Migration Milestones
The implementation project continued to move forward as scheduled in April. We submitted the final migration form and link resolver form to Ex Libris. To address issues encountered during the Alma/Primo testing, we have been having weekly functional calls with Ex Libris and communicating with them constantly via the project’s Basecamp site. The Data Migration and System Integration Working Group has also been working hard on the third-party integration issues. The extract of Sirsi data for the final data load to Alma will start on May 5.
QuickSearch Announcements and News Page
Primo will be known as QuickSearch to the Rutgers community after we go live on June 1. In her recent messages to the university and RUL communities, Krisellen announced the release date of QuickSearch (June 1) and its impact on students and faculty. The Libraries also created a QuickSearch news page for the public. Please use the news page as a resource to answer user inquiries. Students and faculty can also submit questions or comments about QuickSearch directly to reference@rutgers.libanswers.com.
Upcoming Service Changes
In her message to RUL everyone, Krisellen also highlighted the following service changes that are coming up:
- Acquisitions: There will be a freeze of acquisitions and cataloging activities (except reserve purchases) between May 5 and June 1. Normal acquisitions functions will resume after June 1, but we will prioritize the purchase of course reserves and faculty requests. The process of allocating funds for selector-initiated acquisitions will resume in the fall, which is in line with previous years.
- Reserves: Starting May 5, we will have a special process in place to accept and place reserve orders, but we anticipate the turnaround time will be longer than usual. Reserves that are placed after May 5 will not transfer automatically to Alma and will be manually transferred after June 1. Additional summer programs like EOF may be similarly affected.
- Circulation and ILL: From May 29 to May 31, we will transition to an Alma offline client for circulation. This step is necessary to populate Alma with existing circulation data prior to launch. Users will not experience down time, but during this three-day period, Access Services staff will stop using Sirsi and instead work with the Alma client. On June 1, the data from the offline client will be merged back into Alma, so there will be no data loss and everything will be synced. This will also impact Interlibrary Loan, as there will be potential delays and interruptions in processing loans and borrows of physical items. More information on these workflows and training opportunities will be available soon.
These temporary or short-term service changes are necessary for the successful implementation of Alma and Primo. We thank all the library faculty and staff for the help to minimize disruption.
Primo Training Schedule
Discovery Services Librarian Joseph Deodato recently announced a Primo/QuickSearch training schedule (see following) for public services librarians and staff. Many library faculty and staff have registered to attend the training sessions. Even though the registration is now closed, Joseph welcomes colleagues who did not register to attend any of the sessions. Please contact Joseph if you have any questions.
Primo Training Schedule (as of April 25, 2018)
| Date | Location | Time |
| May 1 | Dana Electronic Classroom II | 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. |
| May 2* | Robeson Electronic Classroom | 2 p.m.. – 4 p.m. |
| May 4* | Alexander SCC Lecture Hall | 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. |
| May 8 | RWJ Electronic Classroom | 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. |
| May 9 | Dana Electronic Classroom II | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. |
| May 11 | Smith Electronic Classroom I | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. |
| May 15* | Carr Conference Room | 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. |
| May 18 | Alexander Pane Room | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. |
*indicates a new session or change of location
Submitted by Tao Yang and Abbey DiPaolo.
