To manage Alma User Roles (add roles or edit roles assigned to users), please speak to your Alma Institution Systems Admin/User Manager. See also: ExLibris Knowledge Center: Managing User Roles.
Access provider: the party that provides access to electronic goods or services; may or may not be the vendor that sells the access.
Aggregator Package: an electronic collection field type. An electronic collection for which the library typically will activate the entire collection (and not only specific portfolios). Note that "Selective" package and "Aggregator" package behave the same when the flag "Automatically activate new portfolios" is checked in the electronic collection activation wizard.
Alma Link Resolver (aka Service Page URL): a component of Alma that enables linking to electronic resources from any OpenURL compliant source (EBSCO, ProQuest, Pubmed etc.). The Alma Link Resolver ensures that library patrons get the right links to library-owned electronic content.
Central Knowledge base (Electronic inventory - Community Zone): Electronic Collections of electronic resources offered by vendors, with linking information and individual titles in the Electronic Collections
Community Catalog : Bibliographic records describing electronic resources, MARC records from publishers/partners, loaded by Ex Libris. The catalog allows libraries to work directly in a collaborative metadata management environment. Institutions can attach holdings directly to a community record, copy community records to the local catalog, or edit and update community records. They can also contribute their local collections add portfolios of certain types to the Community Catalog.
COUNTER: Counting Online Usage of NeTworked Electronic Resources compliant usage statistics.
Database: an electronic collection field type. This is a collection that doesn't have any full-text resources in it; instead, it will contain things like abstracting and indexing resources.
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).
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. Electronic portfolios can be of material types e-journal, e-book, or streaming video, among others.
Electronic Resource: A digital object that is stored and managed externally from the local library or Institution Zone.
Electronic Services: Several types of access to the e-resource, for example, full-text or selected full-text and connection/linking information. For example, a 'Full Text Service' provides the user with access to the full text of the e-resource.
Selective Package: an electronic collection field type. If the collection is a Selective package it's because the vendor sells resources within the package as individual items. This is common for collections of e-books. Your institution orders individual e-books from the vendor, and then here in Alma you specify those e-books in the collection, so your patrons can access the full text in your discovery service. Note that "Selective" package and "Aggregator" package behave the same when the flag "Automatically activate new portfolios" is checked in the electronic collection activation wizard.
Service Types:
See also: ExLibris Electronic Resources in Alma - Terminology and Inventory Model Recording & Glossary of Terms.
Zones In Alma
There are three zones in Alma:
- the institution's local records and inventory
- the LSP shared bibliographic environment for CCC libraries
- the electronic resources available for all ALMA usersInstitution Zone (IZ):
The Institution Zone (IZ) is where all library-owned resources and associated inventory exists. This is your library's collection. Bib records in the IZ can be IZ only records or they can be linked to the NZ.
Network Zone (NZ):
Alma's Network Zone (NZ) is the LSP's shared bibliographic environment. All bibliographic records should reside in the NZ, with noted exceptions, in order to enable collaboration and sharing of information.
IZ records linked to the NZ will have a network icon next to them when searched in the IZ.
Community Zone (CZ):
The Community Zone (CZ) is a shared repository available for all Alma users. It incorporates the Central Knowledgebase, the Community catalog, and Global Authority Files.