Alma
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108 results found
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Confirmation Notice for Curbside Bookings
Alma has allowed for the Booking Request feature to be set-up and modified as a means to provide curbisde service or make appointments. However, it appears that no letter exists to confirm the appointment day/time with the user, which would be most helpful in providing user instructions, cancellation information, contact numbers, etc. I propose that this letter be added to enhance communication and expectations especially during this challenging time of changing services and delivery options. Thank you!
19 votes -
Digitization Requests - remove 'next step' from process
When managing Digitization Requests after 'Scan In', there is an obligatory 'Next Step' which has to be selected before getting the option to 'Attach documents' (and get the status from 'Digitization' to 'Document delivery'). Is it possible to remove this 'next step' from the Digitization process?
99 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 -
Provide multiple hold pickup options within a single Alma library
We'd like to provide, within a single Alma library, the following pickup location/delivery options to our users: locker, circulation desk, or mail to home. At present, this is only possible through the creation of additional libraries.
116 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 -
User information in Print slip report
We are currently using the print slip report for our click and collect service but for us it is missing some vital user information around the requester. We would like to see the primary identifier in the report. We tried to deal with this in analytics but we also require the item barcode and this caused problems where there are multiple items under a title. The print slip report contains all the information (including the multiple barcodes) we need except for more extensive user information to help staff deal with this off site. The name is not enough, particularly where…
21 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 -
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 -
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 -
Alma bookings - concurrent bookings issue
Our institution wants to introduce bookings in Alma for our High Demand loans, which are 3 hours.
The main issue we’ve found is concurrent bookings, see scenarios below, with a 5 minute exclusion set up:
• A books item for 11:40-12:40 - however doesn’t borrow the item within the 5 minute exclusion
• B books item at 11:46, for 11:50-12.50
• A checks out item at 11:53, despite booking for B at 11:50
What is needed is some mechanism for bookings to expire automatically once the exclusion period is reached.
86 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 -
Lead time for booking requests
We use the Reading Room functionality for our Rare Books and Special Collections items. These items are not on open shelves and are securely stored with access only available to staff to retrieve items. Currently there is no way to specify a lead time between making the booking and the start time of booking (ie. you can make a booking for an item at 10am, with a booking start time of 11am that same day). Staffing levels, item availability and item condition can sometimes mean that items are not available for use immediately (if at all), which creates problems for…
14 votes -
Generate alert when patron places request for print book that is available as an ebook.
Alert a patron to the availability of an ebook when they place a request for the same title as a print book.
16 votes -
Allow each items’ request policy with specific parameters (location, keyword etc.) to be excluded from the title-level request policy
I believe this is an expansion on this idea https://ideas.exlibrisgroup.com/forums/308173-alma/suggestions/31119715-title-level-request-and-item-level-request
But we are dealing with ASRS in our case so I thought it might be a little more elaborate.
We would like to have the option to allow each items’ request policy with specific parameters (location, keyword etc.) to be excluded from the title-level request policy.
Currently we have "No requesting" as our general policy that's applied to all of our items except for the ones in ASRS. The problem is that when items with multiple copies and identical call number exist both at open-stack library and ASRS, the No…
83 votes -
Bulk Work Order Functions
A function that allows you to scan multiple item barcodes to create a specific type of work order on all items you scan.
This would also allow you to remove work orders in bulk.
This is a function we very much need; on Monday I had to create 140 work orders for one of our Resource Sharing services, and this took nearly an hour and a half to do. This is not feasible for us in the long term, and we very much need a rapid function for this process.
This function would, of course, need to inform the user…
30 votes -
Add more flexibility in Request TOU Pickup Locations policy
We’d like more flexibility in Request TOU Pickup Locations policy.
We have more than 20 libraries and most of them are located within walking distance. Therefore, we want our patrons to go directly to those libraries instead of placing pickup requests and limit the patrons who can place such requests. Otherwise, the number of requests will become too large to handle and logistics and management cost will become enormous. Moreover, it’s not time efficient. If users go directly, they can borrow immediately, but it may take 1-2 days to deliver since there is no direct route between some libraries.
Currently,…
162 votes -
Add Requester Name and Requester's ID on Pick up from Shelf export list
Add Requester Name and Requester ID on Pick up from Shelf export list.
21 votes -
Alternative Call Number in Manage Patron Services-Requests
In Manage Patron Services, tab Requests, we can’t display or add Alternative Call Number.
For us is important the visibility of this field due to it’s our location system.
We would like this field to be displayed.Thanks!
129 votes -
Allow patron to choose whether to recall or just place a hold
It would be great to offer the patron the choice of whether they want to be "put on the list" for an item when they place a hold, or they want to recall that item because they need it quickly.
24 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
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