To add holding and item records we need to first locate a bibliographic record for the piece in hand. To locate a record in Alma, follow these steps:

1. Search both the Institution Zone (IZ) and the Network Zone (NZ).
2. In the Search Index drop-down list, typically select: Keywords, ISBN, Title, OCLC Control Number (035a+z), or MMS ID.
3. Enter the search term (e.g. Austen, Jane)
4. In the Search Scope drop-down list, select Institution or Network.

1. Optionally, use the Advanced search.
2. Click on the plus sign to add additional search terms.
3. By default, each row represents additional search criteria that must also match (AND). Select OR in any row (other than the first) to change the combination type to OR.
4. Depending on the field you select, select the match type in the comparison drop-down box. Typical match types include Contains Keywords (words in any order, separated by spaces, disregarding all punctuation including quotes), Contains Phrase (the phrase entered is searched in its entirety), Is Empty (see Searching for Items Without Specific Information), Starts With (also known as a "left anchored" or "left match" search), Equals, Not Equals, Greater Than, Greater Than or Equal To, Less Than, Less Than or Equal To, Not In, Not Contains Keywords, Not Contains Phrase, Is Not Empty, and Contains exact phrase starting with.

• If a bibliographic record in the NZ has a home icon next to the title, you can navigate to the Institution Zone (IZ) by clicking on the home icon.

• To rerun the previous search in a different zone, click on the applicable tab.

• Ex Libris: Searching in Alma