Alma Network Zone

Background

This policy sets out principles regarding working in the Network Zone that CSU libraries must follow. When there are no specific policies, libraries should act in line with these principles. The Alma Network Zone as a shared bibliographic environment provides a foundation for collaborative work, both in terms of collection development and cataloging. Duplicate records undercut the usefulness of the shared cataloging by causing problems with record loading and other functions. Since records are shared, the OCLC number cannot be changed; rather, inventory is moved to the desired record. All bibliographic records should reside in the NZ, with noted exceptions, in order to enable collaboration and sharing of information.

Policy Statement

• The Alma Network Zone (NZ) is the shared bibliographic environment of the CSU system, whose goal is to have bibliographic records, brief or full, residing there with direct and related inventory;

• Libraries must avoid adding duplicate records (with the same OCLC number in 035 $$a) to the NZ;

• Libraries must not change the OCLC number in existing NZ records;

• The following are examples of records that should not reside in the NZ: 

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  • personal-copy course reserves

  • titles borrowed on ILL from outside the CSU

  • inventory control of equipment

  • host bibliographic records for bound-withs

  • suppressed bibliographic records

  • vendor record sets

Additional Considerations

There could be rare cases when brief bibliographic records created to track inventory locally are allowed to reside in the IZ rather than the NZ at the member library’s discretion. Criteria to consider when making this decision include: do the brief records contain the minimum elements required for In-Process Brief Bib Records, or would addition to the NZ negatively impact member libraries’ ability to upgrade and maintain records. Excessively brief records may make it difficult to identify and select a resource and they may inadvertently hide relevant material in Primo search results, negatively impacting our users.

Related Policy:

Working in Alma and the Network Zone

Action log