Alma
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112 results found
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Make citation information mandatory in digitization requests
The patron form for digitization does not make page numbers, or any citation information mandatory. This would be helpful for patrons who do not provide complete information.
77 votes -
New type of block : booking
Currently the Block Preferences in Alma have Block options to permit Blocks on :
· Block types 01 et 02= Loan and renewals
· Block type 03= Loan and renewals and request
· Block type 04 = Resource sharing
· Block type 05 = Request
It would be good to include a type of block for Booking only. It would allow us to block Booking without blocking other services for a patron.
Right now libraries can’t choose to sanction a booking abuse without blocking every other service. It is too strong a sanction for some users.
Best regards,
Nathalie Darbon
76 votes -
Show 'chapter/article title' and 'chapter/article author' in completed digitization requests and in Analytics
For copyright reasons, we need to track whether users have requested an article from an issue or a chapter from a book from which they have already received a scan.
Completed digitisation requests in Alma do not show the chapter/article title or chapter/article author, only the overall title requested. The data is not available in Analytics either.
This means that we are reliant on a local spreadsheet to track what users have already requested.
We would like to see the data available on the completed requests and in Analytics.
70 votes -
Deliver Digital Documents: add notes
We would like to add notes to the quick flow “Fulfillment > Deliver Digital Documents” (as is possible via the longer workflow of “Scan In > Manage In Process Items”). This way, we can swiftly deliver digital documents - regardless of file size - with a note to the patron. At this moment, for a note to be delivered to the end user, we need to take the more extensive route through “Manage In Process Items”. Here we are limited to file size and have to break up large files (as the file size limit is 25 MB and URLS…
70 votes -
Prioritising Digitisation requests over hold requests for processing
Is it possible to have digitisation requests automatically prioritised to the top of a request queue over the physical item requests. Currently all physical item and digitisation requests go by the date they are placed by the patron. We find that patrons are waiting months sometimes just to get a copy of a chapter, where as if all digitisations were automatically at the top of the list they could all be processed and then items loaned to patrons.
66 votes -
Requesting Multiple Volumes or Multiple Copies of One Title
Alma will not allow a patron to request a second volume of a title on the same record unless the item has a description. However, as one of our catalogers explained: "Since they are part of an analyzed set, the volume number goes on the holding record, not the item record, and therefore, there needs to be two holding records."
This is problematic for requesting analyzed sets from our off-site storage facility, which is where we get the most complaints from our patrons.
We put in a Salesforce case (#00485416) about this, but they closed it because they insist we…
66 votes -
Sort booking requests by Start Time
When monitoring resource requests on Fulfillment > Monitor Requests & Item Processes, a "Sort by" button with an option to sort by Start Time would ease the handling of booking requests.
The booking requests are currently sorted by Request Date, which is not very useful, and can not be sorted by any other field.A "Sort by" button actually does appear on Fulfillment > Pick From Shelf.
Another option could be adding the Start Time on the drop down menu of the bar "Requests" on top of the page.
62 votes -
Include past digitization request information in borrower request tab
In the Manage Patron Services area, you can see current and past loans, current and past returns, but once a digitization request has been processed, it is no longer viewable from the borrower record.
Being able to see past digitization requests from each patron would help immensely with being able to identify when a patron has already received material from a certain resource. Being able to see previous request details in a list (including title, author, barcode, pages already provided) will help identify if providing additional requests from the same title may exceed the allowable copyright limit for material from…59 votes -
Alma-D waitlist - allow users to remove themselves and monitor waitlist status
Currently when a user joins a waitlist for a digital object (Alma-D / Alma Digital), they have no way to remove themselves after joining. This means that when their turn comes, the entire grace period must run before the object becomes available to the next user. The Delivery Registration Status Letter should include a link to remove oneself from the waitlist. In addition, the "Library Card" area in Primo/Primo VE should show the user their place in the waitlist (with details, e.g. estimate of time remaining) and also provide a link to remove themselves from the waitlist.
56 votes -
A separate booking calendar
Now, it is not possible to establish a separate calendar for booking request, the library's opening and closing times are used.
We would like the booking request to have a separate calendar from the Library's general hours.46 votes -
On Hold Shelf letter should display pick-up library rather than owning library
Currently, if a student places a request on a book from a different library to be picked up at their "home" library, the On Hold Shelf letter comes from the owning library with the owning library's branding, not from the pick-up location, which is what they are expecting. This is confusing to students because they are not expecting an email from a different library and often ignore it.
The On Hold Shelf letter email should have the pick-up library information/branding, not the owning library's information/branding.45 votes -
Add "Managed By Library" facet in "Monitor Requests & Item Processes"
There's a need to check the list in transit from a library to another library.
In "Monitor Requests & Item Processes" menu, there are 'Pick up location' or ' 'Owning Library' facets.
But there's no facet to check destination of the item.It will be very helpful, if the facet is given by Alma.
45 votes -
Store information about request history
It is currently not possible to see whether an item has previously been requested, only that it's checked out. I want (often) to be able to tell: how many times throughout the history of this item has it been requested and in what way (page from shelf, recall, something else). It's super weird to me that this isn't present in the fulfillment history at least, and probably in analytics.
44 votes -
Change / improve the Booking process for staff and patrons
Hi all,
We wish to submit a proposal to change the current booking process for staff creating a booking request in Alma AND for patrons creating their own bookings in PRIMO VE.
Now, Alma’s option to submit ‘’ Booking ‘’ requests requires us to first search an item, select it and then enter booking times for each piece of equipment desired, which is very time consuming.
When patrons book equipment, they often need up to 10 or more pieces of equipment for the same booking period. This is quite inconvenient and increases the risk of mistakes in the process.
In…
43 votes -
XML Expansion for "Ful Resource Request Slip Letter" with Data about Reshelving Status and about Expected Date when Item will be Reshelved
For fetching requested media at the stacks we are making use of the "Ful Resource Request Slip Letter" in printed form which we customized according to our needs.
Unfortunately, the data fields that contain
- the information that the requested item might currently not be at the stacks because it has just been returned and is therefore very likely on its way back to the stacks (Status = awaiting_reshelving)
- and the information when the requested item is expected to be reshelved ("reshelving_time")
are not provided in the XML data of the "Full Resource Request Slip Letter".
This information, when be presented…
42 votes -
Open / Closed Stacks Request Possibilities Priority
Currently, when a library owns a title in several copies, and that some of these copies are dispatched between physical locations attached to both closed and open stacks fulfillment unit, all copies behave like open stacks.
In other terms: if we have two items, one in open-stacks and one in closed-stacks, title-level requesting is blocked as long as the open-stacks item is available. Hence, open stacks configuration takes precedence over the closed one.
We would like that whenever an available item is stored in a closed stacks location alongside other open stacks available items, users still can request the item…
41 votes -
Option to define which library will serve a patron digitization request with priority
We allow patrons to place digitization requests on print journal articles. For this we use a central digitization department that serves several libraries of the institution. Since the request can be placed on the journal title it often occurs that several libraries could fulfill the request. At the moment the system picks the serving library randomly. Since our central digitization department is located at our central library, it would be extremely helpful, if we could define that items of the central library fulfill the requests with priority. This way we could eliminate unnecessary transfers of items between libraries and speed…
41 votes -
Option to Return Items Without Filling Patron Requests
Items checked in that have patron requests on them are automatically placed on hold shelf and the patron is immediately emailed. Currently Ex Libris allows a delay for the notice for a maximum of 999 minutes, which is often not long enough. Sometimes materials come back that need repair, updates, or to be quarantined. This can take varying amounts of time. It would be ideal if the system would allow us to have the option to check materials in without triggering the hold process, so we may complete any necessary steps we need to before an email is triggered to…
39 votes -
Send borrowers an email when they place a request
It would be good if, when someone places a request on Primo, they could be sent an email receipt to confirm what they have requested. (This is an idea for both Alma and Primo, as I assume the email would be sent from Alma).
Not only would it be useful for users to have confirmation (a lot of webforms will send users a copy of their completed form, so people half-expect one from Primo/Alma), but it would allow libraries to include important messaging.
eg. at the moment, January 2021, we're in lockdown again, so the email could ask people to…
35 votes -
Option to add user details to Pick from Shelf & in export list
For institutions that manage requests differently depending on User Group or other values in the user record, it would be useful to have this info displayed with the rest of the request data in a pick from shelf list. Alternatively it would be useful to have this data in the export list so that staff managing these requests have this additional data to hand.
34 votes
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