For questions or corrections to this guide, please contact the OCLS Help Desk at helpdesk@ocls.ca.
Thanks!
This Page 1+ Alma & Primo Guide is a central source for documentation and training for Ontario college libraries using Alma and Primo VE.
The Page 1+ Consortium supports shared expertise and resources across all 24 Ontario colleges. Most of the material on this guide is relevant to all Ontario colleges using Alma and Primo VE. A small portion is specific to 20 colleges using the networked environment of Alma.
You can find an introduction to Page 1+ as well as Alma and Primo VE on this page in the Page 1+ Basics box below.
Subsequent pages in this guide are arranged alphabetically by topic. Each page includes basic information on that topic including instructional videos and learning material from Ex Libris and other external sources.
In addition, each page also includes shared policies, standards, and documentation related to that topic. These materials have been developed in collaboration with Ontario colleges using Alma/Primo and OCLS.
Page 1+ is a collaborative project between College Libraries Ontario and the Ontario Colleges Libraries Service. The objective of Page 1+ is to leverage Ex Libris Alma (as the LSP) and Primo VE (as the discovery layer) in the Ontario college libraries.
This project aligns with CLO and OCLS’s vision for delivering collaborative and increasingly digital library services that leverage the power of the collective to build capacity, advance teaching, learning, and provide equitable access to library resources, programs, and services for students and faculty.
Everyone!
Technical services staff can use Alma for their day-to-day operations in relation to acquisitions, cataloging, processing, collection development, etc.
Access services staff can use Alma for their day-to-day operations in relation to managing patrons, circulating items, maintaining holdings, sending courtesy notices, etc.
E-resources staff can use Alma for their day-to-day operations in relation to acquiring e-resources, managing licenses, trialing databases, maintaining accurate holdings/links, etc.
Public services staff can use Primo for their day-to-day operations in relation to information discovery.
Students and faculty will also use Primo for information discovery.
An all-in-one library system offered by Ex Libris that covers all library operations: selection, acquisition, metadata management, and fulfillment (a.k.a. circulation and e-resource access). Basically, it offers all the back-end operations. Alma replaces Symphony, Mandarin, Evergreen, Centriva, and other library management software used in the college libraries, and allows all participating colleges to work with the same system.
Watch this short video to learn more
Navigating the Alma User Interface (contains some content only for administrators)
Physical resources in Alma (e.g. books & serials)
Electronic resources in Alma (e.g. databases)
Sharing resources in Alma (e.g. sharing records)
Primo is the platform your users will use to find your library resources available in Alma. Primo is a web-scale discovery service that allows users to search across all of a library’s content including any local physical collections as well as subscription electronic resources. Primo can be used in place of Summon.
Learn more about Primo’s features