This section includes generic and college-specific training materials on Alma and Primo to provide a central place where libraries can share and reuse material as appropriate for their college.
Training Materials - Documents
Training Materials - Websites
Training Materials - PowerPoint
Training Materials - Videos
Training videos provided by Centennial College.
The first three videos correspond with the PowerPoint presentations above - they have been given the same names as the PowerPoints.
The last video is a walkthrough of SIRSI vs Alma - there is no corresponding PowerPoint.
These Quick Reference Guide Templates can be used for providing instructions for tasks in Alma when users may not want to access/search for instructions online. You can print them out and laminate them for ease of use at your Circulation Desk for example.
Note: Harvard has produced detailed guides and training information, but these do not include the Network Zone, contain Harvard procedures and policies which may be different from the Page 1+ and could be out of date.
Stay tuned… more detailed training information is coming soon!
Last updated: 06/29/2022
We have provided a customizable PowerPoint which covers the basics of searching in Page 1+ (Primo VE). This PowerPoint is intended to be made accessible to staff who are training students on the new Alma system or to be made available directly to the students themselves.
The information in this PowerPoint is also reflected in the other tabs in this section.
Searching can seem like a daunting task, especially when faced with a new system! But don't worry we have included 5 easy Tips & Tricks for you to use when you want to find those perfect results quickly.
Common Features for Search Results
Pin
Pinning allows the user to "Pin" or save specific records or to "Save Query", allowing whole searches to be saved. By saving either a record or a query the user can revisit it at a later date by visiting "Saved Pins" in their user profile.
Permalink
A "Permalink", short for "Permanent Link" is a stable URL that is intended to remain unchanged for an indefinite amount of time. This means that the resource or record will remain in a fixed digital location for extended periods of time allowing users to revisit the search in the future. It is always recommended to use Permalinks rather than common URLs or Hyperlinks for ease of access, especially when multiple parties are involved.
Citation
The "Citation" option on records allows you to generate quick and accurate citations for the materials that are being accessed. Often times the Citation feature offers the most common types of citation (APA or MLA) in their newest edition.
Find Sources Citing This
This feature allows users to find other materials that have references, or cited, the resource they are looking to use, this can be useful when looking for similar resources or other reliable sources.
Find Sources Cited in This
This feature allows users to find resources that are cited in the record that they are choosing to access, this can be helpful in finding similar resources or other reliable sources.
Types of Resources
When viewing results it's important to keep in mind what kind of resources you are accessing. You can usually decern the resource type by the very top line of text in the brief record.
Common types of records include:
Some other features that you may notice in the Brief Record of search results are as follows:
Searching Steps
Conducting the Search
Conducting a search is when you use either the "Basic Search" or the "Advanced Search" bar to search for and retrieve results to a query you have input.
General Topic Search
A General Topic search is when you conduct a search looking for a specific topic, be it a person, place or thing. For instance, you may search the topic of "cats" or "mushrooms" in a topic search. This will provide you with broad results on the topic you have searched since there is no specificity in the search that you conducted. For instance, doing a topic search of "cats" may bring back results like "the evolution of the house cat", "proper care of cats in condo living", or "the hunting practices of large cats". Topic searching is great if you are not quite sure what you are looking for in your search as it exposes you to a plethora of options.
Known Item Search
Known Item searching is when a user already has a specific resource in mind, this could be a resource they have accessed before or one they are accessing for the first time. Usually, a Known Item search is conducted to gain access to the item in question, find its location or availability, or to check the particulars of the resource (such as author, release date, etc.)
Reviewing Results
Reviewing results occurs once you have conducted your search. Essentially, you look at the results that your search has returned and you determine if the results are what you are looking for (content, age/newness, length, medium type, and so forth), if they are you can start using the results your search has provided. If not you can look at your search and reassess the word you have used and the order they are in to try and retrieve better results.
Refining Results
Refining results goes hand in hand with reviewing results. Once you have conducted your search you will have the option to "refine" or "tweak" your results. This means adding limiters to the search results to provide you with results that are more specific to what you are looking for. When refining a search you can add limiters based on topic, item location, author or creator, resource, type, collection, language and so much more. Refining results allows you to narrow or limit your search results so you can more easily locate the resource that is just right for you.