diff --git a/sru/almasru.py b/sru/almasru.py
index d24e2d2ee39e80cbed51b89b497efd4b6d8582d8..1107a0b30f99e79a0bb4029e2e27a2114e6b52a0 100644
--- a/sru/almasru.py
+++ b/sru/almasru.py
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ class RecordRetriever:
             'marc': 'http://www.loc.gov/MARC21/slim'
         }
 
-    def get_single(self, alma_query: str) -> Element:
+    def get_unique(self, alma_query: str) -> Element:
         """Return one MARC XML record for a specific query.
 
         :param alma_query: URI-parameter query for SRU request
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ class RecordRetriever:
         sru_url = self._create_url(alma_query, startrecord)
         sru_xml = self._response_to_xml(sru_url)
 
-        self._raise_errors_single_records(sru_xml)
+        self._raise_errors_unique_record(sru_xml)
 
         xml_list = self._extract_marc_xml(sru_xml)
         return xml_list[0]
@@ -102,7 +102,14 @@ class RecordRetriever:
 
         return sru_url
 
-    def _raise_errors_single_records(self, sru_xml: Element):
+    def _response_to_xml(self, sru_url):
+
+        response = request.urlopen(sru_url).read()
+        sru_xml = fromstring(response)
+
+        return sru_xml
+
+    def _raise_errors_unique_record(self, sru_xml: Element):
 
         num_recs = sru_xml.find("srw:numberOfRecords", self.namespaces)
 
@@ -138,7 +145,7 @@ class RecordRetriever:
         """
 
         alma_query = f'alma.local_control_field_009={marc_009}'
-        return self.get_single(alma_query)
+        return self.get_unique(alma_query)
 
     def by_barcode(self, barcode: str) -> Element:
         """Return record by barcode.
@@ -146,7 +153,7 @@ class RecordRetriever:
         param barcode: Barcode of a specific item."""
 
         alma_query = f'alma.barcode={barcode}'
-        return self.get_single(alma_query)
+        return self.get_unique(alma_query)
 
     def by_mms_id(self, mms_id: str) -> Element:
         """Return record by MMS-ID.
@@ -154,4 +161,4 @@ class RecordRetriever:
         param mmsid: MMS-ID of a specific item."""
 
         alma_query = f'alma.mms_id={mms_id}'
-        return self.get_single(alma_query)
+        return self.get_unique(alma_query)