Library Guides: Alma/Ex Libris Migration: Alma

General Alma Training

Getting to Know Alma
Additional Webinars/Training

Alma is the library services platform that is replacing Sierra and Ebsco Holdings Management. This platform will encompass the catalog, electronic resource management, acquisitions, circulation and Ohiolink borrowing/lending ("fulfillment"), and patron management.

Alma Essentials
Everyone who works with Sierra or the EDS should watch the relevant parts of this series. Not all topics may apply to every person.
Getting to know Alma
On demand videos. Covers resources, fulfillment, searching, and acquisitions.
Ex Libris Alma Libguide
Lots of information, grouped by function. Many of the links go into the Alma Knowledge Center.
Alma Overview for Ohiolink
This webinar was an overview of the Alma LSP, and is intended for all OhioLINK librarians and staff.

Alma Insights
An ongoing series of webinars (live or recorded). Learn about different Alma functionalities and workflows.
Acquisitions in Alma
A six-part series that walks you through the benefits of using acquisitions, gives you guidance on getting started, and helps you discover workflows that will ultimately save you time and effort when it comes to acquiring physical and electronic resources.

Record Structure

Introduction to Alma Inventory Models
Ex Libris documentation on inventory models.

Each category of inventory has a similar, but slightly different, record structure. 3 Categories of Inventory:

Print (i.e. everything physical: books, DVDs, microfilm, kits, etc.)
Electronic (ebooks, ejournals, databases, streaming media, etc.)
Digital (files owned by your library, e.g. institutional repository files, digitized archival records)

The inventory model for physical resources in Alma is structured with three levels: The bibliographic level, the holdings level, and the item level. Physical inventory, such as a book or a serial, will have a metadata record at each of these levels: The bibliographic record, the holdings record, and the item record. In fact, a bibliographic record could have more than one holdings record, and each holdings record could have more than one item record. The holding record provides the link between the bibliographic record and the physical inventory (items), as can be seen in the following diagram.

physical inventory record structure

Electronic resources hierarchy:

Electronic Collection – A collection of electronic resources that is either a package of electronic portfolios (i.e. aggregator package or selective package) or a database (which does not include portfolios or full text service and whose resources cannot be individually managed through an interface, e.g. ).
Electronic Services – Types of access to the e-resource, e.g. full-text or selected (partial) full-text and connection/linking information.
Electronic Portfolios – Serial or monograph titles that can be standalone entities or be part of an electronic collection. Electronic portfolios maintain the specific coverage (local or global), services, and link information relevant for a particular electronic title.

Digital Inventory follows the same general record structure as shown below:

digital record structure in alma