We use Alma/Primo here at California State University Sacramento and are finding a great degree of flexibility and customization of the local collections. We recently moved to Alma after running Millennium for over 20 years. In theory Alma can interact with any third party discovery tool because it exports its bib records in XML. The target discovery system would need to process the exported XML and ingest it into its formats and processes. This is something that we will be doing in the near future with our chancellor's office who runs Xerxes for discovery.
However, the information that is exported from Alma is lacking for some discovery solutions. For example holding and items information is not exported. This information is stored in Alma and an API call is used to retrieve items and holdings associated with a bib record. This is where I think Ex Libris says they promote Primo as their discovery interface over third party tools. Obviously they want people to purchase and use Primo, but they have also included APIs for Alma that would allow you to get holding and item information for an associated bib record. This functionally is native to Primo, but not to another discovery tool. So, the bib export information from Alma is not enough to get the full picture of items and holdings.
There are also library account level API calls that are built into Primo that allow for requesting and renewing. These APIs are available in Alma, but again would require additional programming in the third party discovery tool. They too are now native in Primo.
That being said, I ran into the same issue with Primo/Millennium and the patron account functions. Innovative did not provide the APIs needed to integrate checked out items, requests, holds and payments via a third party site.
So at least ex libirs has opened some kind of doorway into accessing Alma data which is an improvement over how things used to be. Either way, a third party discovery interface that interacts with Alma behind the scenes will require a great deal of custom programming.
Christian Ward
Information Technology Consultant
California State Univeristy, Sacramento
University Library
[log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Chris L Awre
Sent: Wednesday, December 04, 2013 1:11 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Discovery layer for Primo
We have recently had feedback from Ex Libris that they are not planning support for third party discovery tools for a couple of years. We were asking about using Blacklight. They seem open to the idea in principle, but are clearly aiming to promote Primo as the sole means of access for a while yet. If anyone has attempted to layer a third party tool over Alma, though, it would be interesting to hear about.
Regards,
Chris
****************************************
Chris Awre
Head of Information Management
Library and Learning Innovation
University of Hull
Hull, HU6 7RX
www.hull.ac.uk<http://www.hull.ac.uk>
T: 01482 465441
M: 07545 422674
Skype: clja1967
Twitter: clawre
On 4 Dec 2013, at 04:00, CODE4LIB automatic digest system wrote:
Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2013 11:06:42 -0500
From: Ken Varnum <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
Subject: Discovery layer for Alma
Has anyone built (or is working on) a local discovery layer on top of Ex Libris' Alma? I'm thinking of VuFind or other front ends to the Alma API.
--
--
Ken Varnum | Web Systems Manager | MLibrary - University of Michigan - Ann Arbor [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> | @varnum | http://www.lib.umich.edu/users/varnum |
734-615-3287
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2013 16:31:10 +0000
From: Demian Katz <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
Subject: Re: Discovery layer for Alma
I haven't heard about any VuFind/Alma projects yet, but I'm copying this thread to vufind-tech in case anyone there knows something that I don't.
- Demian
-----Original Message-----
From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ken Varnum
Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2013 11:07 AM
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: [CODE4LIB] Discovery layer for Alma
Has anyone built (or is working on) a local discovery layer on top of Ex Libris' Alma? I'm thinking of VuFind or other front ends to the Alma API.
--
--
Ken Varnum | Web Systems Manager | MLibrary - University of Michigan - Ann Arbor [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> | @varnum | http://www.lib.umich.edu/users/varnum |
734-615-3287
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2013 19:21:36 +0000
From: Demian Katz <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
Subject: FW: [VuFind-Tech] [CODE4LIB] Discovery layer for Alma
Passing this back to CODE4LIB from vufind-tech....
- Demian
-----Original Message-----
From: Alan Rykhus [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2013 2:20 PM
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: [VuFind-Tech] [CODE4LIB] Discovery layer for Alma
Hello,
Alma does not have any sort of OPAC. If you run Alma, you search your library records through Primo. So you could say there is already one in place.
I'm not sure how patron empowerment works. I would assume that if there is such a thing in Alma, it would use the Restful API just as in Aleph.
al
On 12/03/2013 10:31 AM, Demian Katz wrote:
I haven't heard about any VuFind/Alma projects yet, but I'm copying this thread to vufind-tech in case anyone there knows something that I don't.
- Demian
-----Original Message-----
From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ken Varnum
Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2013 11:07 AM
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: [CODE4LIB] Discovery layer for Alma
Has anyone built (or is working on) a local discovery layer on top of Ex Libris' Alma? I'm thinking of VuFind or other front ends to the Alma API.
--
--
Ken Varnum | Web Systems Manager | MLibrary - University of Michigan - Ann Arbor [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> | @varnum | http://www.lib.umich.edu/users/varnum |
734-615-3287
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