Alma Workshop: Feb. 28 - Mar. 4

Announcements

Event Overview

Date

Feb 28, 2022 to Mar 4, 2022

Time

See Event Schedule below

Contact

@Liana Giovando @Aura Hill

Goals

  • Revise and expand staff understanding of Alma functionality

  • Prepare to define and train on local workflows using Alma

  • Identify areas for tuning configuration

  • Identify areas for more detailed later discussion

Workshop FAQ & Registration Info

The Alma Workshop is a 5-day virtual workshop from February 28 - March 4 with 3-4 daily online sessions on different Alma topics.

The purpose of the workshop is to provide insight into how you may want to use the Alma system through demonstration-led discussion sessions. The workshop is intended to be a starting point for these discussions and it is expected that some discussions will continue in the weekly project meetings after the workshop.

There are 5 main topics: Acquisitions, Cataloguing, Patron Services, Fulfillment, and Analytics.

The sessions will mainly be demonstrations with time for Q&As. More details about each session can be found in the Event Schedule below.

In the Event Schedule, the recommended audience for each session is listed. However, as long as the person has completed the Alma training from the weekly project meetings and are familiar with Alma, they can attend any or all sessions.

After the workshop, we will take a train-the-trainer approach for other library staff and more information will be provided soon.

Registration is now closed. For a last-minute invitation to a session, please email Aura (ahill@ocls.ca) with the session name.

If you have any issues, please contact Aura at ahill@ocls.ca.

  • Complete your Alma training as outlined on Basecamp. Aside from completing the Alma training, there is no pre-work required for the sessions. Attendees are expected to be very familiar with Alma functionality.

Event Schedule

The following table lists the dates and times of all the individual sessions. You may register for any session regardless of your role as library staff.

Day 1: Overview + Acquisitions Part I | Monday, February 28

Session 1: Alma Overview
(Audience: ALL)

10:30 am-12:00 pm

Introduction

  • Workshop overview

  • Inventory model, searching

  • User roles and tasks

  • Q & A

Session 2: Acquisitions Overview
(Audience: Acquisitions / Technical Services)

1:00 - 2:45 pm

Acquisitions overview

  • Fund structures

  • Vendors, accounts, interfaces, EDI

  • Licenses

  • Q & A

Session 3: Acquisitions – Ordering Physical
(Audience: Acquisitions/Technical Services)

3:00 - 4:45 pm

Ordering - Physical

  • End-to-end ordering to availability

  • Order line types

  • Ordering lifecycle

  • Ordering physical one-time; physical subscriptions

  • Q & A

DAY 2: Acquisitions Part II | Tuesday, March 1

Session 4: Acquisitions – Ordering Electronic
(Audience: Acquisitions/Technical Services/Electronic Resources)

10:30 – 11:45 am

Ordering Electronic

  • electronic one-time

  • electronic subscriptions

  • Q&A

Session 5: Acquisitions – Receiving and Activating
(Audience: Acquisitions/Technical Services/ Electronic Resources)

1:00 – 2:45 pm

Receiving and Activating

  • Receiving one-time orders

  • Receiving subscriptions (with & without prediction)

  • Activating electronic resources

  • Q & A

Session 6: Acquisitions – Invoicing
(Audience: Acquisitions /Technical Services)

3:00 – 4:15 pm

 

 

Invoicing

  • Invoicing lifecycle & integration options

  • Creating and editing invoices

  • Taxes (if applicable)

  • Q & A

DAY 3: Cataloging + Technical Services Q & A  | Wednesday, March 2      

Session 7: Cataloging
(Audience: Catalogers)

9:30 am – 12:00 pm

 

Manual cataloging and record management

  • Metadata Editor: templates, locked records, copy cataloging, form editor, headings, etc.

  • Authority control

  • 15 MINUTE BREAK

  • Item editor

  • Post-receiving processing & work orders

  • Q & A

Session 8: Cataloging – Import Profiles / Bulk Processing 
(Audience: Catalogers / Potentially Acquisitions)

1:00 – 3:45 pm

Bulk catalog, inventory, and delivery maintenance

  • Import profiles

  • 15 MINUTE BREAK

  • PDA/DDA (if applicable)

  • Bulk processing – records, inventory, order lines, users

  • Q & A

Session 9: Technical Services Wrap-up/Q&A
(Audience: Catalogers/Acquisitions/Technical Services)

4:00 – 5:00 pm

Technical Services Wrap-up / Q & A

DAY 4: Patron Services Part I | Thursday, March 3  

Session 10: Fulfillment Overview
(Audience: Circulation Staff)

9:30 am – 12:00 pm

Fulfillment overview

  • Infrastructure: libraries, locations, circulation desks

  • Fulfillment policies

  • Lost item profiles and notifications

  • 15 MINUTE BREAK

  • Blocks and overrides

  • Patron limits; loan limits

  • Q & A

Session 11: Patron Services - User Management
(Audience: Circulation Staff/ Alma User Administrators)

1:00 – 2:15 pm

User management and notices

  • User records: structure, ownership, synchronization

  • SIS integration

  • Registering new users

  • Customizing and testing notices

  • Q & A

Session 12: Patron Services  
(Audience: Circulation Staff )

2:30 – 4:15 pm

Patron services

  • Loans, returns

  • Fines and fees

  • Overriding blocks

  • Q & A

DAY 5: Patron Services Part II + Fulfillment Wrap-up/Q&A + Analytics | Friday, March 4  

Session 13: Patron Services - Requests and Resource Sharing 
(Audience: Circulation Staff )

9:30 am – 10:45 am

Requests and resource sharing

  • Placing and managing requests

  • Monitoring requests and work orders; hold shelf maintenance

  • Other request types: digitization, resource sharing

  • Q & A

Session 14: Patron Services – Course Reserves & Bookings
(Audience: Circulation Staff / Course Reserves Staff)

11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Course reserves

  • Courses and reading list

  • Can-in reserve management

  • Bookings

  • Q & A

Session 15: Fulfillment Wrap-up/Q&A  
(Audience: Circulation Staff / Course Reserves Staff)

1:00 – 2:00 pm

Fulfillment Wrap-up/Q & A

 Session 16: Alma Analytics
(Audience: ALL)

2:15 – 3:45 pm

Alma Analytics

  • Widgets & Dashboards

  • Folders

  • Existing reports

  • New analysis

  • Benchmark Analytics

  • Subscribing to Analytics

  • Q & A

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Event Recordings