MnPALS Excel Lookup alma

Excel Alma Lookup Integration

Info
The Excel Alma Lookup Integration connects Excel to Alma, allowing instant lookups and data retrieval directly within Excel. The application is developed by Tom Ventimiglia from Princeton University.

 1. Activate the SRU Integration Profile in Alma

  1. Navigate to Configuration → General → External Systems → Integration Profiles, then select Add Integration Profile (if not already active)
  2. Select Add Availability. To retrieve item-level information, activate the Holdings option (ISO 20775).
  3. Add a username and password.
  4. Click Save.

2. Install the Excel Alma Lookup App

  1. Download the app from GitHub.
  2. Follow the installation prompts to complete the setup.

3. First-time use

  1. Open Excel, click Library Tools in the top ribbon, and enter the Base URL for the Alma SRU service. The Base URL is the Alma URL with /view/sru/institution_code appended.
    1. Examples:
      1. https://mnpals-tst.alma.exlibrisgroup.com/view/sru/01MNPALS_TST
    2. Notes:
      1. Institution codes begin with 01MNPALS_followed by your institution code.
      2. Former CLIC libraries, the institution code begins with 01CLIC-, and the ALMA URL begins with NA04 instead of mnpals.
  2. Click Add Source
    1. Selecting Non-Alma Source retrieves the option to search WorldCat or the Library of Congress.
    2. Enter the username and password created for the SRU integration profile in Alma

4. Using Excel Alma Lookup

  1. Open an Excel spreadsheet containing your data points.
  2. Click Library Tools, then select the data to search (a column, specific cell, or the entire speadsheet).
  3. In the Search section, select the search criteria fields.
  4. In the Results section, select the data fields you want to retrieve from Alma. the spreadsheet will automatically populate with the data from Alma.

5. Retrieval Options

  1. True/false indicates whether a record is present in Alma.
  2. Retrieve MARC fields by entering the three-digit MARC field number.