Alma Communication & Update Sources

Owned by Jennifer Koerber (Unlicensed)
Last updated: May 15, 2019
3 min read

Normal Communication

There are several places you might see or receive information about Alma:

Notifications on the Alma Dashboard

There are two locations for notifications on the Alma dashboard:

The Notifications widget. This widget contains links to the Alma documentation on the LTS wiki, to the support form for questions and issues, and (currently) a link to the Training Sandbox. You can add the Notifications widget to your dashboard using the instructions on the Alma Basics page.

An Institutional Notification banner. If this banner is present at the top of the Alma dashboard, it contains a special, time-sensitive message regarding Alma availability or functionality. This may be a notification about upcoming downtime or a current issue.

Alma Users Mailing List

The Harvard Alma Users mailing list is used to disseminate detailed, critical information about Alma to staff in a timely manner.

Subscribing to the list. Alma login holders will be automatically added to the list as part of login creation. We welcome non-Alma login users to request list access via the Alma Support Center.

Use of the list. This list is used to broadcast and discuss information about Alma, including:

  • Changes to workflows, bug fixes, or enhancements that are delivered as part of Alma Monthly Releases
  • Guidance from Working Groups or Harvard Library Leadership about emerging Alma best practices
  • Updates on Alma training materials and classes
  • Updates on known issues
  • Information gathering activities led by Working Groups to inform use of new features

Unsubscribing from the list. If you feel that the other methods of communication are sufficient for your needs, you can unsubscribe using the Alma users mailing list management page.

Alma Monthly Release Notes

When Ex Libris posts its monthly release notes, LTS staff will pull out "Harvard Highlights" and summarize them on the Alma Monthly Release Notes page. We will also send a link to these notes to the Alma Users mailing list to indicate when they're available.

HLComms

For very large Alma updates - including those that have an impact on non-Alma-users among library staff - email will be sent to HLComms.

Harvard CC

The Harvard Library CC will continue to feature periodic articles on Alma, for information useful or interesting to the greater Harvard Library community. You can see these by using the Alma tag on the Harvard Library CC blog.

 

Urgent/Emergency Communication

In the case of an issue with Alma that is having a significant impact on performance or functionality:

  1. An email will be sent to the Alma Users mailing list and a notification placed on the Alma dashboard as soon as possible.

  2. Updates will be sent out as new information is received, or to let staff know that LTS and/or Ex Libris is aware of the issue and working on it.

  3. If no new information is available for some reasonable amount of time, an update will be sent out that the responsible parties are still working to resolve the issue.

  4. A final update will be sent to the Alma Users mailing list and placed on the Dashboard once the issue is resolved.

 

Sending an LTS Support Ticket

If you have any questions or concerns about Alma, or notice issues with functionality or data, please submit a ticket using the LTS Support form. Links to this form are available in many places on the LTS wiki, as well as from the Alma dashboard in the Notifications widget.

When you submit an LTS support ticket, please include as much of the following information as possible:

  • The device being used (iPhone, PC, etc.)
  • Operating system and version (Android Nougat, MacOS 10.12, etc.)
  • Browser type and version (Chrome 55.0.2883.9, etc.)
  • URL where the error occurred
  • Date and approximate time the error occurred
  • A screenshot or screencast, if possible
  • The full text of any error messages you receive from Alma or related systems

Note: LTS support doesn’t need every detail, just the most specific ones. That said, err on the side of asking questions and providing details, rather than guess or be vague.

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