Alma Known Issues

• Can't verify that you've corrected headings if the old ones keep showing up incorrectly.

December 2021 – test after semi-annual reindexing

No new cases since re-indexing

• Browse by Subject defaults to vocabulary selection for Haifa Children's vocab and needs to be changed every time you use Browse by Subject.  (resolved)
• We need an option to leave the vocabulary blank in Browse by Subject. Otherwise we have no way of seeing headings that are not in one of vocabularies in the Alma CZ, such as Getty and AAT. 
• Dropdown selections need to be sticky so you don't have to reselect every time. 
• Subjects > Geographic names, there is both an option for LCSH and an option for LC Name authority records for 651. This is very confusing because both those vocabs read from 651/0 so you have to look in 2 different places depending on whether a 651 may be subdivided or not. There should be one LC vocab option when browsing by subject geographic names.

• Vocabulary dropdown should be alphabetical, headings should be short enough so they don't get cut off, ideally show latest used on top (reported as part of new MDE via Usernap #50) (resolved)

(Initially reported as part of implementation)

Salesforce case created after lack of traction: 11/12/19

(Also reported to UX basecamp)

• Dropdown displays incorrect vocabulary, although the confirmation search text immediately below shows the correct vocabulary
• Correcting the dropdown to the right vocabulary breaks the search

• Using Open in Repo search defaults to Equal, where correct results are retrieved. Changing Equal to Exact phrase, when using LC names for 651 vocab, returns 0 incorrectly. Cannot effectively use search for LC names 651 searches.

For Heading Information searches (via Open in Repository Search), when using "Exact phrase starting with" and a search term with more than one subdivision, the search truncates the terms and retrieves too many results

False hits retrieved. 

Example for LCSH topical heading: 

Use "Exact phrase starting with"

World War,1939-1945 Underground movements Germany 

retrieves everything with:

World War,1939-1945 Underground movements

9/19/22: 

There is a character limit when using Exact phrase starting with. The limit is roughly 55 characters but varies slightly based on other search params. (CB followed up to see if a request to shorten the vocab name would increase the char limit on the search term, but it would not).  

If a heading has normal quotation marks (U+0022), the Open in Repository Search button does not work 

Must use workaround to conduct search

06645723

Name-title entries are incomplete because they include $t from 6XX/7XX but not 240 with 1XX

Update - all $t's have been removed from index. 

Working with ExL to develop new, separate name-title browse

(This didn't go anywhere as of Oct 2021)

$t is missing from entries based on 700.
It is present for entries based on 600.

Name-title values from 700 are listed as only names and not names with titles.

Name-title values from 600 are listed as names with titles.

Name-title values file separately when they are 700 vs. 600 due to inconsistency of title display

With Q2 2022 enhancement, we can configure browses now. Since 1XX/240 cannot be displayed, we chose to omit all titles from name/title headings in the Names browse. 

Same as above

Update Feb 2021: ExL reported this would not be part of current development work plan

490/1 is not a controlled heading, therefore the list cannot be used to verify whether the series headings in controlled fields have the correct term

(as of July 2022, all 490 have been excluded from the browse as a workaround)

240 uniform title is missing

740 title is missing

600 $t is missing

4/9/18

1/11/23

00538863

06621695

Original case was broader and is resolved except for 740. New case opened just for 740. 

Previous note: Working with ExL to develop new, separate name-title browse. Update Feb 2021: ExL reported this would not be part of current development work plan

• Make matching entry be 2nd in the list, so you can see the previous entry without having to click to see previous page. Needed because when you browse shelf list in order to be able to identify the shelflist number to be assigned, one searches for the first shelflist number of the NEXT base number. The one prior to that would be the last shelflist number of the previous base number. Unlike Browse Bib Headings, the searched-for entry appears at the top of the list instead of second in the list, requiring one to click again to go the previous page.
• Make all dropdowns sticky (type, library, location).
• Display main entry in Description field. When you browse a shelf list, the results display as titles. What we need in the display is the main entry, so 1XX/240 or 245. Sheflisting rules require evaluation of the main entry. As it is now, we have to look at the 245 $c in the display, and/or open each one to see the 240.
• Width of box is WAY too small. You can only see a few characters at a time. 

Initially reported as part of pre-implementation in 2018. 

Also reported to UX basecamp in 2019. 

New Salesforce case opened 2021, 01008663

Ideas Exchange is marked as Planned. Need to confirm the specific issues we cited will be included.

Death dates and other changes are not being made. 

Dec 2023

FIXED AS OF NOV 2023

Loss of data. Example of improper flips:

• 600 10 $$a Shakespeare, William, $$d 1564-1616 $$x Comedies.  flipped to:
• 600 10 $$a Shakespeare, William, $$d 1564-1616. $$t Plays. $$k Selections

Note - as of 6/25/18 this appears to be limited to 600 fields. The example below no longer occurs:

• 650 $$a Motion pictures $$x Periodicals $$x History.  flipped to:
• 650 $$a Motion pictures $$x History $$v Periodicals 

Fixed as of 6/26/24 for prospective jobs via new rule "respect subfield coding"

2025

#2 priority from AAFG (2021)

Preferred term correction process won't flip headings if the field number changes. It only reports them.

(E.g. bib headings is 110 and matches 410 xref, and preferred term is in 130)

UNKNOWN

Idea status updated to Planned in August 2021. Not on roadmap yet.

Case closed by ExL. Instructed to submit this via Ideas Exchange. Please vote for this Idea.

Also NERS 6670

If the authority is for the subdivided form of a heading, and the bib heading is further subdivided, it will not be flipped when the heading changes. Only the subdivided form that exactly matches to the authority will be flipped. For example, this authority changed from:

$a Germany $x Politics and government $y 19th century

to:

$a Germany $x Politics and government $y 1789-1900

Bib headings that exactly matched that $a $x $y were flipped. Bib headings that were further subdivided did not, such as:

$a Germany $x Politics and government $y 19th century $v Congresses

NONE

Case closed by ExL. Instructed to submit this via NERS or Ideas Exchange.

NERS 6773

Please vote for this idea.

#2 priority from AAFG (2021)

March 12, 2024 Note - this was marked as resolved in 2021 but is no longer resolved. CB is pursuing. 

When Alma tries to link a 110, 710, it only looks in LCNAMES, and not in LCSH for places defined in 151 which may be used as corporate names. For example, Massachusetts does not validate in bib 110, 710, only in 651.

When Alma tries to link a 610, it only looks in LCNAMES, not in LCSH for entities that may be used as subject names but not in 110/710. Example: Zimniĭ dvoret︠s︡ (Saint Petersburg, Russia) does not validate in bib field 610.

More: if a castle or similar heading is defined for LCSH (in authority field 110), it may not be used as a bib 110 or 710, only as a 610.  Because Alma only looks at LCNAMES when linking 610 headings, it will not find the matching LCSH heading (in LCSH authority field 110).  

00830184

"This will be fixed in the March 2021 release.
It depends on a setting that Support will do for you when the March 2021 release is installed"

Headings don't link and won't get updated if heading changes.

Headings with ampersands, plus signs, apostrophes, and commas may be marked as Ambiguous instead of linking if there is another heading or reference without the character. Possibly affects other characters. E.g.

710 McFarland & Company

exactly matches preferred term, but will be reported as ambiguous because of the cross-reference on a different authority with:

410 McFarland Company

NONE

Vote for idea: Follow NACO rules when linking bib headings (reduce number of "ambiguous" headings in ACTL reports)

Example: our heading (incorrectly) has 651 a x y x

Matching authority has a x x y

Our heading is linked to authority but order of subfields was not corrected

Note: using F3 from MDE does correct the subfield order.

Variant 1: If multiple authorities have the same 1XX where the only difference is $l (language), the bib heading will not link, and it will be reported as a multiple match (ambiguous). 

Variant 2: Same for subfield $k (added 7/25/22)

Variant 3: We noted that in at least one example the only possible sources of incorrectly assessed conflict in Alma were other vocabularies (e.g. Rameau). (added 4/24/23)

new case number 05307441

case number in previous salesforce: 00922961

When a name is used as a subject, Alma will flip the heading even if the authority record has the fixed field that says the heading is not valid as a subject. 

NONE

CB adjusted Primo rules to display in proper place

The presence of some punctuation prevents 800 field headings from linking. For example, the presence of a semicolon at the end of $f or $l prevents the field from linking.

800/1_ $$a Sibelius, Jean, $$d 1865-1957. $$t Works. $$f 1998 ; $$v ser. 1, v. 99. 

the above does not link, but if you remove the period after Works, and the semicolon after 1998, it does link.

Partially resolved Oct 2020

Forwarded to Alma Authorities focus group

When a 655 field is coded for LCSH and matches a non-preferred term in LCGFT, Alma flips the heading to the preferred LCGFT term but does not update the coding (it should change the 2nd ind to 7 and add $2 lcgft). This does not have an effect on patrons using HOLLIS, but the incorrect coding may cause problems in future linked data projects or migrations. Genre terms in other thesauri are not affected (aat, etc.). Data correction needs to occur in Alma for flips where the LCGFT term DIFFERS from the LCSH term, such as Comics (Graphic works), Screenplays, Thrillers (Fiction), Academic Theses.

Please vote on the Ideas Exchange. (Clean-up of these was removed from the project request list in Nov. 2023 - data will need to be addressed during future migration projects). More background on LC FAQ on LCSH/LCFGT. At Harvard generally only legacy records use the 655/0 LCSH term. Current records generally use 655/7 LCGFT.

Note that the issue was discussed at length at ExL, and derives from the fact LC provides the LCGFT in the LCSH file, rather than as separate feeds.

NONE

Please vote on the Idea  

CZ bib records have outdated headings. This will create split entries in the Browses and Primo facets if we use CZ collections for certain packages. ExL has no plans to perform authority control on CZ bibs. Revisit with Provider Zone.

 NONE

Manually creating a POL does not allow the use of a fund not authorized for the POL owner. However, using an order template to create the POL does allow the use of a fund not authorized for that owner.

Occasionally, searching for a known invoice in the receiving list via the Invoice Search returns no results.