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Alma

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120 results found

  1. 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
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  2. 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.

    87 votes
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  3. 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

    82 votes
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  4. 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…

    28 votes
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  5. 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
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  6. 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
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  7. 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
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  8. 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,…

    202 votes
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  9. 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.

    24 votes
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  10. 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!

    130 votes
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  11. 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
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  12. 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…

    76 votes
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  13. Configurable item lists

    In the several item lists we need to display several columns. In the item list "Item - in department" we need for instance columns for the item fields.

    In the different lists something else should be displayed.
    There for the different work steps different displays are needed.

    It would be best to configure which columns per list we would like to see. Thereby we need more fields from the Physical Item Editor (or for other editors) that we can configure for display in the list.

    155 votes
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  14. Need item-based request priority

    We need to be able to configure a request TOU which allows to define an item-based request priority, based on item policy. When there are two identical items available for requesting, I want to indicate to Alma which one to prefer.

    We have a library responsible for legal deposit. Of all documents of legal deposit, we have two items, one which can be requested for the reading room, the other which can be requested for loan. When a patron places a request on the holding, Alma decides randomly which one of the items to provide.
    We would like to configure…

    36 votes
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  15. Request letter

    We would like to be able to send a user a notification about a request immediately after placing the request. The notice would give basic information about the status of the request. Something along the lines of the "interested in" letter. Running a request report once a day is insufficient for our operations.

    145 votes
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  16. Batch Update Expiry Date for Items in Department (Work Orders)

    It would be really helpful if we had the ability to change expiry dates for items in process (in department, with a work order) in a batch. This screen already includes the ability to change status, mark done, and generate barcodes in batch. Adding an option to update the expiry date that way seems like a logical addition.

    29 votes
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  17. 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
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  18. 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
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  19. Improvements to Pick From Shelf list needed

    Currently our staff spend too much time managing requests. Improvements to the interface for Pick From Shelf would help in some of these cases. We would like to see:

    1. A search box.

    Very often we need to target a particular request, a task made more difficult by less than ideal facets (see #2). Search functionality exists under Monitor Requests & Item Processes, but not all options for handling requests are available in that view (such as "Skip Location").

    1. Better facets.

    Two of the facets available in the Monitor Requests & Item Processes view would be great for Pick from Shelf:…

    20 votes
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  20. Add seach box to Active Hold Shelf

    We often have 1500+ items on our Active Hold Shelf. While we have the ability to sort, this does not help much when we are looking for a particular item. A search box would allow us to locate an item easily without clicking through page after page.

    16 votes
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