Make sure you're familiar with the policy on when to suppress vs. delete a bib record: Collection Management - Policy for Suppression and Deletion
Holdings Structure
In Alma you cannot create an item without first creating a corresponding holding.
All holdings must be linked to bibliographic records, and all items must be linked to holdings.
If you are starting with a Purchase Order or the Quick Cataloging menu, Alma will create the stub holding for you.
Viewing Holdings
Option 1: from search results
Using the All Titles or Physical Titles search, find the bib record of interest.
- If your Physical tab in the search result is already expanded, click on hyperlinked Location for the holding
- Alternatively, click on the Holdings link to see a list of holdings.
Option 2: from within the MD Editor
To view holdings from within the MD Editor, click on the icon highlighted below, or type CTRL + i
This will search for inventory associated with the bib. The results will display in a split screen. Click “view” or “edit” to view or edit the holdings:
Alma will keep also keep track of holdings that you are working on. These will display on the left hand pane. You can click on any holdings in your left pane to display and edit that holdings.
Adding Holdings
To add an additional holding to a bib that already has a holding, first search for the bib record.
- From the search result, click the Holding link. Then click Add New Holdings.
- This will open the new holding in the MDE.
If the bib record is already open in the MDE, click on the Add holdings icon, or type CTRL + ALT + H.
Once the new stub holding is in Edit mode:
- Type in the 852 $b and $c which are mandatory (use all capital letters). You can also use Control+F in this field to open a Form Editor to choose from a drop down list of libraries and locations.
- Click the Save icon or CTRL + S
- When you save the record, Alma will copy the bib 050 into the holding 852 $h $i, if both these conditions were present:
- 1) subfield h and i were blank
- 2) the library/location is configured to default to LC classification.
- 3) this does not work for the 090 which have to be added manually.
- When you save the record, Alma will copy the bib 050 into the holding 852 $h $i, if both these conditions were present:
- Alma has a default 852 1st indicator set up for each library/collection (i.e. 852 $b $c combination) so you don't have to enter the indicator.
- If your location does not have a default, indicator 8 will be autopopulated.
- Contact LTS to set up a different indicator for you location if needed.
- Note: you can choose the icon highlighted to the right to display the holdings as a full screen.
Alma will not allow you to save two holdings that have exactly the same 852 subfields b, c, h, i, m and t. If you want to create another holdings with the same 852 subfield b, c, h, i, and m you need to use $t to distinguish them. Migrated records where the 852 is exactly the same migrated fine.
However, if staff want to edit them, they will have to add/change subfield b,c,h,i, m or t in one of the holdings.
Editing Holdings
From the view mode, click Edit to open the holding in the MD Editor.
Alternatively, call up the bibliographic record in the MD Editor, and click on the icon to view inventory or or type CTRL + I
The holdings will open in split screen:
You can edit the holdings, by choosing any commands under the Edit menu. You can choose the icon highlighted to the right to display the holdings as a full screen.
Alma will not allow you to save two holdings that have exactly the same 852 subfields b, c, h, i, m and t. If you want to create another holdings with the same 852 subfield b, c, h, i, and m you need to use $t to distinguish them. Migrated records where the 852 is exactly the same migrated fine.
However, if staff want to edit them, they will have to add/change subfield b,c,h,i, m or t in one of the holdings.
See also the Browse Shelf Listing document.
Suppressing Holdings
Open the holdings in the MDE per the instructions above. Navigate to Tools > Set Management Tags > Suppress from Discovery. Check the box.
When you suppress a holding in Alma, all attached item records are also suppressed from discovery (e.g. HOLLIS). If all items on a holding have been withdrawn, the holdings record should be deleted.
Make sure you're familiar with the policy on when to suppress vs. delete a bib record: Collection Management - Policy for Suppression and Deletion
Records in Alma should be suppressed in cases in which we retain ownership of the resource, but do not want the resource discoverable in other systems such as:
- HOLLIS (Primo)
- WorldCat/OCLC
- Data stores such as LibraryCloud
Examples where it may be appropriate to suppress bibs/holdings:
- Resources used in tech services departments that are not available to patrons
- Newly received archival materials that are not ready to be exposed to the public
- Bib records used to pay for memberships to organizations
Important Notes about Local Fields and Holdings Statements (Paired and Textual)
- Field 908 (was H08 in Aleph) is no longer a required field. You only need to add this field if you do NOT want holdings set in OCLC. To prevent holdings being set in OCLC, add 908 $$ap.
- Some units may continue to require 908 for statistical purposes.
- Fields 866, 867, 868 (textual holdings statements) will automatically be generated by Alma when a record is saved and there are paired enum/chron fields (863, 864, 865).
- When enum/chron paired fields are updated and you re-save a record, Alma will regenerate the 866, 867, 868.
- You should not modify 866, 867, 868 fields.
- This system is configured to generate these fields for the purposes of Primo display.
- Fields 966, 967, 968 are designated for use by staff for manually creating textual holdings statements (in lieue of 866, 867, 868).
- These fields will display in Primo.
- Aleph holdings fields 866, 867, 868 migrated as 966, 967, 968.
- Additional fields are automatically generated (and updated) when saving a holding, for the purposes of Primo display:
- 994 : Copy of 977 Bound-with for Primo use (displays with a hyperlink for the user to click on)
- 995 : Copy of 008 receipt status for Primo use (displays as On Order or Currently Received, when applicable)
- Migrated data have some encoded data in this field. This should be ignored. (Data will be removed when the record is saved.)
- 996 : Copy of 561/1 or 561/_ for Primo use (indexed and displayed when note is not marked private)
- 997 : Copy of 541/1 for Primo use (indexed and display when note is marked as public)
- All Harvard defined fields are documented at https://harvardwiki.atlassian.net/wiki/x/5IKUAg
852 Changes
- For holdings field 852, we no longer having the option of leaving both indicators blank.
- Most library/locations have been configured to have a default 1st indicator appropriate for that location.
- If no other default has been set, the 1st indicator will default to 8.
- It is okay to leave the first indicator value even if you have no call number present. (If there is no $h/$i, no entry will appear in call number browses or shelf listing tools.). Examples:
- 852 8# $$b SCH $$c HD
- 852 0# $$b WID $$c HD
- Staff members can prevent unwanted text like "IN PROCESS" from 050 fields in bibliographic records from being automatically copied into 852 fields in holdings records by using the indicator of '8' in the 852 field when no real call number is available.
Deleting Holdings
A deleted record will be removed from Alma entirely.
The deletion of holdings and bibs for withdrawn resources is especially important in Alma. Otherwise, the resources are assumed to be parts of the collection that need to be managed. System functions for managing the collection continue to apply to suppressed records - such as authority control processes - using up valuable staff time for manual review of jobs and server processing time and space.
To delete a holdings record:
- Open the holdings record in the MDE
- Select File > Delete Record (Ctrl+D)
- You will be asked to confirm your choice