OCLC Connexion
OVERVIEW
OCLC Connexion is a PC client that lets you create and edit bibliographic and authority records and then push them to OCLC. It also allows for finding records in OCLC, editing them, and pushing them to Voyager/Alma. Note that there is also a web/browser-based version of Connexion, but as the browser version does not support the character set required by Alma, the PC client is strongly recommended.
Institutions will be using Connexion to load and overlay records to the Alma Network Zone (NZ) according to policies outlined by the cataloging group. The instructions below detail how to set up Connexion to interface with the Alma NZ.
There may also be reasons to interface Connexion with your Alma Institution Zone (IZ). For instance, to give staff the ability to load new records into Alma without giving them the capability to overlay records in the NZ. So to explain this further: If you try to overlay existing records in your IZ, nothing will happen. But you can load NEW records to your IZ, and these will also propagate up to the NZ. If you need this functionality, you will need to set up another export destination in Connexion and you may also need to configure the Connexion integration profile in Alma. See the Ex Libris documentation link in the resources section below for details on how to do this, or contact GIL Support for assistance. Also, see this document for further details on this.
Instructions for connecting connexion to the Alma NZ
1) Open your Connexion client on your PC
2) Open the Tools menu and select “Options”:
3) On the “Export” tab, click “Create”:
4) On the dialog that pops up, select “OCLC Gateway Export”. Click OK:
5) Enter the following information into the dialog that pops up, then click OK. (Contact GIL Support for the password):
For convenience sake (so you don't have to type):
Host Name: galileo-network.alma.exlibrisgroup.com
Logon Id: 01GALI_NETWORK
6) Enter a name for the connection, click OK
7) You’ll now see a new entry on your “Destination” list. In the future, to change between destinations (for example, switching between the NZ and IZ), highlight the desired destination and click “Apply”.
8) Click on "Record Characteristics," set the "Record Standard" to "MARC 21" and the "Character Set" to "UTF-8 Unicode." Click "OK" then "Apply" on the Options menu.
Finally, click "Close" to begin working in Connexion.
Instructions for connecting connexion to your Alma IZ
IMPORTANT: As explained in the overview, if you try to overlay existing records into your IZ, nothing will happen. But you can load NEW records to your IZ, and these will also propagate up to the NZ. It's important to understand this prior to setting up your IZ connexion profile.
1) Open you connexion client on your PC
2) Open the tools menu and select “options”:
3) On the “Export” tab, click “Create”:
4) On the dialog that pops up, select “OCLC Gateway Export”. Click OK:
5) Enter the following information into the dialog that pops up and the areas with red arrows vary depending on your institution
Host Name: Your Alma URL
Logon Id: Your Alma Institution Code (how to find this is shown below)
Password: Contact GIL Support
To find your Logon Id in Alma:
A) Login to Alma and click on the gear icon in the upper right corner
B) On the left hand side, click "General", then select "Add a Library or Edit Library Information"
C) Your Logon Id is under 'Code' here
Cancel off this page and don't save any changes
6) Enter a name for the connection, click OK
7) You’ll now see a new entry on your “Destination” list. Make sure it is highlighted, then click “Apply.” Be sure to come back to this tab to change back to your typical export destination (likely the NZ) when you are done. The way to do this is to select the desired destination and click “Apply”.
8) Click on "Record Characteristics," set the "Record Standard" to "MARC 21" and the "Character Set" to "UTF-8 Unicode." Click "OK" then "Apply" on the Options menu.
Finally, click "Close" to begin working in Connexion.
RESOURCES
Alma and OCLC Connexion integration-Dec-2016.pptxEx Libris PPT presentation on setting up connexion
During the 12/13/2016 Institution Lead meeting, Svetlana went over how to set up OCLC Connexion and how to overlay records in the NZ.
Cataloging Tutorials on this Wiki
See the great tutorial videos that the cataloging team put together that demonstrate several cases where you might use OCLC Connexion to load records into Alma.
