WRLC - Retention Copy Analysis Tool

At a glance

• Status: Active
• Environment / Tags: Analytics
• Applies consortium-wide?: Yes (Inferred)
• Runs on: Alma Network Zone (NZ) (Inferred)
• Trigger: Manual web form—runs when a user submits a barcode
• Primary outcome: Displays all copies of a title (same Network ID) along with retention and processing details
• Who receives results: The user who submitted the form (interactive display in browser)

Why this exists

When evaluating retention commitments across the consortium, staff need to understand how many copies of a title exist and which institution is responsible for retaining them.

This workflow provides a quick way to analyze all copies tied to the same Network ID (i.e., the same bibliographic record or edition). It helps staff:

• Identify which institution has committed to retain a title
• Review retention decisions before making changes
• Understand duplication across partner libraries
• Support retention reassignment workflows

What it does

• Presents a web form asking the user to enter a barcode
• Uses the barcode to look up the associated item in Alma Analytics
• Extracts the Network ID (shared bibliographic identifier) for that item
• Uses the Network ID to retrieve all matching copies across the consortium
• Pulls detailed data for each copy, including:
  • Title
  • Barcode
  • Process type (e.g., item status)
  • Retention commitment status
  • Retention reason
  • Call number
  • Fulfillment note
  • Institution name
• Formats results into a table for easy review
• Displays the results directly in the browser
• Shows an error message if no valid Network ID is found

Where it runs

• Alma IZ(s):
  • Network Zone (NZ)
• Systems touched:
  • Alma Analytics (reporting system used to query library data)
  • n8n web form interface
• Reports / queries used:
  • /shared/Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC) Network/Reports/CannedReports
    • Retention Reassignment Form - Barcode Lookup
    • Retention Reassignment Form

How it works

Logic overview

1. User submits a barcode via the form
2. Workflow runs Barcode Lookup report to retrieve item data
3. Extracts the Network ID from the result
4. Runs a second Analytics query using that Network ID to find all related copies
5. Branches based on whether the Network ID lookup succeeds

If results exist

• All matching copies (same Network ID) are displayed in a table
• Each row includes:
  • Title
  • Barcode
  • Process type
  • Retention commitment (Yes/No)
  • Retention reason
  • Call number
  • Fulfillment note
  • Owning institution
• A total result count is shown at the top

If no results

• If the Network ID cannot be found or is invalid:

  • User sees an error message:

    “Your item does not appear to have a valid network ID. You may need to do a more detailed search in Alma.”

• If no matching copies are returned:
  • The table displays:
    “No results found.”

Artifacts produced

• No files generated
• Output is a dynamic HTML results page displayed immediately to the user
• Includes a restart option to run another search