Shared e-Resources (ECC and Opt-in) -Selection and Activation

Policy Statement

This document provides best practices for selecting an e-resource in the Alma's Community Zone (CZ) that best matches the subscription centrally negotiated by Systemwide Digital Library Content (SDLC) at the Chancellor's Office for the Network Zone (NZ) administrator in the NZ admin instance.  Also included are the best practices and procedures for activating a new e-Resource in Alma's Network Zone (NZ), including setting up the Group Settings for each institute.  Group Settings are a function of the Alma Inventory Management Groups used to manage a set of libraries, campuses, or institutions that have access to certain portfolios or electronic collections. Both of the Electronic Core Collection (ECC) and Opt-in e-resources will be included in the NZ and will be maintained by the NZ administrator.  This document also provides recommendations for libraries for these new e-resources added to the Network Zone (NZ).  Included in this document are best practices for Provider-Neutral Records (Electronic Collection records).

Best practice recommendations

• SDLC negotiates for a specific package included in the e-resource from a vendor.  That package name will be used to locate the best matching e-resource in the CZ to be shared in the NZ.
  • Use Electronic Collection search option in Alma to locate e-resource.  Search query help can be found in Helpful Alma Repository Search Queries
    
• Once the best matching e-resource has been located, go through procedures (below) for setting up the new e-resource in the NZ.
• If the e-resource is available from the Chancellor's Office as part of the Electronic Core Collection (ECC), it is recommended the library contact the NZ administrator to set up the shared e-Resource in the NZ instance.  
• If the e-resource is part of a centrally negotiated contract (Opt-in) but is not part of the ECC, contact SDLC or the NZ administrator to check if library has a subscription to the Opt-in e-resource.  
  • If the library does have a subscription for the e-resource, it is recommended the library contact the NZ administrator to set up the shared e-Resource.  
• If a library has a subscription outside of the ECC or Opt-in subscription from the same vendor for the same e-resource, it is recommended to share the e-resource in the NZ and activate the same e-resource in the Institution Zone (IZ).  
  • The IZ e-resource would only include those portfolios subscribed to outside of the SDLC negotiated subscription.  The same e-resource would be active in both the NZ and IZ but with different portfolios.
    
    • Example would be if a library subscribes to the central Opt-in e-resource, Sage 2014, but also locally negotiated with the vendor for portfolios not included in the centrally negotiated title list.  The portfolios negotiated outside of the central subscription would be activated in the IZ.
• PNR Provider-Neutral Records
  • Follow the PCC’s practice to use a provider-neutral approach for electronic resources, print on demand reproductions and photocopies of textual materials, scores, and cartographic materials, as described in the PCC Provider-Neutral guidelines or the LC-PCC PS for RDA 1.11 (Orbis-Cascade Provider-Neutral records)
    
  • Before adding an Alma Descriptive record from the CZ, check the IZ for the bib record.
  • To configure Alma's Electronic Collection records, see how to set up Descriptive Records

Procedures in Alma

1. Setup shared resource in NZ

   1. Locate e-resource using search query for Electronic Collections (see recommended query)

   2. Set up Group Settings for libraries subscribing to central e-Resource

      1. Each instance in Group Settings needs Proxy set to Yes

      2. Linking parameters must be entered for each Group Setting

2. Set up Provider-Neutral Records (Alma's Electronic Collection Records)

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