Navigating Alma

Rapido is integrated into Alma, the Library Management System created by Ex Libris. Knowing how to navigate and organize Alma can make using Rapido faster and easier. This section will look at various areas in Alma and tips you can use to organize the system to meet your needs. 

Alma Dashboard

After logging into Alma you will be at the Alma Dashboard where you can navigate to all the different parts of Alma. Depending on your user roles you will have access to different areas of the system, but there are several areas you may want to remember:

• The vertical toolbar on the left side of the screen lets you access many areas in Alma, but only a few areas are useful for Resource Sharing. You will frequently use the following sections:
  • Fulfillment
    • This area is where you will check books out to patrons, check books in, receive books from other libraries, and upload scans or downloads of articles or book chapters.
  • Analytics
    • Various reports are available for tracking Rapido analytics.
  • Configuration
    • Everything in Alma is configured in the configuration section. This section requires advanced roles you may not currently have. By the end of Rapido 201 you will receive a recommendation for those roles. 

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Quick Links Menu

You can add a vertical Quick Links menu across the top of the screen in Alma with a few easy steps. To activate the toolbar click the icon labeled Alma Production. Select Pin Quick Links Menu from the list of options. This will make any section you favorite with a star appear as a vertical menu.

It may be helpful to favorite the most used tasks for Rapido workflows in Fulfillment. If you click into the Fulfillment section in Alma you can star your most used sections to add them to your Quick Links toolbar. The areas you will likely use frequently in Fulfillment are:

• Manage Patron Services
  • To check out books to patrons
• Return Items
  • To check in items
• Deliver Digital Documents
  • To deliver articles and book chapters
• Receiving Items
  • To receive items from other libraries
• Shipping Items
  • To ship items to other libraries

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Rapido, Location, and Cloud Apps

Along the top right of your screen is the main vertical Alma toolbar. This toolbar has icons for Location, Rapido, and the Cloud App Center.

By default, the first icon is for Location. This icon is similar to the location icons used in Google Maps and other GPS apps. By clicking the Location icon you will open the Location tab. In this tab you can change which area of the library you are working at, choose which printer you will print with, and toggle Quick Printing on and off. 

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The Rapido icon is a picture of a document with the symbol for sharing in front of it. Clicking this icon will open the Resource Sharing Requests tab where all your Borrowing and Lending Sets are located. This will be one of the most common places you navigate to in Alma so it may be a good idea to pin the tab so it always remains open. To pin the tab click the small icon that looks like a push pin. 

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The third icon you will commonly use is the Cloud App Center icon which is four squares arranged to look like a single larger square. The Cloud App Center is where you can add and use cloud apps developed by Ex Libris or librarians and library staff at other libraries. The the two recommended apps were both made by Ex Libris. These are the Printing Multiple Slips Per Page and the Article Galaxy Add-On apps.

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Now that you know how to navigate and organize Alma you should be able to use Rapido quickly and efficiently.