Ex Libris (Clarivate) Trust Center - https://clarivate.com/trust-center/
- The Trust Center gives more information about the standards that Ex Libris & Clarivate are maintaining.
Ex Libris Developer Network - https://developers.exlibrisgroup.com/alma/integrations/
- This page includes more information on all of the integrations that are possible with Alma/Primo. The two integrations that we are focusing on (patron load/SIS and authentication) first can be found under the "Users in Alma" menu item at the bottom left of the page.
Note: These are two related but separate processes.
Patron Loads
SIS load stands for Student Information System and is Ex Libris’ term for what we currently call patron loads (a data file from your campus systems that we at OhioNet load into Sierra to create or update your patron records). These are referred to as “External Records” in the Alma user management documentation. Using SIS load is entirely optional. You will want to review the documentation and consult with your IT department and other stakeholders to determine if it makes sense for your situation. Going forward you can:
- Continue your current process and schedule. OhioNet will make the required setup/configurations within the Alma system, convert your patron data file into the XML format required by the Alma system, and manage your data.
- If you do not currently submit patron data but would like to use SIS load with Alma, you can also work with us directly to establish a process to extract delimited text files from your campus system and make them available by SFTP.
- The other option is to manually create and delete user records in Alma (what they refer to as “Internal” patron records). If you only need to manage a small number of patron records or already use this approach, it continues to be available (limit of 5,000 patron records before there is an additional cost). Internal users are then authenticated against the Ex Libris Identity Service through an Alma user Identifier (Primary or additional ID) and a password. You can also load most of your patrons through the SIS load but manually create and manage community or guest patron accounts.