1. How to set up an RSS feed New Book List in Alma
Yoel Kortick
Senior Librarian

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3. Agenda Introduction and overview Required permissions
Step 1 create physical items set
Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
Step 3 Create an RSS publishing profile
Step 4 Create the six parts of the RSS feed URL
Step 5 Verify that there is data for the feed
Step 6 See that the RSS publishing profile runs
Step 7 Use the RSS feed URL to view the new records

4. Introduction and overview
Alma includes a built in ‘RSS’ (Rich Site Summary) feature.1
The RSS feature may provide a feed with links to the discovery interface (Primo), identifying new items added to the inventory.
This is commonly referred to as a ‘New Book List’ or ‘New Items in the Library’ list
1 For more about RSS in general see other internet sites such as

5. Introduction and overview
The library items to be included in the RSS are determined by set management selections and by the relative date spans set up in the RSS publishing profile.
Alma uses ItemToRSSNormalizer to normalize records for RSS files.

6. Agenda Introduction and overview Required permissions
Step 1 create physical items set
Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
Step 3 Create an RSS publishing profile
Step 4 Create the six parts of the RSS feed URL
Step 5 Verify that there is data for the feed
Step 6 See that the RSS publishing profile runs
Step 7 Use the RSS feed URL to view the new records

7. General System Administrator Repository Administrator
Required Permissions
The staff user who wishes to set up an RSS feed must have at least one of the following roles:
General System Administrator
Repository Administrator
Catalog Administrator

8. Agenda Introduction and overview Required permissions
Step 1 create physical items set
Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
Step 3 Create an RSS publishing profile
Step 4 Create the six parts of the RSS feed URL
Step 5 Verify that there is data for the feed
Step 6 See that the RSS publishing profile runs
Step 7 Use the RSS feed URL to view the new records

9. Step 1 create physical items set
The first step is to create a physical items set (or identify an existing physical items set) which will include the new items.
For example if the final RSS feed will be new items for bibliographic records which include ‘library science’ then the set may be created from the following query:

10. Agenda Introduction and overview Required permissions
Step 1 create physical items set
Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
Step 3 Create an RSS publishing profile
Step 4 Create the six parts of the RSS feed URL
Step 5 Verify that there is data for the feed
Step 6 See that the RSS publishing profile runs
Step 7 Use the RSS feed URL to view the new records

11. Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
The second step is to define a RSS_DISCOVERY_URL parameter.
This is done under Administration > General Configuration > Configuration Menu > General Configuration > Other Settings

12. Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
The RSS Discovery URL is made of several components.
The template for the RSS Discovery URL is as follows:
domain>/primo_library/libweb/action/dlSearch.do? institution=<institution>&vid=<view>&tab=<tab code>&search_scope=<scope_name>&indx=1&bulkSize=10&query=any,contains,<value>
A sample RSS Discovery URL is:

13. Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
Now let’s break down the URL, using red bold to show the parts.
The first part of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL is the primo domain
This is the Primo domain. It is the Primo URL up to and not including ‘primo_library’
Thus it is this part of the Primo URL:

14. Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
The second part of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL is the string /primo_library/libweb/action/dlSearch.do?

15. Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
The third part of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL is the institution code.
This is the Primo institution and not the Alma institution
The Primo institution may be seen in the back office by doing: Ongoing Configuration Wizards > Institution Wizard and then editing the institution

16. Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
In the case here the Primo institution code and the Alma institution code are the same but in many cases they are not. The code should be taken from the Primo back office and not from Alma.

17. Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
The fourth part of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL is the vid.
The vid may be taken directly from the Primo URL
Here is the primo URL:
Here is the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL

18. Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
The fifth part of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL is the tab: &tab=default_tab
The ‘tab=default_tab’ above is the tab name which may be seen in the Primo back office at ‘Primo Home > Ongoing Configuration Wizards > Views Wizard’
Edit the desired view (In this ‘Alma’ because we are using &vid=Alma) and Navigate to the “view tab” page and take the ‘Tab code’

19. Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
Here is the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL

20. Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
The sixth part of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL is the tab: &search_scope=Alma
The search_scope above is the scope name within the selected tab.
From the tab to which we navigated click ‘edit’ and choose desired scope name

21. Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
The search_scope=Alma corresponds (in this case) to scope ‘Alma University’

22. Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
Here is the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL

23. Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
The seventh part of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL is the sourceid
The sourceid may be seen by viewing the PNX of any record in primo, for example here we see that it is primo_alma:

24. Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
The sourceid may also be seen by viewing a record in Primo and clicking ‘open this item in a new window’ and then seeing the ‘&doc=‘ parameter in the URL

25. Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
The sourceid may also be seen by viewing the ‘Data Sources Configuration’ in the Primo back office

26. Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
Here is sourceid in the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL

27. Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
The eighth part of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL is the string

28. Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
The RSS_DISCOVERY_URL in it’s entirety should then be put in the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL field of General Configuration > Configuration Menu > General Configuration > Other Settings

29. Agenda Introduction and overview Required permissions
Step 1 create physical items set
Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
Step 3 Create an RSS publishing profile
Step 4 Create the six parts of the RSS feed URL
Step 5 Verify that there is data for the feed
Step 6 See that the RSS publishing profile runs
Step 7 Use the RSS feed URL to view the new records

30. Step 3 Create an RSS publishing profile
The third step is to create an RSS publishing profile
This is done from the resource management configuration menu publishing profiles

31. Step 3 Create an RSS publishing profile
Here is a sample RSS publishing profile and explanation of parts
- The feed name will be used in then URL (which we will construct shortly) used to “retrieve” the RSS
- The feed title and description will be used in the results display
Like other publishing profiles it can be set to run on a regular basis
This is the physical item set we made in step 1
The results will include everything in the set which has an item with a receiving date between 2 and 60 days ago.

32. Agenda Introduction and overview Required permissions
Step 1 create physical items set
Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
Step 3 Create an RSS publishing profile
Step 4 Create the six parts of the RSS feed URL
Step 5 Verify that there is data for the feed
Step 6 See that the RSS publishing profile runs
Step 7 Use the RSS feed URL to view the new records

33. Step 4 Create the six parts of the RSS feed URL
Here is a sample RSS feed URL
EXLDEV1_INST&file=library_science_RSS_name&type=RSS
The RSS feed URL is used to actually retrieve the records in the RSS feed.
After each time the RSS publishing runs the RSS feed will include records in the set with items with a receiving date which meets the criteria in the RSS publishing profile
Patrons may sign up for the RSS feed or a link to this URL may be put in Primo or on another page of the library.
In this way a ‘new book list’ is made.

34. Step 4 Create the six parts of the RSS feed URL
The RSS feed URL is made up of six parts
The first part of the RSS feed URL is the Alma URL up to and not including the string ‘institution’
For example this is the Alma URL:
This is the RSS feed URL:
EXLDEV1_INST&file=library_science_RSS_name&type=RSS

35. Step 4 Create the six parts of the RSS feed URL
The second part of the RSS feed URL is the string ‘/rep/getFile?institution_code=’
This is the RSS feed URL:
EXLDEV1_INST&file=library_science_RSS_name&type=RSS

36. Step 4 Create the six parts of the RSS feed URL
The third part of the RSS feed URL is the Alma institution code
For example this is the Alma URL:
This is the RSS feed URL:
EXLDEV1_INST&file=library_science_RSS_name&type=RSS

37. Step 4 Create the six parts of the RSS feed URL
The fourth part of the RSS feed URL is the string ‘&file=‘
For example this is the RSS feed URL:
EXLDEV1_INST&file=library_science_RSS_name&type=RSS

38. Step 4 Create the six parts of the RSS feed URL
The fifth part of the RSS feed URL is the ‘RSS feed name’ which was defined in the publishing profile
EXLDEV1_INST&file=library_science_RSS_name&type=RSS

39. Step 4 Create the six parts of the RSS feed URL
The sixth part of the RSS feed URL is the string ‘&type=RSS’
EXLDEV1_INST&file=library_science_RSS_name&type=RSS

40. Agenda Introduction and overview Required permissions
Step 1 create physical items set
Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
Step 3 Create an RSS publishing profile
Step 4 Create the six parts of the RSS feed URL
Step 5 Verify that there is data for the feed
Step 6 See that the RSS publishing profile runs
Step 7 Use the RSS feed URL to view the new records

41. Step 5 Verify that there is data for the feed
We will now see that there are at least “some” records in the system which meet the criteria to be included in the RSS publishing.
They will therefore be included in the next RSS feed and therefore in the ‘New Book List’
The three records on the next slides are all in the set (library science items) which is specified in the RSS profile and they have an item with a receiving date within the span (between 2 and 60 days ago) set in the RSS profile.

42. Step 5 Verify that there is data for the feed
Here is the first of at least three records which should meet our criteria for the new book list.
It is in the physical item set and has a receiving date between 2 and 60 days ago
Title ‘Bibliometrics, library science and urban knowledge transfer’ and receiving date May 26, 2014

43. Step 5 Verify that there is data for the feed
Here is the second of at least three records which should meet our criteria for the new book list.
It is in the physical item set and has a receiving date between 2 and 60 days ago
Title ‘Libraries and library science – a manual’ and receiving date May 25, 2014

44. Step 5 Verify that there is data for the feed
Here is the third of at least three records which should meet our criteria for the new book list.
It is in the physical item set and has a receiving date between 2 and 60 days ago
Title ‘Bibliotheken und library science’ and receiving date May 27, 2014

45. Agenda Introduction and overview Required permissions
Step 1 create physical items set
Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
Step 3 Create an RSS publishing profile
Step 4 Create the six parts of the RSS feed URL
Step 5 Verify that there is data for the feed
Step 6 See that the RSS publishing profile runs
Step 7 Use the RSS feed URL to view the new records

46. Step 6 See that the RSS publishing profile runs
The records will not be included in the RSS feed until RSS publishing job runs.

47. Agenda Introduction and overview Required permissions
Step 1 create physical items set
Step 2 define the 8 parts of the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL
Step 3 Create an RSS publishing profile
Step 4 Create the six parts of the RSS feed URL
Step 5 Verify that there is data for the feed
Step 6 See that the RSS publishing profile runs
Step 7 Use the RSS feed URL to view the new records

48. Step 7 Use the RSS feed URL to view the new records
We can now use the RSS feed URL which we defined in step 4 to view the new records.
This is the RSS feed URL: institution_code=EXLDEV1_INST&file=library_science_RSS_name &type=RSS
In this example we will ‘paste’ the URL into Mozilla FF (but as mentioned it will probably be done with a link from Primo or a different library page)

49. Step 7 Use the RSS feed URL to view the new records
Here is the RSS feed URL in Mozilla FF, recognized as an RSS feed

50. Step 7 Use the RSS feed URL to view the new records
Here are the results
The is the ‘RSS feed title’ and ‘RSS feed description’ defined in the RSS publishing profile
These are the three sample records we saw in the previous slides

51. Step 7 Use the RSS feed URL to view the new records
After clicking one of the results from the RSS feed it will automatically open a search in Primo for the specific record and display result in the desired scope
Note that ‘behind the scenes’ the search box automatically gets filled in with the sourceid defined in the RSS_DISCOVERY_URL (in this case primo_alma) and then the IEP PID (in this case )