TSWG Alma enhancements

Owned by Corinna Baksik
Last updated: Dec 17, 2024
10 min read

Key: = high priority; = highest priority

Already on ExL Roadmap (not an exhaustive list)

These requests are either from past NERS voting, marked as Planned on Ideas Exchange, or seen on the published roadmap. For "(HVD...)" notations, refer to Harvard Top 15 Issue Review with Ex Libris.

Note: some Ideas Exchange have been "planned" for years. In order to get them on concrete roadmap for the following year, they would need to go through NERS. 

Harvard NERS requests for 2025

  • idea - allow item linking pattern fields to be set via batch job. See past related requests:

  • YES, write this up: from staff via LibAnswers: It would be helpful if the title field in the Electronic Resource Activation Task List included subfields $n and $p. These are considered part of the title proper, and it would help to distinguish the 3 titles in the attached view. Each title has a different subfield $p, e.g. Jewish studies.

Harvard NERS requests for 2024

  • idea - exclude suppressed bibs from Browse Bib Headings (including active bibs with inactive ports)

New submissions

  1. (Corinna to confirm) Version history for Normalization Rules, Merge Rules, etc.  (NERS 8825 2024). Related Idea Exchange Add security levels to norm rules

  2. (Corinna to confirm) Import Profile - map to holding fixed fields (NERS 8986 2024)

  3. (Corinna to check votes from last year) Create predicted items in a temp loc (NERS 8990 2024)

    1. ITS has split their items into separate holdings to get around this

Resubmissions from previous years:

  1. YES for 2025 too  Import profiles: Mapping options for Import Profiles (Electronic Collection, Acquisition Method, Material Type)

    1. (partially covered by Ideas Exchange)  (2020 NERS 6666) Request detail (2022 #28 in Round 1)

  2. YES for 2025 Scan in Items.. Status / Done is not sticky (post go-live issues list) (2020 NERS 6663) Request detail (2022 #35 Round 1)

  3. YES for 2025 Browse bib headings: fix gaps in subject browse (2020 NERS 6979)(2022, #70 in Round 1) Request detail

  4. DONE in 2024:  Authority control: Preferred term correction should flip headings that change tag number (NERS 6670)

    1.  

      1. (2022, #65 in Round 1)

  5. YES for 2025: Link a serial order to existing inventory directly from a POL  (2022 NERS 7785)(#52 in Round 1 2022).

  6. YES for 2025: Ability to duplicate an invoice (2022 NERS 7766; #38 in Round 1)

  7. (Amy will ask for 2025) Ability to link a holding template with a serial order template (NERS 7786)(#165 Round 1)

    1. Not on 2023 ballot - at "Archived' status in NERS. I had changed it to New - not sure what happened

  8. ON ROADMAP FOR 2025 H1: Items: create new predicted items from the receiving list (post go-live issues list)(for 2023 submitted as NERS 8119)

    1. Request detail

    2. In 2020 was NERS 6668

    3. → merged into 7065 by WG

    4. (2022 #103 Round 1)

    5. This is supposed to be part of forthcoming Receiving Workflow improvements, but waiting to hear confirmation from ExL that it will be delivered 2/4/22

  9. DONE IN 2024: Item physical condition field - make configurable (2023 NERS 8120)

    1. (Judaica)

    2. Ideas Exchange (changed to Planned by ExL on 8/22/2019) 

  10. YES for 2025:  Name/title browse. See proposal for Primo (same config). (2023 NERS 8148)

Submissions from 2023 that we are not resubmitting: 

 

Harvard NERS requests for 2023

  • Potential ideas for 2023 (not submitted to NERS)

    • Create predicated items in temp locs

    • MDE - shortcut for Search Resources (pushing for this via UX group) (Coming as part of a new feature to set your own hot keys)

  • New submissions for 2023

  • Re-submissions from 2020, 2021 and 2022 (already re-submitted in NERS by CB in Jan 2023)

    1.  Authority control: Subdivided LCSH headings should be flipped by PTC (NERS 7206)

      1. March 2023: removed from ballot by Alma PWG "Not included on ballot because of Ex Libris' reply in 2022." ExL Response in 2022: "Ex Libris response: This was discussed with the Alma Authorities Focus Group, and while we understand the need - it is not technically possible to develop this in Alma’s current headings infrastructure without severely impacting stability and performance. We will continue to work with the Authority focus group and explore technical options to comply with the requirement."

      2. Request detail (someone deleted from NERS after 2020 process hence new number, was 6773).

      3. 2022 #9 after Round 1

      4. 2020 #13 after Round 2, pointed at 100

      5. See also Ideas Exchange (260 votes as of 12/14/22)

      6. #3 priority from AAFG (2021)

    2.  Authority control: Preferred term correction should flip headings that change tag number (NERS 6670)

      1. (2022, #65 in Round 1)

      2. See also Ideas Exchange (249 votes as of 12/14/22; submitted in Nov 2018). Marked as Planned by ExL on 9/21/2021 

    3.  Import profiles: Mapping options for Import Profiles (Electronic Collection, Acquisition Method, Material Type)

      1. (partially covered by Ideas Exchange)  (2020 NERS 6666) Request detail (2022 #28 in Round 1)

    4.  Items: Editing items via Receiving, Save & Receive items (post go live issues list) (2020 NERS 6669) Request detail (#6 Round 2 2022 (#6), points: 20)

      1. This is supposed to be part of forthcoming Receiving Workflow improvements, but waiting to hear confirmation from ExL that it will be delivered 2/4/22

      2. ACCEPTED FOR DEVELOPMENT

    5.  Items: create new predicted items from the receiving list (post go-live issues list)(for 2023 submitted as NERS 8119)

      1. Request detail

      2. In 2020 was NERS 6668

      3. → merged into 7065 by WG

      4. (2022 #103 Round 1)

      5. This is supposed to be part of forthcoming Receiving Workflow improvements, but waiting to hear confirmation from ExL that it will be delivered 2/4/22

    6. Scan in Items.. Status / Done is not sticky (post go-live issues list) (2020 NERS 6663) Request detail (2022 #35 Round 1)

    7.  Browse bib headings: fix gaps in subject browse (2020 NERS 6979)(2022, #70 in Round 1) Request detail

    8. Ability to link a holding template with an order template (NERS 7786)(#165 Round 1)

      1. Not on 2023 ballot - at "Archived' status in NERS. I had changed it to New - not sure what happened

    9. Ability to duplicate an invoice (2022 NERS 7766; #38 in Round 1)

    10. Link items to 853/4/5 in holding to generate automatic item descriptions (NERS 7808)

      1. #135 in Round 1 2022

      2. Title from 2022: Ability to link unpredicted items to publication patterns in holding to generate automatic item descriptions 

      3. Request detail

    11. Link an order to existing inventory directly from a POL (2022 NERS 7785)(#52 in Round 1 2022)

Harvard NERS requests for 2022

  • New for 2022

    • Ability to link a holding template with an order template (NERS 7786)(#165 Round 1)

    • Link an order to existing inventory directly from a POL (NERS 7785)(#52 in Round 1)

    • Make POL on holding list a hyperlink to POL.  (NERS 7755)(#94 in Round 1)

    • More robust searching in the receiving workbench (all ISBNs, 246) (NERS 7784)(#153 in Round 1)

    • Ability to duplicate an invoice (NERS 7766)(NERS 7766; #38 in Round 1)

    • Receiving workbench - status value should be sticky (NERS 7769)(#83 in Round 1)

    • Ability to link unpredicted items to publication patterns in holding to generate automatic item descriptions (NERS 7808)(#135 in Round 1)

  • Resubmissions from both 2020 and 2021

    • Search Results: Add consistent shortcuts and more buttons (post go-live issues list) (2020 NERS 6665) Request detail (2022 #92 in Round 1)

    •  Import profiles: Mapping options for Import Profiles (Electronic Collection, Acquisition Method, Material Type) (partially covered by Ideas Exchange)  (2020 NERS 6666) Request detail (2022 #28 in Round 1)

    • Scan in Items.. Status / Done is not sticky (post go-live issues list) (2020 NERS 6663) Request detail (2022 #35 Round 1)

    •   Authority control: Preferred term correction should flip headings that change tag number (2020 NERS 6670)(2022, #65 in Round 1)

    •   Authority control: Subdivided LCSH headings should be flipped by PTC (2020 NERS 7206)(2022 #9 after Round 1). Request detail (someone deleted from NERS after 2020 process hence new number, was 6773). See also Ideas Exchange

    •  Browse bib headings: fix gaps in subject browse (2020 NERS 6979)(2022, #70 in Round 1) Request detail

  • Resubmissions from 2021

    •  Items: create new predicted items from the receiving list (post go-live issues list) (2020 NERS 6668 → merged into 7065 by WG) Request detail (#103 Round 1 2022)

      • This is supposed to be part of forthcoming Receiving Workflow improvements, but waiting to hear confirmation from ExL that it will be delivered 2/4/22

    •  Items: Editing items via Receiving, Save & Receive items (post go live issues list) (2020 NERS 6669) Request detail (#6 Round 2 2022 (#6), points: 20)

  • Do not pursue

    • Import profile to merge to existing holdings (e.g. add fields to holdings via a merge routine, from an input file) → use hol API instead

    • Add Reminders to Analytics

    • need job to change work order status → use cloud app

    • batch unlink holdings from POLs - probably just one-time need for migration clean-up

    • Large configuration tables which use up/down arrows to order entries (e.g., Online Services Order) are wicked. I realize this issue is unlikely to receive widespread community support since so few users touch these.

Harvard NERS requests for 2021

  • Resubmissions from 2020

    • Search Results: Add consistent shortcuts and more buttons (post go-live issues list) (2020 NERS 6665) Request detail

    • MDE: Remove pop-up "assistance" in MDE for 260, 264 etc. (Also in Ideas Exchange) (2020 NERS 6654)

    •  Import profiles: Mapping options for Import Profiles (Electronic Collection, Acquisition Method, Material Type) (partially covered by Ideas Exchange)  (2020 NERS 6666) Request detail

    • Import profiles: New role for Manage Import Profiles (2020 NERS 6662)

    • Scan in Items.. Status / Done is not sticky (post go-live issues list) (2020 NERS 6663) Request detail

    •  Items: Disable Item description confirmation message (post go-live issues list) (2020 NERS 6664) Request detail Complete

    •   Authority control: Preferred term correction should flip headings that change tag number (2020 NERS 6670)

    •   Authority control: Subdivided LCSH headings should be flipped by PTC (2020 NERS 7206) Request detail (someone deleted from NERS after 2020 process hence new number, was 6773). See also Ideas Exchange

    •  Browse bib headings: fix gaps in subject browse (2020 NERS 6979) Request detail

    •  Acq: Save more fields in POL template (e.g. sub dates, man renew checkbox) (2020 NERS 6760) Request detail .

    • More efficient method for applying norm rules to holdings (2020 NERS 6761)

  • New for 2021

    • Add Authority Control Task List reports to Alma Analytics (2021 NERS 7216) Request detail

Harvard NERS requests for 2020

  • Search Results: Add consistent shortcuts and more buttons (post go-live issues list) (2020 NERS 6665) Request detail

  • MDE: Remove pop-up "assistance" in MDE for 260, 264 etc. (Also in Ideas Exchange) (2020 NERS 6654)

  •  Import profiles: Mapping options for Import Profiles (Electronic Collection, Acquisition Method, Material Type) (partially covered by Ideas Exchange)  (2020 NERS 6666) Request detail

  •  Import profiles: New role for Manage Import Profiles (2020 NERS 6662)

  • Scan in Items.. Status / Done is not sticky (post go-live issues list) (2020 NERS 6663) Request detail

  •  Items: Disable Item description confirmation message (post go-live issues list) (2020 NERS 6664) Request detail Complete

  • Items: description, enun/chron, pull patterns from hol 853 (parity with Aleph) (2020 NERS 6667) Request detail

    • Note, if we re-add for 2021, separate into multiple requests

    •  - still a big issue  for non-predicated items... consult with Laura about refining request to separate multiple, Paris has code in python to pull this from API, not part of updated code, ITS working on things LTS said needed to be changed, (check also on the add-on exl did) → rewritten for 2022 submission

  •  Items: create new predicted items from the receiving list (post go-live issues list) (2020 NERS 6668 → merged into 7065 by WG) Request detail 

    • This is supposed to be part of forthcoming Receiving Workflow improvements, but waiting to hear confirmation from ExL that it will be delivered 2/4/22

  •  Items: need Save and Receive Option when editing continuous items (post go live issues list) (2020 NERS 6669) Request detail

    • This is supposed to be part of forthcoming Receiving Workflow improvements, but waiting to hear confirmation from ExL that it will be delivered 2/4/22

  •  Authority control: Preferred term correction should flip headings that change tag number (2020 NERS 6670)

  •  Authority control: Subdivided LCSH headings should be flipped by PTC (2020 NERS 7206) Request detail (someone deleted from NERS after 2020 process hence new number, was 6773). See also Ideas Exchange

  • Fixed: Browse bib headings: handling of apostrophes, miagkii znak, ayn (2020 NERS 6679) 

  •  Browse bib headings: fix gaps in subject browse (2020 NERS 6979) Request detail

  •  Acq: Save more fields in POL template (e.g. sub dates, man renew checkbox) (2020 NERS 6760) Request detail .

  • More efficient method for applying norm rules to holdings (2020 NERS 6761)

Other things we've talked about 

 

See also