In 2013 the Alliance partnered with Ex Libris to implement Alma and Primo as the Shared Integrated Library System (SILS) and discovery solution for all members. The SILS has a Network Zone (NZ) for shared cataloging and peer-to-peer configuration for Resource Sharing, referred to as “Summit.”

Alma

Alma is “a secure, scalable end-to-end library software system (ILS) for managing the acquisition, sharing, cataloging, and use of all kinds of resources” (Alma Overview, Ex Libris Knowedge Center).

• Resource Sharing & Fulfillment Documentation: Procedures, policies, trainings and statistics about the Summit network and Fulfillment services in Alma.
• Technical Services Documentation: Policies, procedures, and best practices from the Technical Services program about acquisitions and cataloging in the NZ.
• Collection Development and Electronic Resources Documentation: Best practices and guidelines from the Shared Content program about consortial collection development decision-making.
• Analytics: Training resources for obtaining usage and other statistics from Alma Analytics.

Primo

Primo is the discovery layer over Alma. The Members page contains links to the main view of each Alliance institution’s Primo instance.

• Primo Documentation
• Primo Central Management Service

Ex Libris Users of North America (ELUNA)

ELUNA is the user community for Ex Libris customers in the Americas, while the International Group of Ex Libris Users (IGeLU) represents customers in other countries.

Once a year, Alliance members who have opted to maintain an institutional ELUNA subscription have the opportunity to vote in the CERV Enhancement Process for Alma and Primo.

Other Resources

• Alma/Primo Down Recommendations: Procedures for system-down events and suggestions to prepare your library for a potential SILS outage.
• Alma and Primo Sandbox Inventory: A list of sandboxes currently available to the Alliance.
• Alma and Primo Calendar: Google calendar of releases and testing periods for Alma and Primo.
• Using the Ex Libris System Status Page: Instructions for using the Status Page to receive notifications for SILS outages.