The Agenda - Faculty and Staff Newsletter

Tag: Ex Libris

  • Ex Libris Implementation Team Update – November 2020

    Alma Analytics Upgrade

    Alma Analytics will be upgraded the week of November 1. Users who want to retain their personal reports in My Folders after the upgrade will need to save a copy in the Analytics shared folder’s Migration directory by October 31. Instructions to save your reports for the upgrade can be found here.

    New Alma Layout

    Ex Libris has introduced a new layout for Alma and items such as the main menu and persistent search box have moved to new locations on the screen. The new layout is currently in a testing phase. Users who want to familiarize themselves with the new layout can toggle it on themselves by following the instructions found here. The new layout becomes the default on November 1.

    Esploro Update

    The Esploro implementation is proceeding apace. All of our research assets have now been migrated from RUcore to Esploro. Next steps will include data cleanup, system and UI configuration, staff and user training, and integration with the library website. The Esploro research portal is scheduled to be released in January 2021. The rollout will be accompanied by the creation of a new support channel in LibAnswers to answer inquiries related to using the repository, depositing works, and the open access policy.

    Chapter Delivery Button

    The Chapter Delivery button is now available on many monograph collections in QuickSearch. At a time when access is limited, the addition of button raises awareness of this service and provides our patrons with expedient access to our monograph collection. These requests are being brokered by ILLiad and filled electronically via Document Delivery.  Patrons can also continue to access the Book Chapter Request form via their ILLiad account to place requests.

    Click and Collect Statistics

    Click and Collect usage rose from an average of 211 items per week during the summer to an average of 320 items per week during the semester. The week with the most requests so far was the first week of the semester (August 31-September 6) with 368 requests completed. Graduate students are the most frequent users of Click and Collect at 48% followed by faculty and staff at 36% and undergraduates at 17%. Thanks to the work of our onsite fulfillment teams we have circulated over 3,000 items to users via Click and Collect since the program began on August 3rd.

    Fulfillment Workflow Review and Redesign

    Efforts to review and redesign workflows supporting Course Reserves, Chapter and Article Delivery, ILL, etc. have begun. High level process mapping is being completed along with preparation for the impending switch to Leganto. Meetings with each campus will be scheduled to discuss the efforts and potential new workflows in more detail. Be on the lookout for more info!

  • Ex Libris Implementation Team Update – September 2020

    The HathiTrust Emergency Temporary Access Service (ETAS) provides digital access to a significant portion of our titles held in print during temporary and involuntary disruptions to normal library collections services. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how patrons access and use library collections; to align with state recommendations and promote public safety in our library spaces, users are currently unable to freely browse and borrow from our physical collections. These restrictions allow us to offer a digital replacement for our print copies from the HathiTrust repository. Access to these titles is based on our print holdings and because the digital access offered by HathiTrust is provided in lieu of our print items, we cannot circulate both “copies” simultaneously to comply with copyright. For this reason, personal delivery and click and collect request options are not available for items with full text electronic access.

    Compliance with copyright also informs some of the features of the HathiTrust ETAS reading experience. Users must “check out” the digital copy for a short period of time to access. This provides a controlled experience that restricts the number of simultaneous users. When users are done browsing the item, they have the option to return the item right away to free it up for other users or to retain the checkout for a period of time. The material will automatically renew during active use and expire after 12 hours of inactivity. After an hour of inactivity, the title becomes eligible for new checkouts but will continue to default to the initial user if there are no checkout requests from other users. Users cannot print or download from materials held in the HathiTrust ETAS, but these items are eligible for chapter scanning and interlibrary loan.

    HathiTrust ETAS provides safe and immediate access to many of our print titles during our temporary service disruptions. Rutgers is periodically reevaluated for access to the HathiTrust ETAS and we will no longer be eligible for this service once users are able to freely access services and collections.

    HathiTrust provides detailed information about the ETAS on their website (https://www.hathitrust.org/ETAS-Description) including an information page that is specifically aimed at user questions (https://www.hathitrust.org/ETAS-User-Information#FAQ).

  • Did You Know? The Ex Libris Enhancement Process

    Ex Libris updates its products every month with enhancements recommended by customers and other users. There are two primary ways customers can suggest development enhancements. The Idea Exchange platform (http://ideas.exlibrisgroup.com/) is a system that anyone can use at any time during the year. This open platform allows all Ex Libris users to submit ideas for development and vote on their favorite ideas. The Ex Libris project management teams monitor this system and considers these ideas for their development cycle.

    The other primary way that users can influence Ex Libris development is through the formal product enhancement process offered through the official user groups ELUNA (Ex Libris Users of North America) and IGeLU (International Group of Ex Libris Users). This process is offered every year for each product and members can submit enhancement requests through NERS (New Enhancement Request System). These requests are monitored by the customer product interest groups to ensure there are no duplicates before voting and reviewed by Ex Libris. Each member site in the user group is provided with a points allocation for voting on enhancement ideas. At Rutgers, the Ex Libris Team solicits feedback from relevant groups such as the Fulfillment Working Group to help understand which enhancements will have the most beneficial impact on our workflow. Once the votes are collected, Ex Libris makes a commitment to implement the top enhancements that fit into their designated development budget for the year.

    The monthly releases for each product are available in the knowledge center (https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/) or via the release highlights emails available through the product email lists (https://exlibrisusers.org/listinfo). The Ex Libris Team minutes (https://apps.libraries.rutgers.edu/ex-libris/resources) are also a good way to monitor the voting process and monthly enhancements that may impact our workflow.

  • Ex Libris Implementation Team Update – May 2020

    Rutgers students, faculty, and staff can now access over a million digitized texts available through HathiTrust’s Emergency Temporary Access Service (ETAS). In response to the current public health crisis, HathiTrust is providing member libraries with temporary access to digital versions of print titles that would otherwise be inaccessible due to library closures. As a result, the Rutgers community now has online access to over 1.2 million volumes previously only available in print. This is in addition to the more than 6 million public domain and Creative Commons-licensed works already accessible through HathiTrust.

    Rutgers users can search for these titles in QuickSearch or the HathiTrust Digital Library. Books available through ETAS include a note indicating temporary access.

    View in QuickSearch.
    View in HathiTrust.

    Terms of service

    • “Temporary Access” books require NetID login and can only be accessed by Rutgers students, staff, and faculty.
    • “Temporary Access” books can be read online only. Unlike “Full View” books in HathiTrust, they cannot be downloaded for offline reading.
    • “Temporary Access” books can be checked out for one hour. The banner at the top of the browser informs you how long the book is checked out to you. Your access to the book will automatically renew as long as you are actively reading it.
    • If the book you want is currently checked out, a message will display letting you know that the book is in use. Check back later to see if the book has been returned. Unfortunately, it is not possible to request or place a hold on a book. Because access is limited, users are encouraged to return books as soon as they are done using them.
    • “Temporary Access” books will only be available online until access to the Libraries’ print collection is restored.

    For more information, including instructions for accessing ETAS books on your mobile device, see https://www.hathitrust.org/ETAS-How-To

     

  • Ex Libris Implementation Team Update – March 2020

    New Central Index Coming to QuickSearch

    In Spring 2020, Ex Libris will release its new Central Discovery Index (CDI), an expanded search index with an upgraded infrastructure that will replace the current Primo Central Index (PCI). The central index is a collection of records describing hundreds of millions of scholarly resources, including articles, books, conference papers, and audiovisual recordings harvested from publishers, aggregators, and open-access repositories. The new index will offer several improvements, including:

    • Expanded content coverage
    • Faster content updates
    • Merged records instead of record groups
    • New and more granular resource types
    • Streamlined activation process

    Although the transition to CDI is expected to be seamless, users may notice the following changes:

    • More search results
    • CDI leverages the combined assets of Primo and Summon, which means users will have access to more content than before
    • Changes to retrieval and ranking
    • CDI uses a different search algorithm impacting the way results are retrieved and ranked
    • Merged records
    • Duplicate results within the central index are merged into a single record instead of grouped together
    • New and more granular resource types
    • CDI will offer new resource types (e.g., archival material, market research, dataset, standard) and more granular categorization (audiovisual will be separated into audio and video)
    • Broken permalinks
    • The majority of permalinks will continue to work but Ex Libris estimates that ~10% could not be mapped and will break

    To minimize disruption, the new index will be activated after the spring semester ends on May 18th, 2020. If you have any questions, please contact exlibris@rutgers.libanswers.com.

    Law Libraries – By the Numbers

    The Law Libraries Append Project added a large number of physical and electronic resources to Alma and QuickSearch in January 2020. For physical, 188,572 titles and 463,395 items were added. For electronic, 95,216 titles representing 117,237 electronic resources were added. Also, 3,042 user records were loaded containing 1,451 new user records and 1,591 updated records and 3,583 checkout records attached to these users were loaded.

    Leganto in Action – Spring 2020

    Sixty-two unique course sections are actively using Leganto for Spring 2020. This includes at least one course from every campus and courses that span eight Rutgers schools and colleges. The School of Social Work in New Brunswick’s online and hybrid courses have continued to make active use of the Reading List tool, but there are also notable numbers from the College of Arts and Sciences in Camden and the School of Nursing at RBHS.

    Introducing Esploro

    Rutgers University Libraries have contracted with Ex Libris to integrate Esploro, an institutional repository platform for collecting, managing, and showcasing the university’s research output. Esploro offers a variety of useful features including:

    • Support for over 50 asset types including pre-prints, publications, data sets, audiovisual media, and creative works
    • Direct and mediated deposit as well as automatic capture of assets from external sources such as indexes, national repositories, and disciplinary repositories
    • Researcher profiles allowing for easier identification of domain experts and potential research collaborators
    • Integration with Pivot, a global funding database that helps match researchers with potential funding opportunities
    • Robust analytics for measuring research performance and impact

    Integration of Esploro into our Alma environment begins March 2020 and will be carried out in two phases. The first phase will focus on data migration and system configuration and is expected to be completed by the end of summer. The second phase will focus on education, promotion, and campus engagement. Stay tuned for further updates as the project unfolds.

     

  • Ex Libris Implementation Team Update – January 2020

    As you know, the Ex Libris Implementation Team has been working with the Law Libraries since May on a project to migrate their data to Alma and merge their library catalog with ours. During the week of January 6, we will begin the final steps of this migration. To help you navigate this transition, below are answers to some frequently asked questions about the project. If you have additional questions, please send them to the Ex Libris Implementation Team at exlibris@rutgers.libanswers.com.

    Q: When are the Law libraries expected to migrate to Alma?

    A: The migration is expected to be completed on January 10, 2020.

    Q: Will any services be disrupted or temporarily unavailable during the migration?

    A: No, Alma and Primo are expected to remain fully operational during the migration.

    Q: Will the collections of the Law libraries be discoverable in QuickSearch?

    A: Once migration is complete, all materials currently represented in Law’s library catalog will be discoverable in QuickSearch. Law patrons will also be able to access these resources through a separate custom view designed specifically for the Law School. Additional work is required to create and configure Law’s electronic resources. It will take up to 24 hours after go-live for all of Law’s electronic resources begin appearing in QuickSearch. Because this configuration must be done in our live production environment, users may experience intermittent access issues during this time.

    Q: Can Law’s circulating collections be borrowed or requested by non-Law School patrons? Are the loan policies the same?

    A: Yes, circulating materials can be borrowed or requested by any Rutgers user. To make borrowing between the libraries easier, loan polices have been made uniform.

    Q: Are there any resources that are restricted to Law patrons only?

    A: Yes, certain electronic resources (such as Westlaw, Lexis, and Bloomberg) are restricted to Law patrons only. Access to these resources is only available from a Law School IP address, via the Law School proxy, or with an assigned username and password. These resources will be visible to all QuickSearch users with a note indicating that access is restricted to Rutgers Law School students, faculty, and staff [view example]. To maximize visibility of this note, direct linking will be deactivated for all Law-restricted resources.

    Q: Will the Law migration result in duplicate records?

    A: Yes, you may see some duplicate records initially. There are plans to identify and remove duplicate records post go-live.

    Q: Where should I refer Law-specific reference and borrowing inquiries?

    A: Please direct patrons to contact the appropriate Law library:

    Camden Law
    Reference (856) 225-6173
    Circulation (856) 225-6172
    lawlib@camden.rutgers.edu    		 Newark Law
    Reference (973) 353-5676
    Circulation (973) 353-5677
    refdesk@law.rutgers.edu
    Q: Who should I contact if I have additional questions?

    A: Please send questions or comments to the Ex Libris Implementation Team at exlibris@rutgers.libanswers.com.

     

  • Ex Libris Implementation Project Update – November 2019

    quicksearch logoThe project to append Rutgers Law Libraries’ Koha Catalog data to our instance of Alma and QuickSearch is picking up the pace. During the summer the Implementation Team and its working groups met with our counterparts at Law to review Alma configuration options and best practices for data cleanup and loading records. Then in September and October, Law supplied configuration and mapping forms and exported their full catalog of bibs and patrons to Ex Libris.

    Below is the tentative schedule for the remainder of the Law Append project:

    October 2019

    • Ex Libris performs test load and builds test system
    • Law starts using our ILLiad and redirects their users to our ILLiad form

    November 2019

    • Law and Libraries review results of test load
    • Libraries provide Alma training
    • Law stops lending under NJRLL (Law Camden) and RULAW (Law Newark) symbols in ILLiad
    • Law Exports Koha Catalog Titles to OCLC
    • OCLC attaches NjR symbol to Law titles in WorldCat

    December 2019

    • Continue Alma Training

    January 3, 2020

    • Law provides final version of configuration forms and extracts to Ex Libris

    January 4-8, 2020

    • Technical Services and Fulfillment Activities are frozen
    • Ex Libris appends Law data to our instance of Alma and QuickSearch

    January 9, 2020

    • Law Goes Live with Alma and QuickSearch

    January 10, 2020

    • Load Offline Circulation transactions

    January 2020

    • OCLC removes NJRLL and RULAW symbols from existing Law titles in WorldCat

  • Ex Libris Implementation Project Update – September 2019

    quicksearch logoAs we embark on a new academic year, we thought it would be a good time to let you know about some improvements coming to QuickSearch. Below is a summary of some of the major enhancements that Ex Libris plans to introduce in 2019-2020.

    Central index

    In Q1 2020, Ex Libris plans to release a new and improved central index. Leveraging the combined assets of its Primo and Summon indexes, Ex Libris’s new, unified Central Discovery Index (CDI) promises expanded content coverage, faster updates, improved deduplication, and better result filtering. In addition to providing an improved search experience for users, the new central index also offers better integration with Alma, making it easier to administer and maintain. 

    Related items

    As part of its effort to build a bigger and better central index, Ex Libris is also developing a graph database that will allow users to explore connections between related items. For example, a record for a book will soon have links to reviews of that book and the individual chapters contained within, creating additional opportunities for exploration and serendipitous discovery.     

    Browse journals by subject

    The Journal Search page will be enhanced to allow users the option to browse journals by subject. Subject categories will be based on Library of Congress Classification and offer researchers an easier way to identify and locate journals in their area of study. 

    Enhanced personalization

    Users will be given more control over their search experience with customizable preferences, including the ability to configure their preferred library, sort order, and number of results per page. 

    Bulk actions

    Currently, actions such as save, email, and export can only be applied to records individually. However, users will soon have the ability to perform these actions in bulk on a set of records. They will also have the option to export search results to Excel or CSV.

    Be on the lookout for more information about these enhancements as they are released. As always, if you have any questions or would like to report an issue with QuickSearch, please email the Ex Libris Implementation Team at exlibris@rutgers.libanswers.com. You can also use the “Report a problem” link in QuickSearch. For more information on how to use QuickSearch, visit QuickSearch Help or check out our QuickSearch tutorial videos.

  • Ex Libris Implementation Project Update – July 2019

    quicksearch logoHappy Birthday QuickSearch!

    It’s hard to believe that we’ve been using Alma and Primo for over a year! Please check out our presentation from the State of the Libraries if you’d like to see some statistics about what we’ve accomplished together since last June. It’s thanks to all of you that this launch has been so successful and we are incredibly grateful for all of your hard work and support.

    As we continue to dig deeper into the impact QuickSearch has had and to explore where further improvement is necessary, we would like to hear from you. The implementation team will hold another round of open question and answer sessions on each campus (details below). We sincerely hope that you will attend a session and share any feedback or questions you might have about Alma and Primo.

    • Tuesday July 30, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Alexander Library 4th floor Lecture Hall
    • Tuesday August 6, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Smith Library – Newark, E Classroom M906
    • Tuesday August 6, 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Dana Library – Newark, Room TBD
    • Wednesday August 7, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Robeson Library – Staff Room 290

  • Ex Libris Implementation Project Update – May 2019

    quicksearch logo

    Rutgers Law Libraries to Join Alma/Primo

    The Rutgers Law Libraries are joining our Alma and Primo instances in January 2020! Project planning for appending the Law libraries catalog has begun. We are currently participating in bi-weekly planning meetings with Ex Libris and the Law libraries. Progress will be communicated through the Ex Libris Implementation team. This is an exciting opportunity for us and the faculty and students that we serve. 

    Leganto Update

    The Leganto implementation team is preparing to go live with 16 pilot courses from the School of Social Work. This summer, social work graduate students will be able to access their course reserves, including electronic course reserves, live links to the physical reserves holdings, and access to our journal and database subscription content, directly from their course in Canvas. The team is planning a soft launch for fall, so if you know of a department that would be interested in this comprehensive course reserves solution, please contact your campus representative to the Leganto team or the Ex Libris Team at exlibris@rutgers.libanswers.com.  

    FRBRization disabled for music materials 

    FRBRization refers to the process by which different versions of the same work are grouped together. Generally speaking, FRBRization is a useful feature that allows researchers to easily find and identify related works (e.g., different editions of the same book). However, in some cases, unrelated works are mistakenly grouped together, which causes confusion and makes these resources more difficult to find. This is especially true for musical scores and audio recordings where heavy use of generic titles, complex statements of responsibility, and variations of performance can lead to erroneous matches. Accordingly, FRBRization has been disabled for these materials. This decision was made in consultation with and based on feedback from experts in public services, cataloging, and the music department. The exemption applies to scores and audio recordings only. All other types of materials will continue to be FRBRized.

    Improved metadata for Academic Video Online (AVON)

    Academic Video Online (AVON) is a large streaming video collection of documentaries, interviews, performances, and feature films spanning a wide variety of subjects. However, the metadata provided by Ex Libris for this collection suffered from a number of limitations impacting its discoverability in QuickSearch. Accordingly, these records have been replaced with vendor-supplied MARC records. The new records are not only of higher quality but also offer more reliable linking, less duplication, and improved result filtering. However, in order to keep the collection up-to-date, the records must be reloaded every six months. Since record permalinks will change every time the records are reloaded, it is recommended that librarians and instructors who wish to link to this content use direct links to the platform rather than link to the record in QuickSearch. To do this, simply click “Embed/Link” below the video player in AVON (see screenshot).

    Where did all the ISSNs go?

    Standard identifiers such as ISBN, ISSN, and OCLC number are currently not being displayed in QuickSearch. This information typically appears in the “Identifier” field of the detailed record. Although this data is still searchable, it is currently not being displayed to the public. The issue has been confirmed by Ex Libris to be related to a known defect that is scheduled to be fixed in the July 2019 release. Until a fix is released, the only way to view this information in QuickSearch is to click the “View Source Record” link at the bottom of the record and look for it in the appropriate MARC field.

    Primo 2019 Roadmap

    Related reading? Citation trails? Enhanced personalization? Want to know what new features and functionality are coming to Primo this year? Check out the 2019 Primo Roadmap.