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Alma Analytics Training and Resources for Collection Development

The CARLI Collection Management Committee gathered these resources for the CARLI membership to use Alma Analytics to better inform collection development decisions.

Updated: May 2022

Getting Started with Analytics

Alma Role Required:

  • Design Analytics:This roles enables creating analytics reports; or
  • Analytics Administrator: This role enables configuring analytics and exposing analytics to other staff operators.

Sign In & Click on Analytics on the Left Side of the Screen:

Note: if Analytics is not on your screen, then you do not have the correct role; contact your local administrator for access.

Alma screenshot with arrow pointing to the Analytics option.

Once you click on Analytics, a menu appears. Under Reports are already created dashboards that contain statistical reports on that topic:

Alma Analytics Reports menu. Text highlighted, 1. Reports, added note "Already created Reports; you can filter with your local information;" 2. Acquisitions - Fund Reports (Ex Libris), added note "Acquisitions Reports; such as how much of a fund has been expended;" 3. Physical Items Dashboard (Ex Libris), added note "Reports about your physical collection, such as titles added to collection by date & classification & last circulation."

As an example, if you choose Physical Item Dashboard, you will then see this screen before any filters are applied:

Alma Analytics Physical Items Dashboard

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Introduction to Alma Analytics

Ex Libris Analytics website. All Analytics documentation includes basics from terminology to all things Analytics.

Analytics Overview - Training Script from Harvard University - Library Technology Services. Complete training script for an Analytics Overview class shared by Harvard University.

Reports and Dashboards from Ex Libris. Video, 20-23 minutes. Learn how to run out-of-the-box reports, edit and create reports, and configure My Dashboard.

Analytics User Statistics from Ex Libris. Video, 7 minutes. You can create Analytics reports with statistics relating to library patrons. This video details the configurations needed to allow such reports, specifically, how to create categories that can be assigned to users and then used for reporting.

Creating Analytics Objects from Ex Libris. Video, 5 minutes. Learn how Analytics are displayed in Alma and sent to users via scheduled emails, and how you can create the different Analytics Objects (widgets, reports, dashboards) which allow for these displays.

Reports

Note: This section contains LInks to Websites, videos, presentation slides, and shared Reports. To use the Shared Reports:

  • If you are familiar with Analytics, to use the Reports in the sections below, follow the path noted in “Path to Report”
  • If you are newer to Analytics or prefer using the already created Dashboards, the “Dashboard” information leads you through the clicks/screens to get to the report, such as Alma Main Screen > Analytics > Reports > Physical Items Dashboard > Physical Items Usage for Weeding

Out-of-the-Box Reports

Definition: Out-of-the-Box reports are reports provided within Alma Analytics by Ex Libris.

Out-of-the-Box Reports from Ex Libris. This is the list of ALL out-of-the-box reports available in Alma Analytics with descriptions of what they do. Very helpful list of what reports are available.

Running Out-of-the-Box Reports from Ex Libris. This help guide shows you how to run a pre-made Alma out-of-the-box report.

Alma Analytics - Lesson 1: Introducing Out-of-the-Box Searches from California State University. Video, ~3 minutes. Transcript with pictures. An introduction to built-in reports in Alma Analytics.

Collection Analysis

Analytics and Your Neighbors: Comparative Approaches from Yoel Kortick, Ex Libris, ELUNA 2017. PowePoint slides. Comparison of Benchmark Analytics (breadth) and Comparative Collection Analysis (depth).

Usage Statistics

Alma Analytics and Evidence Based Decision Making from Yoel Kortick, Ex Libris. 2019 Presentation. PowerPoint slides. This presentation shows how to gather usage statistics to inform weeding and includes both most used physical items statistics and usage of electronic resources statistics for collection development.

Analytics - Usage and Cost Per Use from Ex Libris. Many presentations and documentation. This links to a collection of presentations and documentation on how to use Alma Analytics to gather usage and cost per use statistics. Includes COUNTER information.

CARLI documentation for Setting up SUSHI Harvesting in Alma. SUSHI Harvesting will automatically import usage statistics for use in Analytic reports.

Weeding

Shared REPORT: Physical Item Usage for Weeding

Path to Report: /shared/Alma/Inventory/Reports/Physical Item Usage for Weeding
Dashboard: from Alma Main Screen > Analytics > Reports > Physical Items Dashboard > Physical Items Usage for Weeding
What it does: This report will obtain physical item usage.
This might be useful for: When working on a weeding / deselection project
Fields in the final report: Library Name, Location Name, Permanent Call Number, Barcode, MMS Id, Title, Material Type, Number of Loans (In House + Not In House), Last Loan Date, Dewey Number, LC Classification Code
Author: Ex Libris
Data Notes: The report defaults to retrieve items created more than five years ago and never loaned in the last five years. Those parameters can be changed and other filters included such as LC Class so that you can work on a specific section of your collection.
Running Notes: Select parameters such as location, material type, class to identify sections of your collection to review.

Using Alma Analytics to Perform Overlap Analysis of Physical and Electronic Inventory from Yoel Kortick, Ex Libris, ELUNA 2019. PowerPoint slides. Describes how to conduct title level overlap analysis.

More Detailed Help

Creating Analytics

Creating Alma Analytics - Training Script from Harvard University - Library Technology Services. Complete training script for creating and modifying existing Analytic reports shared by Harvard University

Formatting Reports

Common Analytics Procedures from Ex Libris. This help guide explains how to format various aspects of your report to make it more readable and professional. Formatting examples include adding a logo, specifying the number of decimal places, adding subtotals, combining reports, etc.

Sharing Reports

Providing Reports to Other Users from Ex Libris. Video, 10-12 minutes. This video tutorial shows you how to share reports and dashboards with others via widgets and scheduled reports and then creating a set in Alma from the results of a report.

Scheduling and Subscribing to Alma Analytics Reports from Ex Libris. Learn how to schedule an analytics report and then send it either via email or to a Alma home page widget.

How do non-Alma users subscribe to Alma Analytics Reports? from Ex Libris. This documentation shows how to share reports with people outside of Alma.

Widgets

Managing Widgets from Ex Libris. Learn how to add widget to your Alma home page that can support collection development. For example, you can add a  widget that displays Analytics or Top Trending Books.

Configuring Widgets from Ex Libris.