GALILEO Interconnected Libraries (GIL) Documentation

Getting Help with Alma

Self-Service Support (Tier 0)

There are many self-help Alma resources available:

G3 Training Wiki (You're on it right now!) - designed to provide an easy to navigate, focused set of Alma documentation, well organized links to Ex Libris training and documentation, and present USG specific policies.
On-Boarding help by Functional Area - Here is the link for on-boarding new staff by each functional area in Alma https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1JE-z7pdUlMg5HwRmZpARZmT7nVR4HKcK?usp=share_link
Alma Online Help - There is extensive documentation built into the Alma application. It's context/page specific and can be very helpful.
Ex Libris Knowledge Center - Ex Libris' Alma documentation and training site. It can be a bit overwhelming sifting through the massive amount of information on this site. You might have better luck using Google to search the contents of the Knowledge Center. Simply type your search terms followed by site:knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com. For example:

The Alma Project Wiki - This is an internal wiki that was utilized during the migration process. It is no longer maintained. It has not yet been determined how long this wiki will remain in place. If you would like access to this wiki, please get in touch with your Institutional Lead who can share the link for requesting access.
ALMA-L Listserv - ALMA is an unmoderated discussion list about Ex Libris’ Alma, and is a fantastic resource for discussing issues with Alma users across the globe. The list is hosted by ELUNA and IGeLU.
- - For more information, go to: https://el-una.org/about/mailing-lists/alma-mailing-lists/
  - To update options or unsubscribe, go to: https://exlibrisusers.org/postorius/lists/alma.exlibrisusers.org/
GIL Listservs - GIL hosts many listservs focused on various topics. Some are limited to committee members, while others are open to all. For more information, see the listservs section on this page. GIL plans to go through all the current listservs and weed out those that are inactive post go-live.
Ex Libris Developer Network - The Ex Libris Developer Network contains information about Alma APIs, and hosts a Blog and Forum. If you intend to work with the Alma API, this is the place to go to learn, find solutions, and ask questions.
Local Resources - Your institutional leads and local training team (they may be the same folks) will be a helpful resource, especially during the initial transition from Voyager to Alma, and when on-boarding new employees.

GIL Support (Tier 1 & 2)

When you come across an issue with Alma that you're not able to solve on your own, please create a helpdesk ticket with GIL Support. The process for creating tickets is described below. GIL utilizes the ServiceNow ticketing system provided by USG, which is the preferred primary point of contact for all GIL Support issues (not just Alma issues). If an issue requires support from Ex Libris, GIL Support will open a case in the Ex Libris helpdesk system.

How to create a ServiceNow ticket

To create a ServiceNow ticket, you can use this helpdesk form on the GIL website: http://gil.usg.edu/contact/helpdesk

Alternate methods:

You can also send an email describing your issue in detail to: helpdesk@usg.edu

Either way, the USG helpdesk system/staff will create a ticket and you’ll receive an email, typically within 30 minutes or so (during normal business hours). Note that if you use the GIL website form, GIL will also get an email as soon as the form is submitted, so this can sometimes get you a quicker response.

You can also create the ticket yourself directly in ServiceNow using the self service portal: https://usg.service-now.com/usgsp. This requires that you have an account in ServiceNow, which most USG institution employees do have, you'll just need to activate your account if you haven't used it yet. See screenshot:

Ticket best practices

To help us best troubleshoot your issue, please:

Clearly describe the issue.
Provide error messages (verbatim if possible). Screenshots are great too. Our helpdesk form allows for attachments. There are lots of great programs out there that simplify the screenshot process. One such tool is a program called Jing. It’s free: http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html
Please provide specific details to aid in troubleshooting, for example:
- - Patron ID’s if the issue affects specific patrons.
  - MMS IDs, Holding IDs, or Item IDs of affected items.
Links to affected web pages or reports.
The steps required to reproduce the problem.
If it is an emergency, like when a service is down, be sure to set the priority to high on the helpdesk form. Or if you email the helpdesk directly, ask them to set the priority to High. Otherwise the priority is set to medium by default. If the emergency occurs after hours, see the next section...
When GIL responds to you, please try to respond back in a timely manner.

After Hours Emergencies

For after-hours emergencies, please call the helpdesk at 706-583-2001 or 888-875-3697 (toll free within Georgia). You’ll be asked to leave a message, and the system will page an on-call Helpdesk associate who will then call you back. The menus in the phone system are a bit confusing, so pay close attention to the instructions. For more information:

http://www.usg.edu/customer_services/after_hours_support

Monthly Alma Meetings

GIL hosts monthly Institutional Leads meetings. The purpose of these meetings is to discuss various topics, including but not limited to: upcoming Alma/Primo release notes, outstanding GIL and Ex Libris tickets, Primo customization, normalization rules, renorm schedule, etc, Analytics, USG policy review, etc. Also, the GIL functional committees will provide updates during the meeting. Institutional Leads will receive Outlook invites to these meetings.

Ex Libris Support (Tier 3)

As mentioned in the previous section, once we're live on Alma, GIL will open cases with Ex Libris Support when necessary, for instance when tasks require server-side access, bugs are encountered, or when troubleshooting requires coordination with the Ex Libris development team.

Institutional Leads were provided access to the Ex Libris support portal during the Alma migration phase, and will continue to maintain this access, however, please open tickets with GIL Support once we are live on Alma. If for some reason cases do get created the Ex Libris Support Portal by USG institutions, GIL has the ability to monitor and comment on these cases.

Periodic Meetings between GIL Support and Ex Libris Support

GIL Support staff meet with the Ex Libris Support Team monthly. The purpose of these meetings is to review any open cases, and possibly escalate those that may need closer or timely attention. If we find that we need to meet more often, especially immediately after go live, we may temporarily move to a bimonthly meeting. Leads from the Alma functional teams may be brought in periodically to discuss issues in their focus areas.

Google Sites

Report abuse