Alma Primo VE Frequently Asked Questions: Users and User Management

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User Authentication

I see that Alma supports a single-sign on authentication method. If we implement single-sign on, will we use SAML attributes for identifying patrons, or will patrons still require barcodes?

CARLI: Alma does support, and in fact, prefer, that institutions go to a single sign on setup. Please don't stop using barcode numbers yet, though. I-Share resource sharing allows onsite borrowing and item pickup at any of the 91 I-Share libraries and that means the patron has to have some ID number that can be scanned or otherwise entered at the lending library. Technically, it should be possible to move away from the barcode ID number in the future, but we won't be able to do that until sometime after the Alma migration is completed and we have time to plan and test this kind of major change with all 91 libraries.
Answered 2/21/2019

Does Alma support the authentication system used by my institution?

CARLI: Alma supports three protocols for use in authenticating library users--staff and patrons--to Alma and Primo VE: SAML, CAS, and LDAP. Many of the authentication systems in use by I-Share libraries now, including Shibboleth, ADFS, Azure Active Directory, and OpenAthens, are covered by these protocols. Library and information technology staff may review the requirements and configuration details on the Ex Libris Developer Network Institutional IDP page.
Answered 5/23/2019

My institution does not have an external authentication provider. When should I plan to have a provider in place?

CARLI: Ex Libris requires that libraries have external authentication in place and configured by the time a library goes live on Alma. External authentication is used to enable library staff to work with Alma, and used to provide patrons with single sign-on access to Primo. Library staff should work with institutional IT teams to put an external identity provider in place by June 2020.

CARLI has also licensed a three year subscription with EBSCO for the Open Athens identity and access management solution. This service may be used to provide a single sign-on platform for institutions that do not yet have one, and it will integrate with existing identity resources, such as LDAP, or other user databases. 
Answered 5/23/2019; Updated 1/9/2020

My institution uses EZproxy to authenticate users to electronic resources. Could I use EZproxy to authenticate staff to Alma and users to Primo VE?

CARLI: No. EZproxy is a web application that uses identity data to authenticate users, but it is NOT an identity provider (IdP) itself. EZproxy is not sufficient to authenticate users to either Alma or Primo VE. If your institution has configured EZproxy to use a local SAML, CAS, or LDAP IdP, then you would work to integrate Alma with those sources instead.

Your institution may continue to use EZproxy to authenticate users to your electronic resources. The proxy server integration with Alma is separate and described in the Ex Libris Knowledge Center's document on Resolver Proxies.
Answered 1/9/2020

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Alma Login Issues

I cannot log in to Alma, and I am using the correct username and password.

CARLI: It is possible that your user record has expired. The user records that were migrated to Alma contained the expiration dates on Voyager patron records as of the date your data was extracted from Voyager. If you have not yet configured an SIS integration to update your user records, the record may have expired. Alma does not allow expired users to log-in. Any staff user with a role of Circulation Desk Operator, Circulation Desk Manager, User Manager, or User Administrator, can update the expiration date for an internal user. All I-Share library staff users should be internal during the test period. You may also contact CARLI for assistance.

It is also possible that your user record has not been toggled from an external user account to an internal user account. External user accounts can only be authenticated using an external SAML-compliant identity provider, and if you have not yet configured your authentication integration, then Alma will not recognize any password for your record. You should contact your library's User Administrator or User Manager, who will have the ability to toggle the record and set your password.
Answered 1/9/2020; revised 1/29/2020

I have forgotten my Alma password. How can I reset it?

CARLI: If you have forgotten the password, you should contact library staff who have a role of User Manager or User Administrator. Users with these roles may modify passwords on user records. You may also contact CARLI for assistance.
Answered 1/9/2020

The Alma login screen has a Forgot Password link, but it doesn't seem to work. How can we use this feature?

CARLI: The Forgot Password requires configuration work and data changes before it will assist you in resetting your account. During the testing period, Alma's abilities to email users are disabled in order to avoid sending inaccurate information to patrons, since Alma is not yet the active system for your library. Migrated user accounts have the word "SCRUBBED" in the domain, which prevents email to valid addresses. Additionally, Alma uses an "Allowed Email" list to enable email only to selected addresses or domains. CARLI recommends that libraries only allow specific addresses during testing, rather than opening addresses to the full domain of your institution's users.

Under normal operations, the Forgot Password link will appear on the Alma login screen after three failed login attempts. Clicking the link will take the user to a screen where they may identify their login or their email address to request a reset. Alma then attempts to send a "Reset Password Letter" via email. The letter includes a temporary password and instructions for logging in and changing the password.​
Answered 1/9/2020; revised 1/29/2020

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User Data and Student Information Systems

I see that Alma supports "SIS Integration" for the exchange of patron data between an SIS (e.g., PeopleSoft) and Alma. How similar is this method to CARLI's current Voyager Patron Load process? Will libraries still file work requests and transfer patron files via secure FTP?

CARLI: Alma's student information system integration enables Alma to import user data from and export user data to a student information system. Files of patron data are still transferred securely with some degree of automation. We expect that some I-Share libraries will want to and be able to format, schedule, test and upload their patron file updates on their own in Alma. However, our members are very diverse and some may wish for CARLI staff to perform this work for them. We will be able to answer this in more detail in the coming months.
Answered 2/21/2019

When will my library and my institution's IT group be able to begin working on integrations to student information systems?

CARLI: Once your library receives its Alma environment, or Institution Zone, after the test load migration in Fall 2019, you will receive an account to the Ex Libris Developer Network. This account will enable your institution to use Alma APIs in conjunction with your Institution Zone.
Answered 5/23/2019

How do I begin configuring Alma for a student information system integration?

CARLI: Instructions on the setup needed in Alma have been posted to the Alma Student Information System Setup page. Additional details on integration scripts for different institutional SIS platforms (e.g., Banner, Colleague. Jenzabar) will be posted to the CARLI website soon. 
Answered 1/21/2020

When does the student information system integration need to be completed?

CARLI: Student information system integration will need to have been completed by the end of March, 2020.
Answered 2/4/2020

Where can I find more information about the student information system integration?

CARLI: The SIS Office Hours from 11/21/19 can be viewed by clicking here. A PDF of the Q&A from that session is available here.
Answered 2/4/2020

Will we be populating only external users as patrons?

CARLI: All patrons that are initially created in Alma via an SIS upload will be designated as "EXTERNAL". Users created within Alma and designated as "INTERNAL" will not be updated/matched with SIS upload processing.
Answered 2/4/2020

My institution does not have an external authentication provider. When should I plan to have a provider in place?

CARLI: Ex Libris requires that libraries have external authentication in place and configured by the time a library goes live on Alma. External authentication is used to enable library staff to work with Alma, and used to provide patrons with single sign-on access to Primo VE. Library staff should work with institutional IT teams to put an external identity provider in place by June 2020.
Answered 5/23/2019

The email addresses for all of my library's migrated users contain the word "SCRUBBED." Is this a migration problem?

This is expected. This prevents Alma from inadvertently sending notices to your patrons (and also vendors) during testing while Alma is not yet the system of record. If you're planning to test any notice or email functionality as we move into phase 2 of using our test environments, then you'll remove the "SCRUBBED" from selected library staff user accounts temporarily. Generally you'll leave the SCRUBBED in place for the test phase. All user (patron) data will be reloaded again before we go live, and Ex Libris has a job that removes "SCRUBBED" addresses at that time.  Note: Because all email addresses are formatted in this manner, you will not be able to use the "forgot password" link to reset your password in Alma or Primo VE.
Answered 11/06/2019

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User Roles and Privileges

Is it possible for a user to see what roles are active without viewing a report or their user record?

CARLI: CARLI staff have developed a shared report that can be copied into an institution's Analytics reports area, then converted into a widget that appears on a user's "Alma Home Page." See the following video demonstration for details.

Answered 12/10/2019

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