LMU Library News

A New LMU and LLS Library Search Experience: More Details

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  • Update #1 (April 13): For Summer Session 2023 Faculty
  • Update #2 (April 25): LINK+ Unavailable in Summer 2023
  • Update #3 (June 14): Due to the migration, faculty, staff, and students wishing to renew their library materials should contact the Circulation Desk via phone or email no later than Sunday, June 18 at 6pm. After this date, library staff will not be able to perform any renewals until the new catalog go-live on June 21. Please note: Library staff will not grant renewals for billed items. If you have questions regarding your billed material(s), contact the Circulation Desk.

As we announced earlier this year, the William H. Hannon Library at Loyola Marymount University and the William M. Rains Library at Loyola Law School will migrate their library catalogs to a new platform on June 21, 2023. Developed by ExLibris, the Alma-Primo library services platform and discovery service will provide an enhanced search experience for print and electronic resources at both libraries.

Currently, students, faculty, and staff who use Hannon Library have two search options: the library catalog and OneSearch+. The catalog allows users to search for books and media that the library owns, including e-books and streaming videos. OneSearch+ is a discovery layer that searches journal articles and digital resources, in addition to the catalog.

Note: At Rains Library, students and faculty can search the library catalog but do not currently have the equivalent of OneSearch+.

Coming June 2023

The two libraries have joined together to update the software that runs our library catalogs. In June 2023, we will fully migrate our entire catalogs to Alma-Primo. Students and faculty at both campuses will have access to the same platform which, like Hannon’s current OneSearch+, will search both the libraries’ collections as well as our vast array of electronic resources (e.g., e-journals and online archives).

The benefits to students, faculty, and staff include:

  • Improved access to the electronic materials available to users on both campuses
  • Powerful indexing and relevancy results that will result in more relevant search results
  • Students and faculty can still search directly in their favorite databases—such as JSTOR and ScienceDirect for the LMU campus and LexisNexis and WestLaw for the LLS campus—but the new Alma-Primo platform will search across databases, so you may discover relevant results from databases and journals outside your initial search
  • Future enhancements to the search experience, such as the ability to place requests from within results or access to maps of the stacks

What to Expect

The following screen shots provide a “teaser” of the new system. Our ILS Migration Steering Committee (a group of librarians and staff from both campuses) are still configuring the exact look and feel of the system. However, you can expect some version of the following:

A single search bar that also includes an advanced search option for more detailed searching:

search box

Relevant search results that combine books and articles, plus print and online resources:

search results for tongva in the catalog

The ability to sort and narrow the results to find the most useful resources:

side bar search limiters

And a results screen that clearly shows you where a book is located and whether it’s available (result number 2 below), plus links to Open Access e-books (results 1 and 3 below):

catalog records for books

Additionally, you will still have direct and immediate access to LibGuides (at LMU and at LLS), chatting with a librarian, and individual databases. Many of the same functions and navigation that you have become used to with our current system will be there, but with additional enhancements and a more dynamic interface.

Throughout April, we will be adding resources below to help you navigate the migration process, depending on your needs. Check back here over the new few weeks for updates!

Additional Resources:

If you have any questions, please contact library@lmu.edu.