Alma
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162 results found
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Enhance Physical Locations List export for "Suppress from Discovery" and other tags
At the moment there is no easy way to create a list of all physical locations set to "Suppress from Discovery".
It's not in the export, it's not in Analytics and it's not in the data you can get via API.
I would expect this information to be included in the export you can download in Alma. Same thing goes for "Accession Placement", "Call Number Type" and all other fields that are available in "Edit Physical Location".
At the moment the export is rather short as it contains only Code, Name, Location Type and Fulfillment Unit.
46 votes -
Enable/disable letter activity at the Library Level
Currently it is only possible to enable and disable letters at the institution level.
Initially Alma documentation said this was possible:
"The Letter Activity mapping table (Configuration Menu > General > General Configuration > Letter Activity) lists all of the letters and enables you to enable/disable them for an institution or a library."
However this was a "documentation defect" and you can only toggle letter activity at the institution level.
We would like to disable the "FulCancelRequestLetter" from our Resource Sharing Library and see the ability to turn on/off letters at the library level as desirable functionality.
28 votes -
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 -
Activate recalls by user group
Allow libraries to modify recall rules based on each user group.
Currently recalls can be turned on or all for all user groups only. It would be beneficial for many libraries, especially academic, to be able to modify recall rules by user group. As an academic institution, we would like the ability to allow certain patron groups to recall books, but block recalls by our visitor and community patrons, or patrons at other institutions. This would help prevent situations where a student working on a project or thesis from having their books recalled by a visitor patron who would like…
54 votes -
Make the focus and displayed function configurable
in the Function "Fulfillment" - " manage user services" - "Patron services" - "submit request"
a popup screen is shown "Submit request". After select a title there are 4 action buttons:
"Patron Physical", "Booking", "Cancel", "Digitization"
(in this order).- Please put the Action "Cancel" at the first or last (better) place!
- Can we configure which buttons are shown (Digitazation, and Booking we not offer as a service)
- the action button "Digitazation" is the prefered action (focus is on that function), can we configure which action is the prefered action?
Michael Voss (HUB)
18 votes -
Automatically populate date and end time in booking request form
When placing a booking in Alma or Primo you need to choose a starting date then a starting hour followed by a starting minute. You then need to choose an end date then an ending hour and an ending minute. This is a lot of clicks to place one booking.
It would be nice if the end date, hour and time could be automatically populated based on the Terms of use of the item (so if the loan period is 2 hours and the start time is 2:30 then the end time could be automatically populated to say 4:30). If…
42 votes -
Display patron account expiration date on manage patron services screen
It would be helpful to display the patron's expiration date on the manage patron services screen so that an operator does not need to navigate to the patron record and the "general information" tab just to see the patron's expiration date.
64 votes -
Differentiate Returns screen from Patron look-up screen
Our student workers at circulation keep on trying to scan student IDs in the returns box or item barcodes in the Patron services box.
I would like to make the highlight around the Returns box anyway a different, bright, distinguishable color. It would make it easy for a student to glance at the screen and think, "bright yellow, I'm on the returns window." See attachment for a preview of this option.
(I realize our students should just pay more attention to what they are doing, but they don't.)17 votes -
Only send Ful Item Change Due Date Letter for changes to due date
We've run into a real problem with recalls. We can set some items to be recallable, and others to not be recallable. However, both categories get their status changed to "Recalled." Non-recallable items simply don't get a change to their due date. Despite this, patrons who have checked out non-recallable items still get the Change Due Date letter, with a notice that tells them their due date has not actually changed. This letter currently is triggered by recalls with due date changes, recalls without due date changes, other due date changes, or recall cancellations. We think this is too much…
15 votes -
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 -
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.
192 votes -
Confirm button for adding manual charges and/or ability to edit/delete manual charges
It would be helpful to have a confirm button when adding manual charges, just as you do when waiving charges. Also, can we have the ability to edit or delete manual charges? We add charges for replacement costs for lost books, for example, and with no confirm button it can be too easy to mis-enter an amount, and as there is no functionality to edit or delete a charge you then have no option but to waive a charge and start again.
18 votes -
Include variables in subject line in letter emails costumization
In Alma you can costumize emails and letters message body via XSL including the related data from xml, but not in the subject area, where you can write only fixed text. We need the possibility to add changing information in subject area, for example add the id of requests in the subject of the Resource sharing emails. It would be possible to configure the subject field to accept variables/placeholder containing the data in xml emails?
35 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.
224 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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Fine&fees and blocks
Currently, a user who has exceeded the limit of cash in his active balance, is blocked. That's ok.
However, if a user has a lot of overdue loans (and fine&fees), and exceeded the limit of fines & fees but not in his active balance (loans are active), Alma won't block the user.
So, until user returns documents or renew there, he can check-out new books.Is it possible to add an option in the Alma BO to block a user who has exceeded the limit of fine/fees all fine/fees included and not only those which are "closed" and added in…
26 votes -
Preventing Change of Due Date (Recall) when placing Physical Item Request
When placing a physical item request for an item that is checked out, we typically want to recall the item, but there are sometimes exceptions to this. For these exceptions, we would like to have the option, while placing the request, to prevent the recall and simply add the requester to the queue without changing the due date.
45 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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Change permission authorization set without leaving current record
For example, a student worker is working with a patron. However, the patron record requires action that the student worker is not authorized to do. The student worker calls over a supervisor. Is there a way to keep the patron's record open but change the permission set from the student worker to the supervisor so that necessary actions can be taken? Or does the student have to log out completely and then the supervisor log in and search anew for the problematic patron record?
28 votes -
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".
318 votes
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