Alma & Primo VE Training

Here's how to use this guide and the functional area guides to create your own tailored Alma/Primo VE training:

1. Read the Alma Search and Navigation guide
2. Click on the Alma Functional Area Guides main page and read the overview.
3. Click on the Functional Area Guide for the subject you need. The guide will open in a new tab or window in your browser.
   1. Read through the guide
   2. Watch any Training Videos listed in the guide
   3. Try any examples or exercises listed in the guide
   4. Practice what you've learned in Alma or Primo VE
4. Repeat for each functional area you need training on.
5. If needed, also read the Alma Sets & Jobs guide.

You can also review the Ex Libris documentation and training available for any functional area, or training materials from other institutions. See the boxes further down this page for links.

The Office of Library and Information Services provides courtesy orientation for staff and librarians who are new to SUNY Libraries as well as staff and librarians who move to new positions within their existing library. OLIS provides high-level, job-specific orientation paths and sessions to review SUNY-specific processes, system-wide shared technologies, and core collections information. Our goal is to help staff and librarians be better informed and feel welcomed to the SUNY community.

We provide orientation services for library directors, as well as staff and librarians working with electronic resources, discovery, resource sharing & fulfillment, acquisitions, analytics, institutional repositories, and SUNYConnect consortial resources. Orientation typically consists of an introductory meeting with OLIS and 1-2 one-on-one follow up sessions to review questions or highlights from customized orientation materials shared in advance.

Orientation is intended to provide an introduction to foundational concepts that will familiarize employees with principles and resources that will help them as they assume their new roles. OLIS also offers in-depth consultation and training on processes, procedures, and workflows as a separate service, so please contact info@sunyolis.libanswers.com if that is of interest.

We welcome the opportunity to onboard new and existing hires. Please fill out the Orientation Request Form to schedule an introductory session.

The sequence for reviewing Alma training depends on the role of a new or new-to-the-position staff member. Staff should review the most relevant sections of these guides in depth, and skim the rest of the functional area guide to know what else is involved in that area, as described in the section above.

These are the suggested sequences, based on functional area:

Circulation/Reference Staff

1. Alma Search and Navigation guide (all staff)
2. Fulfillment guide (all staff)
3. Resource Sharing guide (as needed)
4. Alma Sets & Jobs guide (all reference staff, senior circulation staff, other circ staff if needed)
5. Analytics (as needed)

Resource Sharing Staff

1. Alma Search and Navigation guide (all staff)
2. Fulfillment guide (all staff)
3. Resource Sharing guide (all staff)
4. Alma Sets & Jobs guide (as needed + senior staff)
5. Analytics (as needed)

Cataloging/Technical Services Staff

1. Alma Search and Navigation guide (all staff)
2. Resource Management guide (all staff)
3. Alma Sets & Jobs guide (all staff)
4. Acquisitions guide (all staff read through, with in-depth study of relevant sections)
5. eResources guide (if relevant)
6. Analytics (as needed)

eResources Staff

1. Alma Search and Navigation guide (all staff)
2. eResources guide (all staff)
3. Resource Management guide (all staff)
4. Alma Sets & Jobs guide (all staff)
5. Acquisitions guide (to further explore acquisitions concepts)
6. Discovery/Primo VE guide (for more on how eResources display in Discovery)
7. Analytics (as needed)

Acquisitions Staff

1. Alma Search and Navigation guide (all staff)
2. Acquisitions guide (all staff)
3. Resource Management guide (all staff)
4. Alma Sets & Jobs guide (all staff)
5. eResources guide (if relevant)
6. Analytics (as needed)

Systems Librarians

1. Alma Search and Navigation guide
2. Fulfillment guide
3. Resource Sharing guide
4. Acquisitions guide
5. Resource Management guide
6. eResources guide
7. Discovery/Primo VE guide
8. Alma Sets & Jobs guide
9. Analytics
10. Systems Librarians/Alma Administrators guide (for additional configuration information)