# WRLC Retention and WRLC Permanent designation in Alma #### Overview Within our consortium's Alma system, items that are designated for **WRLC shared retention** or **permanent retention** are identified directly in the **Item Record** using Alma’s retention commitment fields. These fields allow participating WRLC institutions to indicate materials that are committed to long-term retention as part of the consortium’s collection management strategy. --- #### Designation Criteria Items are designated as **WRLC Retention** or **WRLC Permanent** by **WRLC Headquarters (HQ)** as part of consortium-level collection analysis and retention initiatives. Retention designations are applied only to 1. Items NOT located in the [Exclusion List for WRLC Retention Designation](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10xFW90Oh0aSLkFnOQw8dD58yNamu05YXmhgSHv6aIOw/edit?usp=sharing), and 2. Within participating institutions. **WRLC Retention** - Assigned to **one copy of each specific edition of a monographic title.** - Matching of unique title editions is based on the **Network ID number** in Alma. **WRLC Permanent** - Assigned to **monographs published prior to 2005**. - Titles qualified if there were **ten or fewer copies in the United States listed in WorldCat** at the time of the original collection analysis. - This analysis was conducted as part of the **WRLC Sustainable Collection Services (SCS) Project** in 2014. For additional background, see the [**WRLC Sustainable Collection Services Project 2014 Final Report**](https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6xjsXTB6D0LbktaVHFmOTRUTzhoVnVLRHdhcWFhZU96WVBN/view?resourcekey=0-KU5H2WwrQwaFoXbphH5spg). *Note: Some sections of the report regarding the number of retained copies and item tagging procedures have since been updated and replaced by current practices.* --- #### Shared Collections Facility Policy for WRLC Retention items To support long-term preservation while minimizing unnecessary duplication, the WRLC repository maintains **one copy of each specific edition of a print monographic title** in retention-eligible locations. - **No print monograph may be added to the repository if the same edition (i.e. if a WRLC Retention or Permanent item) is already stored in a retention-eligible location.** - These restrictions apply **only to locations designated as eligible for WRLC retention participation** (see the [Exclusion List for WRLC Retention Designation](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10xFW90Oh0aSLkFnOQw8dD58yNamu05YXmhgSHv6aIOw/edit?usp=sharing)). Items stored in **non-retention locations** are **not subject to this restriction**. For example, an institution may retain multiple copies of a title in a **Special Collections or Rare Books location at the Shared Collections Facility (SCF)** if that location is not designated as retention-eligible. For more information, please see the [Shared Collections Facilities Policies page](https://alma-documentation-bookstack.azurewebsites.net/books/general-wrlcscf-policies/page/shared-collections-facility-policies) of the WRLC Alma Wiki. --- #### How Retention Is Indicated in Alma Items that are part of the WRLC retention program are marked in the **Item Record** with the following values: - **Committed to Retain:** `Yes` - **Retention Reason:** - `WRLC Retention` - `WRLC Permanent` The selected **Retention Reason** identifies the type of retention commitment for the item. --- #### Where to Find This in the Item Editor [![Screenshot 2026-03-06 121942.png](https://alma-documentation-bookstack.azurewebsites.net/uploads/images/gallery/2026-03/scaled-1680-/screenshot-2026-03-06-121942.png)](https://alma-documentation-bookstack.azurewebsites.net/uploads/images/gallery/2026-03/screenshot-2026-03-06-121942.png) In the **Alma Item Editor**, the retention designation appears in the **Retention Information** section of the item record. Staff can view the following fields: - **Committed to Retain** - **Retention Reason** If an item has been designated as part of the WRLC retention program, **Committed to Retain** will be set to **Yes**, and the appropriate **Retention Reason** will be selected. --- #### Retention Reason Configuration For each participating **Institution Zone (IZ)**, two retention reasons are configured in the **Item Retention Reason Code Table**, found in Configuration > Resources > Collection Retention > Item Retention Reason These configuration entries control the retention options available in the item record.
DescriptionCode
WRLC Retention`WRLCRetentionDONOTDELETE`
WRLC Permanent`WRLCPermanentDONOTDELETE`
[![Screenshot 2026-03-06 115511.png](https://alma-documentation-bookstack.azurewebsites.net/uploads/images/gallery/2026-03/scaled-1680-/screenshot-2026-03-06-115511.png)](https://alma-documentation-bookstack.azurewebsites.net/uploads/images/gallery/2026-03/screenshot-2026-03-06-115511.png) The **Description** values appear in the **Retention Reason** dropdown within the Alma item editor. The **Code** values are the underlying system identifiers and **should not be modified or deleted**, as they support the WRLC retention workflow. --- #### Participating Institution Zones The following Institution Zones participate in the WRLC retention project: - American University - Catholic University of America - Gallaudet University - George Washington University - Georgetown University - Howard University - Marymount University - University of the District of Columbia

*Please note that neither George Mason University nor any of the specialty libraries (Law and Health Sciences) participate in the WRLC retention program.*

--- #### Important Notes for Catalogers and Staff - **Retention designations are assigned by WRLC HQ.** Local staff should **not manually assign or remove** the **WRLC Retention** or **WRLC Permanent** designations unless directed by WRLC HQ. - If an item that is marked **WRLC Retention** or **WRLC Permanent** becomes **lost, damaged, or missing**, please open a **WRLC Service Desk ticket** so that HQ can review and reassign the retention commitment if necessary. Email: **** **** --- #### Resources - **[Shared Collection Print Monograph Retention Memorandum of Understanding (2024 Update)](https://www.libraries.wrlc.org/sites/www.libraries.wrlc.org/files/2024-10/MOU%20Shared%20Collection%20Print%20Monograph%20Retention.pdf)** - **[WRLC Sustainable Collection Services Project 2014 Final Report](https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6xjsXTB6D0LbktaVHFmOTRUTzhoVnVLRHdhcWFhZU96WVBN/view?resourcekey=0-KU5H2WwrQwaFoXbphH5spg)** - **[Shared Collections Facilities Policies](https://alma-documentation-bookstack.azurewebsites.net/books/general-wrlcscf-policies/page/shared-collections-facility-policies)** - **[Exclusion List for WRLC Retention Designation](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10xFW90Oh0aSLkFnOQw8dD58yNamu05YXmhgSHv6aIOw/edit?usp=sharing)**