implementation_and_Migration/Implementation_Guides/03Technical_Requirements_for_Alma_and_Discovery_Implementation

General Migration Guides:

The links below are a selection of guides and tutorials that may inform data cleaning decisions. Visit https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Implementation_and_Migration/Migration_Guides_and_Tutorials in the Ex Libris Knowledge Center to find all migration guides and tutorials.

• Video: http://exl-edu.com/01_Alma/Implementation_and_Migration/Migration_Guides/Tips_For_Completing_Migration_Form/#/

• Video: http://exl-edu.com/01_Alma/Implementation_and_Migration/Migration_Guides/Inventory/#/

• Video: http://exl-edu.com/01_Alma/Implementation_and_Migration/Migration_Guides/Generic_Acquisitions/#/

Symphony (SIRSI) Migration Guides:

• https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Implementation_and_Migration/Migration_Guides_and_Tutorials/Symphony_to_Alma_Data_Delivery_and_Migration_Guide: This guide includes information and links to forms used to map Symphony LIBRARY (999|M) AND HOME LOCATION to the Alma Library and Location (bibliographic, holdings, item, circulation and patron field/subfield data). A copy of the Symphony mapping form is included below.

Generic Migration Guides (Non-SIRSI)

• https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Implementation_and_Migration/Migration_Guides_and_Tutorials/Generic_Alma_Data_Delivery_and_Migration_Guide: This guide includes information and links to forms used to map legacy bibliographic, holdings, item, circulation and patron field/subfield data from systems other than SIRSI to generic Alma fields. A copy of the generic field mapping form is included below.

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