CARLI News July 29, 2020

CARLI Libraries Receiving Delivery Service

CARLI staff have posted a current list of libraries which have resumed delivery service. We will be updating this list as more libraries resume service.

Proposals to End Fines and Processing Fees for Lost and Overdue Materials

At their June 12, 2020 meeting, the CARLI Board of Directors considered two proposals regarding fines and fees for I-Share and asked that these proposals be put forth for public comments. 

Briefly, these proposals* are:

  • The CARLI Board of Directors shall end for all I-Share Members all fining for overdue materials by January 1, 2021, and similarly encourage non-I-Share CARLI Governing Members to end fining for overdue materials.
  • The CARLI Board of Directors shall eliminate for all I-Share Members all processing fees for overdue and lost materials by January 1, 2021, and similarly encourage non-I-Share CARLI Governing Members to eliminate all processing fees for overdue and lost materials. 

*Please note that these proposals do not recommend any alteration to the library's ability to bill for lost items and associated actions such as holding transcripts or diplomas; the proposals speak only to fining for overdue materials and processing fees for overdue and lost materials. 

In order to facilitate member dialog about these proposals, CARLI is seeking comments from all Governing Members' students, staff, and faculty. Comments will be accepted until September 1, 2020. Comments received will be reviewed and the proposals considered at the September 2020 CARLI Board of Directors meeting. 

To read the full background and reference materials and to submit your comments on the proposals, visit the Call for Public Comment: I-Share Fines and Fees

Comments will be moderated and made public, unless deemed off-topic, offensive, or inappropriate. The webform requires commenters to provide their name and institutional affiliate but this information will not be published. Published comments will be available at Public Comment: I-Share Fines and Fees

We appreciate your feedback! Please send an email to if you have any questions.

Managing Electronic Resources in Alma Webinars

CARLI′s Commercial Products Committee is hosting two webinars related to Alma and E-Resources. 

On Thursday, July 30 at 10 a.m., Jenifer Holman from Hope College will present "Hindsight Really is 20/20:  Lessons Learned from Alma Migrations - ERM Edition".

On Tuesday, August 4 at 2 p.m., Angie Vetsch from the University of Minnesota, Morris, will present on "E-Resources Workflows in Alma in Small Libraries".

Both presenters are veterans of Alma implementations and are excited to share their experiences with CARLI. 

Please use the links above to register for these events. The deadline to register is 5 p.m. the day before each respective webinar.

Oxford University Press and University Partner Presses Ebooks for All Governing Members

CARLI is thrilled to announce an agreement that provides full-text access for CARLI Governing Members to Oxford University Press ebooks published between 2018-2021. Our agreement includes access to an additional 18 Partner University Presses on the Oxford Scholarship Online (OSO) and the University Press Scholarship Online (UPSO) platforms. All titles have unlimited access for CARLI members through June 30, 2021 and may be used as course materials or for course reserves. Direct links may be embedded into course management systems; however only minimal, insubstantial amounts may be used to fulfill interlibrary loan requests. In July 2021, CARLI will purchase permanent ebook acquisitions using data from the previous year. Also, until June 2023, CARLI Governing may purchase ebooks with consortial access at the CARLI negotiated rate; please contact CARLI Support, support@carli.illinois.edu for more information.

I-Share libraries will not need to do anything to add the MARC records for this content. CARLI will share MARC records for these in the Network Zone for access in Primo VE. For additional information about these titles including the list of Partner Presses and for information about MARC records for non-I-Share libraries visit the FY21 CARLI Ebooks Project page.

Access to ebooks on the two platforms, Oxford Scholarship Online and University Press Scholarship Online, is based on the campus IP ranges that member libraries have provided to CARLI. If you need to update this information, please contact . If your IP address is associated with your institution, including use of your campus authentication system, you should already have access to these materials at https://www.oxfordscholarship.com/ and https://www.universitypressscholarship.com/.

Please see the program's website for information regarding other authentication options, such as EZProxy.

Consortial funding is for FY21. With member support/funding, the ebook program could continue after June 2021.

As mentioned in last month's newsletter , all Governing Members have access to Wiley Online Books published from 2017-2021. More information is available on the CARLI FY21 Ebook Program page.

CARLI 40th Anniversary Celebration

This year CARLI is celebrating 40 years of resource sharing through CARLI and its predecessor organizations. The CARLI 40th Anniversary Celebration and Scholarship Kick-Off Event will be held November 12, 5:30–7:30 p.m., at the I Hotel in Champaign, the day before the CARLI Annual Meeting, November 13. Save the date!  This is currently planned as an in-person event. We will have a remote component for this event, and will decide by September 1 whether to hold the in-person event.

In recognition of our 40th Anniversary we invite you to share your memories. Please share stories, photos, videos, anything! Share with us your reflections about CARLI, ILCSO, CCMP, IDAL, the staff, the meetings, consortium membership, resource sharing, etc. Ask your faculty, staff, and students to share as well. Tell us about a moment, a day, an event, person, or place that made a difference to you or the people you know. Please contribute your memories online

We look forward to hearing what CARLI means to you!

CARLI Annual Meeting

The 2020 CARLI Annual Meeting will be held on Friday, November 13 at the I Hotel and Conference Center in Champaign. Staff at any CARLI member library is invited to attend. 

A meeting of the CARLI Governing Directors will precede the Annual Meeting. 

Registration is available is available from the CARLI Calendar

These meetings are currently planned as in-person events. We will have a remote component for these meetings, and we will decide by September 1 whether to hold in-person events.

Alma Primo VE Update 

As I write this on July 24, the I-Share libraries have been online with Alma and Primo VE for exactly one month. While the frenzy of the go-live cutover is behind us, we are all now more aware than ever that Alma and Primo VE are products that take time to explore, configure, and establish new best practices for use.

On July 20, over 30 I-Share libraries opted into Alma's Automated Fulfillment Network (AFN) functionality. More institutions have plans to start using AFN over the next few weeks. AFN is the resource sharing component of Alma that replaces Voyager's Universal Borrowing feature. Additionally, some I-Share libraries have turned on the option to support local requesting, that is, their patrons requesting their items be pulled from the shelves for them. As libraries find various ways to gradually re-open from COVID-19 closures, several institutions that did not provide this service in Voyager now find that it helps them provide a more low-contact form of access to their collections. CARLI is not requiring that I-Share libraries turn on AFN by any specific deadline. When your institution is ready for AFN (and/or local requesting) please contact us. Also be sure to contact RAILS or IHLS to resume your delivery service. Additionally, we have assembled a variety of "how to" information about AFN, including a list of which I-Share libraries have activated AFN.

Since going live, I-Share libraries have reported a number of cases of slow system response in Primo VE and Alma. CARLI has an open support case with Ex Libris, and they are encouraging us to keep providing them detailed examples as they troubleshoot. We know it can be tedious to report a recurring problem like this, but your reports are helpful. To that end, CARLI has created a form that you can use to report slow response issues.

As we have mentioned previously, Ex Libris would like each I-Share library to complete and return a "Go Live Readiness Checklist", ideally by the end of July. This survey allows you to provide some feedback to both Ex Libris and CARLI on your status in terms of various Alma skills and processes.

Now that we are live, please stay aware of the monthly Ex Libris software updates. These events are marked on the CARLI website calendar. As a reminder, Ex Libris publishes release notes. The next monthly release is scheduled for Sunday, August 2.

Also, in early August, CARLI will be transitioning from our current five generic test sandboxes (populated with data from Ex Libris) to five sandboxes based on actual I-Share data. We are working with Ex Libris on this and will soon have more details for you on the date for this change and any expectations of interruptions to access to sandboxes that would be involved.

We know we have bombarded you with email and URLs related to Alma and Primo VE and it can sometimes be difficult to know where to find a document on our website or in Ex Libris' online resources. As a reminder, the search box on the CARLI website is an easy way to search our website by keyword. So, when you can't find the AFN instructions or the SIS specifications, for example, remember that you can enter keywords in the CARLI website search box to help you more quickly navigate to these resources. Likewise, you have probably heard some of the Ex Libris staff tell us that doing a Google search is one of the most efficient ways to find specific documentation in their Knowledge Center and other services.

Finally, just a quick reminder to I-Share liaisons and Alma Primo VE contacts that we need your help in keeping your coworkers informed about Alma and Primo VE. Encourage them to subscribe to our I-Share announce email list to receive I-Share-related announcements from CARLI, and our various other email interest group lists that allow I-Share library staff to post questions and ideas with others on these lists. 

Again, thank you all for your patience and support as we continue to learn Alma and Primo VE while navigating the service challenges of 2020. Take care and stay in touch.

Upcoming CARLI Events and Meetings

Important Dates

The CARLI Office staff will remain in remote work status until further notice.

August 2          Alma Monthly Release

September 7    CARLI Office Closed for Labor Day

Meetings

July 30              CARLI Alma Primo VE Open Office Hours

August 6           Governing Directors Check-in

September 9      Executive Committee
September 18    Board of Directors 

Webinars, Forums, Workshops and Training

July 30       Webinar "Lessons Learned from Alma Migrations"

August 4    Webinar "Alma Workflows in Small Libraries"

Consult the CARLI calendar for the most current list of meeting times and locations.

Contact Us

Please direct all questions and comments about the e-newsletter to . Subscribe to CARLI email lists to receive the latest news on topics of interest to you at