October 2021 ULMS Update

Created by brandon dudley (Unlicensed)
Oct 27, 2021
8 min read

Project Management

  • Brandon will be sending out the latest Satisfaction Survey in a couple of weeks. The structure will be the same as last year, where individual CSU library staff and faculty will have the opportunity to share their personal feelings on Alma and Primo VE as well as the ULMS committees. This survey has been an important and useful way to share our perception of how well Ex Libris is working for us as a vendor and what barriers exist to achieve greater happiness with Alma and Primo VE so please consider participating. Primo VE will be a particular focus this time around.

  • Ex Libris is moving to a new SalesForce portal in early November. Details from their announcement are below. One note - folks will need to opt-in to converting their Published Cases to the new form, Knowledge Articles. Brandon will send an email regarding this later this week.

    • We’ve built the ProQuest/Ex Libris Support Center with our global community of users in mind to ensure it answers your needs. We’re upgrading your support center experience with:  

      • An improved, modern user interface

      • Streamlined workflows and user views that connect you with the right information at the right time

      • Collaboration and knowledge-sharing technology that enables your signed-in users to start and follow conversations with their peers

      • Increased privacy and security compliant with GDPR and similar regulations 

    • The ProQuest/Ex Libris Support Center will launch on November 8, 2021. All channels will remain available in the new center and you’ll find all cases from January 2015 onward have been migrated.

      We’re ensuring a smooth transition in other ways, too: 

    • You can prepare for the launch of the ProQuest/Ex Libris Support Center. 

      Visit this page to learn more about the ProQuest/Ex Libris Support Center and get details on upcoming webinars that will walk you through the simple steps for log-in, case submission and management, and tips to enhance your experience

Analytics

  • Working Group

    • Presentation by Christina Hennessey about changes Ex Libris is considering to the Analytics presentation inside of Alma (from a October 12, 2021 presentation to the ELUNA/IGeLU Analytics Community of Practice), got feedback from committee to take back to the October Analytics Community of Practice meeting 

    • Other updates from Analytics Community of Practice (COP) such as the Inconsistent Facets report. The Events subject area is no longer going away December 2021 (it was going to be succeeded by the new “Systems Events” area, which was missing a lot that Events had) and the project is being revised by Ex Libris in conjunction with the Analytics COP.

    • Review of ELUNA Learns on Analytics from October 13

    • Continuing plans and discussion to update committee wiki, Analytics shared folders, and ACRL reports. We may have a CSU Analytics drop-in lab day in January 2022, where folks can bring their Analytics questions and the committee will work on them live.



Resource Management

  • Working Group

    • As discussed at the meeting, Brinna Pam Anan will serve as Chair as of October 14, 2021.

    • The Local Fields in Primo VE Confluence page is being updated with the local fields used by various campuses.  Keeping track will help campuses decide on which fields to use for their local records to be as consistent as possible across all Alma/Primo VE instances.

    • Thanks to Lia, the Inclusive Description Task Force is ready for recruitment.  The plan is to recruit about 5-7 people through the various mailing lists (Tech Services, Discovery, Access, Analytics).  Brandon offered to recruit through ULMS Announce to reach anyone not on those mailing lists.  Recruitment will be scheduled to take place at the end of October or early November. 

    • There was a short discussion about WorldShare Record Manager, but no testing as of yet as OCLC has not responded to the request to have Record Manager added to accounts.  The Chair will inquire again to restart this conversation.



ERM

  • Chancellor’s Office

    • Tested new CDI Activation Analysis Tool

      • Tool lists which collections should appear as full text links in the View Online section in Primo

      • Gave a presentation on the tool at the Tech Services Open Forum

    • Tested new feature for Primo, Quicklinks

      • New PDF and HTML links in the brief and full record in Primo

      • Testing went well, most of the libraries joined in the testing of the new feature

      • Will be officially released in Primo VE in December

    • Received an update from Ex Libris on the Gale/CDI linking issues

      • SJSU tested the suggested changes and the linking to full text has improved - few failed links

      • Changes have been applied to all libraries

    • Hybrid CDI linking was tested by Fullerton, SJSU, CSUSM

      • Ilda Cardenas, the chair of the ERM Working Group, gave a presentation during the TS Open Forum.

      • SJSU and CSUSM reported back that they are now seeing link-in-record linking for hybrid linking

      • See more full text links for articles that were not previously appearing with just link resolver linking

      • Hybrid linking uses both link resolver and link-in-record linking

    • Discovered NZ Display Logic was appearing in the IZ’s

      • This previously never worked and caused a few display issues

      • ERM Working Group is going to investigate whether or not there are some rules that could be set up in the NZ and shared with the IZ’s

    • ProQuest Newspaper linking issue is ongoing

      • Ex Libris is working on a fix for the ProQuest Newspaper linking issue

        • Newspapers are linking to the incorrect newspaper resource in ProQuest and unable to access full text

        • Ex Libris is going to merge the records for the same article so that a working link will appear in the Primo record

      • There are two EBSCO linking issues

        • We found a match - institution does not have access rights to this item”

          • EBSCO is working on this issue

        • PsycARTICLES 400/404 errors when linking to full text from Primo

          • There is an issue in how punctuation is being translated on the Ex Libris side.  

          • Ex Libris is working on the issue

      • CDI changes in October release

        • No longer able to check the box for ‘Do not show as Full text available even if active in Alma’ for inactive database-only CDI collections

      • Continue to update NZ licenses for recent subscriptions renewals

  • Working Group

  • Quicklinks update:                              

  • 15 replies

  • After Jess’s testing, collections coming from NZ sandbox, don’t forget in further testing that NZ and IZ are linked up. 

  • Not a lot of ebooks. SpringerLinks got a lot of hits for ebooks. 

  • Goal to cut down on support cases. 

  • Could not find ebooks at all. 

  • Live date: TBA

  • Track usage in Analytics? Jessica will ask.

  • Send permalinks.

  • Hybrid CDI collections:

  • Do we want to test and report back to Tech Services in Open Forum?  Sort of like what the Monthly Release group does.

  • I haven’t looked at any of these new hybrid, in fact I haven’t seen the new hybrid indicator on the NZ collections yet.  Might need to do testing in IZ if they hybrid indicator has shown up. It was supposed to be there in the September 26th CDI weekly update.

  • The one I set up in September, ERIC, caused a lot of linking issues so I’m not sure if hybrid is working correctly in the NZ.

  • Supposed to be live. 

  • Look at the list of collections that are hybrid, change yes to no “We subscribe to all of these titles”

  • ProQuest, need proquest ID.

  • If you see it working, want to show it in an open forum. 

  • Change aggregators to “No” for hybrid CDI collections.

  • Is it going to be applied to the NZ?

  • Would ERIC work locally?

  • Label has not shown up.

  • List of CDI hybrid collections: Hybrid Collections in CDI

  • Roll out should have been louder, if we can find it working, share it in an open forum. 

  • Open Forum: CDI hybrid label. by now the label should be there. 

  • Be aware that we may have some, Jessica is not making that change, it’s a lot of records

  • EBSCO Linking:

    • Some users using ezproxy are seeing the attached error. The only way to get around it is to use VPN. Is this happening at everyone's campus? To what extent? Any workaround? We have now been getting 10-20 complaints per week. 

    • Proxy link is getting dropped. 

    • EBSCO changes, authentication error.

    • If you see the message: “We found a match. Your institution does not have access rights to this item. Search EBSCO or sign in under a different institution.” Send to Jessica.

  • CDI course reserve lacking icon:

    • Frances has mentioned this previously. I reached out to CSU SB and they decided not to implement a workaround. Our campus would like to try a workaround as the Librarians want Leganto reserves to match onesearch. For the ebooks I get just activating an IZ copy. But how can we get articles into our IZ to be able to link to reserves?

    • Using Leganto, wants OneSearch course reserve to match Leganto.

    • NZ ebooks, copy to catalog, have IZ copy. No way to do it with an article. Frances and Shaunt have this issue.

    • Issue unresolved.

Resource Sharing

  • Chancellor’s Office

    • Rapido Implementation mode testing at Fullerton, Humboldt, and Los Angeles.

      • Began biweekly meetings with Ex Libris Rapido developers.

      • Developing CSU specific configuration recommendations and guides. 

    • Support RSFC in brainstorming community stress relief strategies. 

    • Disseminate IFM statistics to Resource Sharing departments. 

  • Working Group

    • Checking in with the community of practice regarding  library re-openings.

      • Thinking about the physical, logistical, and emotional adjustment of operating the library. 

      • RSFC is looking to provide a safe space to listen to its constituents and identify what type of support the RSFC can provide.

      • We will be facilitating a Witching Hour zoom social last week of October.

    • Continuing to establish UC/CSU reciprocal resource sharing agreements.

      • RSFC members met with Unity to address outstanding concerns regarding  inconsistencies of delivery windows at some campuses. Unity is working towards hiring additional driver(s).

      • RSFC continuing discussions about (1) UC Reciprocal Agreements and (2) Unity courier stops.  More UCs in our courier route facilitates the logistics of mailing ( e.g. less packing material costs for us to buy, courier is faster than the current USPS).

      • Many if not all CSU campuses with 2 stops gave up the 2nd stop to allocate funding for more UC schools in our courier route.

      • This paves the way for the reciprocity agreements among the CSUs and UCs.

      • It reduces logistical frictions of mailing and IFM billing, further paving the way for the Rapido implementation.

      • Rapido’s efficiency  (Ex Libris’ rival to OCLC’s ILLiad) depends on  a strong network of reciprocal agreements.



Fulfillment

  • Chancellor’s Office

    • Worked with FFC on developing an Access Services survey on local covid procedures. 

    • Worked with FFC on developing an Access Services survey on Leganto. 

    • Support FFC with planning and preparing Open forums. 

  • Working Group

    • Sent out FFC Reopening and COVID Survey to Access Services listserv

  • We will be sending out a summary of results to help Access Services folks better handle their reopening with new policies (i.e. mask policies, showing COVID health screening to use library, and noncompliance) 

  • Working on a survey to send out to CSUs about Leganto to see who is using it and how; also if anyone has questions on Leganto 

    • Planning on having 1-2 libraries demo their versions of Leganto in an Open Forum 

  • Continuing review of wiki for updates or new how-to guides



Discovery

  • Chancellor’s Office

    • Working with Discovery to determine scope and reach of Dedup/FRBR issues (actually likely related to UResolver working with existing data to form ViewIt portions for records) with the goal of making ExL more aware of our pain in this area

  • Working Group

    • Open forum topics were provided by the discovery community via survey.

    • Christian Ward reviewed ways to view PNX data and reminded the group that we are now fully live with Primo VE; new issues should be brought to the ULMS community or addressed with Ex Libris.   

    • Presentation by Christian Ward on Primo VE Relevancy Ranking covering the topics: boosting records in a blended search, adjusting ranking configuration, and boost versus de-boosts. 

    • Presentation from Christine Holmes on setting up Unpaywall in Primo VE. SJSU, CSUN, CSULB, and SFSU each shared their experiences setting up the integration. Gabriel Gardner suggested revisiting usage statistics later in the academic year to determine the impact of Unpaywall on user interaction and back-end statistics. 

    • Samuel Barber provided a summary document of Dedup/FRBR related issues that campuses have encountered in Primo VE. Related to the customer feedback survey, Brandon Dudley asked for feedback from campuses who experience Dedup/FRBR issues. A dedicated email was sent to the discovery list soliciting Dedup/FRBR feedback to Brandon.  

    • The next DFC meeting is scheduled for 11/12 at 1pm.