Project Update 12/3/15

Created by David Walker
Dec 03, 2015
2 min read

Hi everyone, today’s ULMS project update includes:

  • Vanguard campuses
  • Alma/Primo integration with PeopleSoft and Shibboleth
  • Primo Central update
  • Surveys
  • Upcoming meetings

Vanguard campuses continue their work

San Jose, Fresno, and Northridge continue to work on migration and configuration tasks as part of the vanguard test load, having recently wrapped up work on the initial configuration form.  I can tell you that this is a dedicated and hard-working group, who will be able to share important insights with the rest of the CSU as we begin the migration and configuration process for all campuses this spring. Recordings of the weekly meetings are available here.

Alma/primo integration with PeopleSoft and Shibboleth

We’ve had several preliminary meetings with Identity Management and CMS staff at both the Chancellor’s Office and among the vanguard campuses to begin discussing a systemwide approach to integrating Alma and Primo with PeopleSoft and Shibboleth.  There are lots of issue here to be uncovered and solved here.  But we’re cautiously optimistic that we can develop a common solution to automate patron data loads, provide single-sign-on authentication for Primo, and synchronize financial data in Alma with PeopleSoft, so that each library doesn’t have to re-invent this wheel at their campus.  We’ll have a lot more to say about this later in 2016.

Primo central update

Ex Libris has finished provisioning Primo Central instances as part of our project to provide early access to Primo Central to replace Summon at the end of this academic year.  David will soon begin work on integrating Xerxes with those instances.  We’re tentatively planning to hold webinars in mid-January to discuss the next steps in that project, and begin customizing Primo Central for each campus.  You can read more about the project in the September 27th project update.

Keep an eye out for surveys

Several of the working groups have sent out surveys recently to capture local practices in access services, cataloging, systems integration, and other areas.  We ask that campus project managers keep an eye out for emails with those surveys, so we can quickly collect that data, allowing the working groups to begin formulating projects to establish best practices in Alma.

Upcoming working group chairs and project managers meetings

This Friday, December 4, there is a meeting of the working group chairs to report on their group’s recent activities and discuss issues and approaches going forward.  Next Monday, December 7, we’ll hold a similar meeting for the campus project managers to hear about local campus activities outside of the vanguard campuses.  Both meetings are being held using Zoom, and will be recorded.  If you are a campus project manager or working group chair who hasn’t received an invitation, let me know, and I'll will forward it to you.

ULMS office hours

Our monthly ULMS office hours is coming up next Friday, December 11, at 10:00 AM.  If you have any questions about the project, please feel free to bring those to the meeting.