Working with Templates

Overview

Cataloging Templates are listed in the Left Pane of the Metadata Editor (MDE) and are usually collapsed by default. Click on the Templates header to expand the section and view all templates.

There are three types of templates, separated into folders:

• Private (Harvard only): can only be used by your login

• Shared (Harvard only): open to all Harvard users

• Community (all Alma users): our templates can be shared with the entire Alma community, but Harvard discourages this practice. Should you need to contribute templates to the Community Zone, contact your manager.

A set of default shared templates have been created for use with Alma. These contain a limited number of fields that need to be populated, and default values for fixed fields. Default templates are automatically applied when you create a new record in the MDE. These appear in the MDE with a grey icon and cannot be modified, only duplicated.

New templates can be created from existing records or copied from existing templates. Templates may be shared among catalogers, or marked as private. In general, best practice is to save a template as Private - you can always change it to Shared later if you decide it's applicable to more than just your library/unit.

• Private templates are only available to the user who created them.

• Shared templates are designed to be applicable Harvard-wide. (Currently in Alma, only the person who creates a Shared template can delete it).

• Examine use of normalization processes instead of templates for some workflows.

Naming Conventions for Shared templates

Templates are listed alphabetically by default. To quickly and easily identify templates in a shared list, please use the following name and description conventions:

• Apply an HVD- prefix to templates that apply to all libraries.
  
  • Note that LTS uses the HVD-prefix to default templates that should not be modified. For example: "HVD Books (Default)"
    
• Apply a 3-character library/unit prefix to templates that are only used by that library/unit. See a full list of 3-character codes at the /wiki/spaces/LibraryTech/pages/37488034
  
• Apply standardized language in the description field to enable users to easily identify what they're looking at. You add the description in the Template Properties pop-up box when you create the template.
  

Naming Conventions Example: For a template being used by Imaging Services to add 830 field information for titles digitized as part of the Colonial North American Project:   

• Template Name = HVD 830 Colonial North American (HVD = all libraries, 830 = field in the template, Colonial North American = description)   
  
• Description = "Imaging Services internal use" or, better, "Imaging Services internal use; template to add 830 field information to titles digitized as part of the Colonial North American Project"

Template Configuration 

• You can configure which templates appear in your New menu
• From the New menu in the MDE, choose Templates display configuration: 

• Choose which templates you wish to see when you open the New menu. User the slider in the "Display in Menu" column to activate / deactivate a template. Blue icons are activated. Click the Save button in the upper right when you are done with all your changes. 
  
  

• Now, when you go to the New menu you will only see the templates you activated. 
• If you create a new template, go back to the Templates display configuration to include it in your menu. 
• Note: you still see all templates when you use the Expand from Template feature. This has been reported to Ex Libris. 

Working with Existing Templates

To access or edit existing templates:

1. In the MDE, select the Templates tab in the Left Pane. 

2. When you work in the Templates section of the MD Editor, you can either browse for an existing template or search for it using the search box that you can use to more quickly access an existing template.

3. Select the template and choose one of the following options:

• • New: Opens a new record in the MDE based on the selected template

  • Edit: Enables you to edit the template. (Do not edit templates that start with HVD-) Be sure not to delete the LDR or the 008.

  • Delete: Click Yes to confirm that you want to delete the template. This is only available if you created the template.

  • Duplicate: Duplicates the selected template enabling you to modify and save it as a new template without affecting the original template.

  1. • Note that you will need to Duplicate then Save it before you can change it to a Private template. After you save the duplicated template, click on the template name and choose Properties, then change it to a Private template.

  • Properties: Enables you to modify the template properties

Creating a New Template from an Existing Bibliographic or Holdings Record

To create a template from an existing bibliographic, holdings, or authority record:

1. Open an existing record in the MDE.

2. Click File >> Save as Template. The Save as Template dialog box opens

3. Enter/select the following:

   1. Name (required)

   2. Description

   3. Private or Shared template

4. Click Save.

The new template is saved under the Templates tab and appears with the local institution icon (a blue house).

Expanding a Record from a Template (Bibs and Holdings)

When the Expand from Template option is applied, and the template has fields that are not in the target record, the template's fields will be added to the target record.

About Expanding from Template

When the template and the target have some of the same fields, be aware of how Alma treats each MARC tag (regardless of indicators):

1. For the first instance of a matching MARC field in the template and the bib, the system combines the fields. 
2. If the template's MARC field contains a subfield that is not in the corresponding bib field, the subfield is added to the bib field
3. If you get the system message Record was successfully expanded, it means that the template has been applied, regardless of whether that resulted in any changes to the record.

Example: 

Additional information: Learn more about expanding a record using a template in the Ex Libris Expand a Record Using a Template video (4:24 mins).

Expanding a Record from a Template

To expand a record:

1. Open the record you want to expand in the MD Editor.
2. Click Edit >> Expand from Template to display the Expand from Template dialog box.
   The following template is used for this example:
   
   
     
3. Select a template from the Choose Template drop-down list and click OK to expand the record

These screenshots show the old record, then the expanded record, which includes new 008 and 260 fields and expanded 245 and 260 fields: