[Wactclc-alma] Using Acquisitions?

Thu Jun 20 14:24:39 PDT 2019

Some of the basic questions to ask when considering "do I, or don't I" with respect to using Alma-based acquisitions are:

  1.  How much ordering are you doing on a monthly or annual basis?

Implementing new workflows to support 10 orders a month may not make as much sense as doing so when you're doing 100 or 200 orders a month. I don't have any litmus test in mind with respect to what constitutes a "break even" point, though others might have thoughts.

A related question:

1a. Is the number of orders you do going up, or down, over time?

  1.  Can you sustain the workflows across time?

How equipped is your library to sustain Alma acq workflows as staff come and go, take extended vacations or health leaves, etc. (Though, to be fair, this question applies to whatever workflows you are using for acquisitions. And Alma might actually make "hard break" transitions easier, since the workflows are somewhat pre-determined, unlike home-grown processes. You just need to be able to hire new staff capable of working in more sophisticated platforms like Alma.)

  1.  If you aren't currently using Alma workflows for acquisitions, what pain points do you have that you need / want to fix?

Things like reporting, tracking, and budgeting, consistency in coding and process, transaction trail, vendor information management, are all things that Alma can potentially help with, if your non-Alma acq workflows don't address those things.

Wade Guidry
Library Consortium Services Manager, WACTCLC
wadeg at bigbend.edu<mailto:wadeg at bigbend.edu>
(509) 760-4474
http://www.wactclc.org

From: Wactclc-alma <wactclc-alma-bounces at lists.ctc.edu> On Behalf Of Cara Beth Stevenson
Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2019 1:31 PM
To: WACTCLC Alma Discussion <wactclc-alma at lists.ctc.edu>
Subject: Re: [Wactclc-alma] Using Acquisitions?

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Thanks, Kirsti and Wade and Paula. Lots to think about.

Cara Beth

From: Wactclc-alma <wactclc-alma-bounces at lists.ctc.edu<mailto:wactclc-alma-bounces at lists.ctc.edu>> On Behalf Of Thomas, Kirsti
Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2019 1:21 PM
To: WACTCLC Alma Discussion <wactclc-alma at lists.ctc.edu<mailto:wactclc-alma at lists.ctc.edu>>
Subject: Re: [Wactclc-alma] Using Acquisitions?

Cara Beth,

Wade beat me to the punch. :)

I was just typing up an email to say: One of the biggest tips for getting invoices to balance is to *not* allow Alma to calculate the VAT for you.

Instead, do what Bellevue and Seattle do and manually add an invoice line with the tax amount.  Follow the instructions in Wade's email on how to set this up.

A general FYI about Alma acquisitions and e-resources.  Alma's normal workflow for e-resources is to have acquisitions staff create order records (POLs) first, and then pass the e-resource titles along to other staff so they can configure remote access and turn on the e-resource in Primo (i.e. activate).  When the e-resource is passed along for activation, it ends up on the Electronic Resource Task Activation List. Any e-resource with a subscription has to be marked "Done" in the Electronic Resource Activation Task List before Alma will let you renew the subscription.

In our situation, we activated most of our e-resources in Alma right after go-live.  Then, at the end of the 2017/2018 fiscal year, we created POLs for all of our e-resources.  This sent everything back to the Electronic Resource Activation Task List-even though the e-resources were already "Active."  When acquisitions staff tried to renew the e-resource subscriptions in Alma for the 2018/2019 fiscal year, there weren't able to.  Our e-resources folks had to go into the Electronic Resource Activation Task List and mark everything "Done." After they'd done that, acquisitions staff were able to renew the subscriptions in Alma.

Of course, since we're Seattle, this was way more complicated than we expected and way more complicated than what I've described here. ;)

It shouldn't be as complicated for anyone else.  Just remember that after you create POLs for your already-activated subscription e-resources, someone will have to clear the titles out of the Electronic Resource Activation Task List.

It will be ok!

Kirsti S. Thomas
Library Technical Services Manager
Seattle Colleges
kirsti.thomas at seattlecolleges.edu<mailto:kirsti.thomas at seattlecolleges.edu>
206-934-4106

From: Wactclc-alma [mailto:wactclc-alma-bounces at lists.ctc.edu] On Behalf Of Guidry, Wade
Sent: Thursday, 20 June, 2019 12:00
To: WACTCLC Alma Discussion <wactclc-alma at lists.ctc.edu<mailto:wactclc-alma at lists.ctc.edu>>
Subject: Re: [Wactclc-alma] Using Acquisitions?

I think Paula Laine, Bellevue, offers the best tip for making invoices easier to balance.

  1.  Remove any previously configured VAT amounts and percentages from your vendor records, so nothing is calculated automatically.
  2.  Under Alma Config / Acquisitions / Invoice line types, rename the description for the INSURANCE line type to Taxes, and enable it.
  3.  On your invoices, simple use that invoice line type to manually add the tax to your invoice, based on the actual amount on the invoice.

This 'lifehack' will allow you to more easily get your Alma invoices to match exactly the actual billed amounts.

As far as future integration with ctcLink, a lot will depend on the amount of work your local ctcLink team is willing to put in.

Alma can deliver invoice information electronically, in XML format, after which it considers those invoices paid.

It will be up to the ctcLink team to customize the ability of ctcLink to interpret that XML, process the information, and pay the noted amounts to the noted vendors using the funds identified. This means, at minimum,

1) coordination of fund codes and vendor identities between Alma and your ctcLink data

2) Good match between Alma and ctcLink regarding the fund's budgeted amount and FY

3) a willingness of your financial team to pay invoices based on electronic information (rather than paper trail, which could be filed, but wouldn't necessarily be available with the electronic invoice in real time), and

4) accurate "first time" billing from your vendors, so that you aren't having to make adjustments to invoices after the fact, which would become more difficult in an electronically invoiced workflow, where Alma is going to consider electronic invoices closed once they are transferred to ctcLink.

There is not central ctcLink or CTC team that is going to do this integration on behalf of institutions. I'm sure individual institutions would be willing to share their code bases. But I don't have enough visibility into ctcLink or institutional organizational structures outside of the library to know whether or at how many places this kind of thing would be a viable project to pursue.

Those of you interested in this level of campus integration will have to take the lead on the conversation at your campus, through your ctcLink teams. I can support the workflow and the technical aspects of integration, from the Alma side. But I don't have the reach or authority to call up VPs of Finance at campuses and start giving them directives. The library will first need to make the case to the campus ctcLink team that the benefits of this kind of integration will be worth the effort. (Other, analogous integrations with other 3rd party campus systems, like emergency alert systems, student warning systems, are probably already being debated in the same way.)

Wade Guidry
Library Consortium Services Manager, WACTCLC
wadeg at bigbend.edu<mailto:wadeg at bigbend.edu>
(509) 760-4474
http://www.wactclc.org<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wactclc.org&data=02%7C01%7C%7C3d7285444b0e49b79e3908d6f5b19a22%7C02d8ff38d7114e31a9156cb5cff788df%7C0%7C0%7C636966540481907240&sdata=weWJAO3WyNAECDWGtQYa4KynqNXA4JxAg%2BbwzOmFVTs%3D&reserved=0>

From: Wactclc-alma <wactclc-alma-bounces at lists.ctc.edu<mailto:wactclc-alma-bounces at lists.ctc.edu>> On Behalf Of Cara Beth Stevenson
Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2019 10:08 AM
To: 'WACTCLC Alma Discussion' <wactclc-alma at lists.ctc.edu<mailto:wactclc-alma at lists.ctc.edu>>
Subject: Re: [Wactclc-alma] Using Acquisitions?

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Grays Harbor has Acquisitions set up only for serials receiving, as we had done previously in Voyager.

Last summer I tried to set up physical monographic orders. But couldn't get the invoices to balance.  :(
I had to delete the POLs that were never completed because they were causing issues for Circ staff.
This past year, I've heard more about how to set up vendors & invoices to get consistent balances, and I'm going to try again this summer and fall.

I'm curious about how Alma acquisitions will link up with CTCLink.

Cara Beth Stevenson
Grays Harbor College
1620 Edward P. Smith Drive
Aberdeen, WA 98520
360-538-4057
cara.stevenson at ghc.edu<mailto:cara.stevenson at ghc.edu>

From: Wactclc-alma <wactclc-alma-bounces at lists.ctc.edu<mailto:wactclc-alma-bounces at lists.ctc.edu>> On Behalf Of Thomas, Kirsti
Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2019 9:39 AM
To: WACTCLC Alma Discussion <wactclc-alma at lists.ctc.edu<mailto:wactclc-alma at lists.ctc.edu>>
Subject: Re: [Wactclc-alma] Using Acquisitions?

We're using it at all the Seattle Colleges.  We've added things in stages.  We started using Alma acquisitions immediately for monographic physical orders.  Last summer, we added in e-resource subscriptions (This is the especially challenging piece for us, given all the different people and budgets involved).  Currently, we're working on getting all our print serial subscriptions into Alma before the end of the fiscal year.

It will be ok!

Kirsti S. Thomas
Library Technical Services Manager
Seattle Colleges
kirsti.thomas at seattlecolleges.edu<mailto:kirsti.thomas at seattlecolleges.edu>
206-934-4106

From: Wactclc-alma [mailto:wactclc-alma-bounces at lists.ctc.edu] On Behalf Of Traci Taylor
Sent: Thursday, 20 June, 2019 09:25
To: WACTCLC Alma Discussion <wactclc-alma at lists.ctc.edu<mailto:wactclc-alma at lists.ctc.edu>>
Subject: [Wactclc-alma] Using Acquisitions?

Good Morning,

I am curious as to who is using Acquisitions at their library.

Thank you,
Traci

[cid:image002.jpg at 01D52773.E6325C00]<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.btc.edu%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7C3d7285444b0e49b79e3908d6f5b19a22%7C02d8ff38d7114e31a9156cb5cff788df%7C0%7C0%7C636966540481917253&sdata=8gIVpYf8AeXFbfEDBFhquGPQApIVUf10aeJjX48W1sY%3D&reserved=0>Traci Taylor, MLS
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