Using Alma REST APIs, Specifically the User API, to Update User Details
Presentation Topic Description
Coastal Carolina University Libraries policy is to have students digitally sign an equipment agreement before we lend laptops, calculators, digital cameras, etc., to inform the patron that they’re responsible for loss or damage. The equipment agreement is typically submitted at Library kiosks, but because it's a web form, it's accessible anywhere.
Prior to Alma, circulation staff verified the patron signed the equipment agreement via a stand-alone web app that queried the web app’s database. Alma eliminates the need for the stand-alone web app since it provides a "notes" field for each patron, and the Alma REST APIs provide a mechanism to update a patron record in real-time.
This session will discuss both the end-user and admin web apps, including: How we implemented the Alma REST APIs to query and update user data, ensuring only one note is present on the patron’s account per academic year, updating the <note> element in our patron file to make the note permanent, and basic reports to inform how many patrons signed this agreement between dates.