Alma
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161 results found
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New notification letter when expiry date is updated
When updating the expiry date for items on hold shelf, we miss the opportunity to resend notification letter with the new expiry date. We are aware of the resend notification functionality, but this will not include the new expiry date.
426 votes -
'Not Needed After' date should be mandatory on patron physical request form.
It would be helpful if the 'Not Needed After' date is mandatory on the patron physical request form to improve the requesting process for Patrons when there is a high demand for physical items.
400 votesHi,
An approach we’ll be looking at is that an optional ‘Last Interest Period’ request policy will, if set, be used to set a default the last interest date (Primo and Alma). This way every request will have a last interest date set by the policy and overridable by the patron.
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Add "Request" as a block option in Block Preferences
Currently the Block Preferences have Block options to permit Blocks on Loan and Renewals, but it would be good to include Blocks on Requests on these blocks - specifically Patron Physical Item Requests, but conceivably other requests.
For example is a Patron Limit is defined on Overdues or Recalled overdues, and the limits are exceeded, the relevant Block Preferences are triggered,
i.e.
Patron overdue limits has exceeded
Patron overdue recall limit exceededHowever, the only options on what patron services blocked are Loan and Renewal.
Requests should also be added to the options so that overdues can immediately block a…365 votes -
Grace Period only for open days
Now the unit of measurement for grace period is "days". So even if the library closed on weekend, those days are included to "Grace Period". To give fair advantage of grace period, Alma should apply the grace period excluding library closed.
For the detailed scenario as I expected, please refer to the attachment.Thanks.
335 votesCurrently, grace period can only be set in calendar days. An option to limit the grace period for Open days will be added.
Thanks,
Noam. -
Show Pickup location in the tables "Requests" and "Loans" in Patron Services
It would be helpful ig the information “Pickup location” could be added as a column in the tables “Requests” and “Loans” in the “Patron services” in order to see the destination chosen by the Patron. Furthermore, the "Pickup location" should be displayed in Primo in the patron’s account - also in the "Loans" not only in the "Requests".
316 votes -
Reminder when opening hours are expiring
When you add standard opening hourse into the Library / Institution calendar it defaults to setting the expiry for the hours 3 years ahead. This is good but it would be useful to get a reminder to move them on when it's getting close to the expiry date.
267 votes -
Fulfillment Borrowing history: allow users to choose to opt in
Currently the library can turn borrowing history on or off, but the choice applies to all users. For privacy reasons, and in order to avoid subpoena situations, we have it off, but some users do want borrowing history on as a convenience, and are not concerned about privacy risk themsleves. Why not allow those users to opt in to borrowing history, and allow the default otherwise to being off?
By the way, this "opt in" approach is how most public libraries in Eastern Massachusetts are set up, so our users expect this level of service from us also.
It is…
265 votesFrom the Circulation Desk user update form, it will be possible to turn on a ‘keep my loan history’ check mark.
Patrons that have this check on will not have their loans anonymized when the anonymization process runs.
It will be possible to get this indication also from API, and from Primo.
The option to turn ‘keep my loan history’ on should be a library decision
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Prevent change of due-date when the item is under the recalled status.
Or have an alert message of some kind when the due date is being changed.
Because when the due date is changed, the recalled item reverts back to its initial status making it difficult to determine if there are requests placed on the item.230 votes -
Provide birthdate information in search results of patron search
When searching for patrons through Fulfilment>Manage Patron Services, it would be useful if the search results included the patron's birthdate so that library staff had a unique identifier to check against when there a multiple patrons with the same name.
226 votes -
Allow staff to override if an item type is not requestable
We would like some books (like a reference book) to be non-requestable for a student. However, we would like for staff to be able to put in a request on a student's behalf for a reference book, or perform an override when appropriate.
225 votes -
Fulfillment: Automatic Renewal Notices / Email Letters to patrons when loans automatically renewed
Our users have requested to be notified with the new due date when an on loan item is automatically renewed by Alma. This is currently not possible and users are not aware when the item is due back until they receive a courtesy reminder 2-3 days before the due date. We would like Alma to provide the option to configure and send Auto Renewal Notices / Email Letters to users when their loans have automatically been renewed by Alma. We have Auto Renewal Activated and our users do not receive any notification that this has taken place. We would like…
216 votesHi,
It will be possible to configure the system (with a utomatic renew rule output parameter to say whether to send an email to the patron when renewal takes place.
If emails are sent, they will be sent in an aggregated manner (single notice for all renewed loans)
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AFN Fulfillment Network, Add patron's home institution to the fields available on the hold shelf's display
When an Automated Fulfillment network allows for their patrons to pick up materials at any Institution in the AFN, it is possible for a patron to pick up their item at a third institution, that is neither the patron's home library, nor the item's home library.
With how Alma currently manages Linked Users, and with the fields available for display on the Active and Expired hold shelf screens, library staff at that third (pick-up only) institution are unable to determine which institution the patron is from.
This is because:
Since the patron is not a local patron to the pick-up…
206 votes -
Linking patron name to patron record
I have noticed there are several ideas suggested in the ideas exchange regarding linking a patron's name and/or ID to their record in Alma.
These include:
- 'Link patron loan to patron record' (posted 25/05/2016)
- 'Hyperlinking from request queue/holdshelf to patron record' (posted 21/09/2017)
- Ability to view patron data via patron ID link in resource sharing' (posted 11/01/2018)I have one more to add to the list - linking within 'Manage item returns'.
When an item is returned, the patron returning the item is displayed in the 'Patron' column, with a hyperlink to their record, and the option…197 votesThe solution approach will be to add a link from the user contact info pop up to the user record. This link will be available for users that have a role that allows viewing a full user record.
By having this link added to the user information pop up we will have added to the many places where user information is displayed.
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No Auto-Send of Activity Report Letter
The Activity Report letter automatically tries to send when “Renew Selected” and “Renew All” are selected in Alma Patron Services. This is problematic for a few reasons:
The letter is triggered even when the letter is disabled in Letter Activity configuration. It generates a ‘fail’ message for staff.
The letter slows down processes dramatically depending on how many loans are attached to the account.
A workaround is to use the letter opt-out functionality, but we'd have to continually update all of our users with the opt-out in order for this to work well for us.
I would like to see…
188 votes -
sound alert for pop-up windows
A sound alert to accompany a pop-up window would be very helpful. We find that our student workers often fail to see important pop-up notes when they are checking out or returning materials. A distinct sound would help immeasurably!
174 votesIt will be possible to configure an audio alert for pop up messages that appear at the Patron Services WB or at the Scan In Interface.
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Fulfillment: Physical item recall: option to recall more than one copy
Currently in Alma when a request is placed on a title where there are 10 copies all out on loan, and none available, a single real-time recall notification is sent to the patron who has the oldest loan, changing their loan status to 'recalled'. The 9 other patrons who have a copy are not made aware of the potential demand for the item at that time.
For the case where there are many copies of a title, the patron requesting the title could be better served if we were to recall more than one item. For example, we might say:…
169 votes -
Pop-up note when patron has something on the hold shelf
When scanning the patron's barcode or searching for a patron in Manage Patron Services, can a pop-up notification be configured to alert staff that there are items held for the patron on the hold shelf?
Currently, you have to look at the User Notes section on the right hand corner of the screen and it's gray text that does not draw attention. You can also look in the request tab if it is dog-eared but it will display all requests statuses; not just when an item is on shelf ready for pick up.
Since patrons don't always check their email…
167 votes -
Check past requests
When a request is cancelled or completed, there is no possibility to retrieve any information about the past request. If something went wrong, it is impossible to trace the patron or destination of the request.
156 votes -
Allow staff level renewing of items marked as "lost", or the ability to bulk process from "lost" to "found".
I'd like the ability to either allow staff to renew items listed as "lost" or at least be able to bulk process items marked as "lost" to "found" so we can then renew them.
154 votes -
Searching/Connecting Barcodes from other Institutions (Consortium)
In a Consortium, it is currently not possible to look up an item from another institution zone with its barcode in Alma. It's also not possible to connect the fee to an item from another institution zone, based on this same architecture issue.
We would like to have the possibility to search for items from other institutions to, among other things, place request on them on behalf of a patron directly in Alma - therefore this Idea goes along with https://ideas.exlibrisgroup.com/forums/308173-alma/suggestions/17887696-initiate-consortium-fulfillment-requests-for-items
Thank you!154 votes
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