In partnership with our colleagues across the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI), the Ames Library will update our public-facing and internal library systems to provide a better user experience and more seamless discovery of our print and electronic materials. This new integrated library system (Alma) will “go live” on June 24th, and customizations will continue as needed.
On the library home page, you will still see our MegaSearch search box and you may use this for searching either our print and electronic (full-text) holdings, Ames Library Catalog, and/or I-Share.
We are excited to share with you the following enhancements and search features and hope to roll out more soon.
Enhancements include:
- Log into the system with your University NetID and password
- Easier access to I-Share resources due to shared system records
- Email notifications when you check out or return an item
- Longer and more consistent loan periods for some of our physical items
- Real-time updates to records making the availability of materials more timely
New search features include:
- Improved known-item searching
- Print and electronic holdings display on one merged record
- Quick searching based on Title, Subject, Author, etc.
- Virtual Browse feature for print books to see related books by subject area
Finally, please note that the library catalog does not reflect new purchases made after May 1st. After June 24th, all new purchases will be added to the catalog, and availability will also be updated to reflect a book’s status. Access to electronic resources, such as ebooks, streaming video through Kanopy, Swank, or Alexander Street Press, electronic journals, and online databases, will not be affected by this change.
We do not yet know when borrowing through I-Share will resume. All fines and due dates have been suspended for items borrowed through Ames or other I-Share libraries.
More information on the “Alma and Primo VE migration” project is available at: https://www.ila.org/publications/ila-reporter/article/130/alma-and-primo-ve-migration-changes-coming-for-carli
If you have any questions, please contact your liaison librarian or access Virtual Consultations Tuesday through Friday between 1 pm – 5 pm. We will have more information, including online tutorials, after June 24.
Thank you for your patience as we navigate this transition!