In June 2019, Butler Library launched a new library catalog and discovery platform. The new system, called Primo, will offer a single search interface for finding library materials and managing your library account.
New and improved features in Primo:
Primo replaces Summon as the search interface that connects you to the print and electronic resources provided by Butler Library. Primo and Summon share many common elements, and those who are comfortable with searching in Summon will be equally comfortable using ALLsearch, Primo’s discovery layer.
Library accounts will be simplified and accessed with a single, easy-to-use interface. By signing in, you will be able to view check-outs, submit hold requests, renew materials, and view fines/fees.
For most items, faculty loan periods have been extended to 16 weeks and students will benefit with end of semester due dates. If you can't find what you need in Butler Library, search for and request books from other SUNY libraries within Primo.
Migrations of this sort are challenging! Every effort is being made to minimize impacts on your library experience; however, some disruptions may occur. Thank you for your patience as we work through the process, especially during the immediate post-migration period in the summer of 2019, when we will be doing intensive cleanup.
Rest assured – we’ll be here to provide support for you and your students throughout and after the migration.
An Ex Libris product, Primo is the application providing the customer interface to an institution’s resources (print, electronic, and digital).
SUNY’s contract with Aleph (current system) expires in 2020. In anticipation of this change, the needs of SUNY libraries were considered alongside the current library software market. Ex Libris’s Alma and Primo were chosen as the next system. The data in Aleph will need to be migrated to the new system. In addition, workflow changes will be necessary and opportunities for collaboration and cooperation will emerge in the new system environment.
There is a lot of functionality in both Alma and Primo which will replace several existing systems. Systems currently in use that will be replaced include Aleph, our current discovery service (Summon), our current electronic holdings management system (Serials Solutions), and our current link resolver (360 Link).
Primo will be the new SUNY-wide discovery layer and will replace Summon. It would be possible to keep a separate discovery layer, but not practical. Primo is fully integrated with Alma. Summon would require a separate knowledge-base (360Core).
Primo looks and functions remarkably like Summon. Most users won’t notice a difference. Summon pulls metadata from all submitted records to create a ‘master’ record, they call this match-and-merge. This allows our patrons to search the full-text of a book even if we only have it in print or to see the table of contents even if our record is brief. Primo lacks this functionality.
Date | Action |
---|---|
May 10, 2019 | All data cleanup in Aleph ceases |
May 24, 2019 | Alma configuration freeze |
May 28, 2019 | Buffalo State begins cutover |
May 29, 2019 | Circulation freeze: Offline circulation only |
May 30, 2019 | ExLibris migration activities begin |
June 10, 2019 | Alma delivered: Data review begins |
June 13, 2019 | Buffalo State finishes cutover and is live on Alma |
* July 1, 2019 - August 16, 2019 - Aleph extended use period (no web OPAC, no OCLC services)
** Summon remains active for 90 days post cutover