Batch Return in ALMA
For Stocktake, we're required to do a batch return upon collection of barcodes. Unfortunately, there is no batch return feature in ALMA. It would really be helpful to have a batch return as feature or as a job so that it could cut down the hassle.
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There is a new cloudapp which does perform bulk scan in of barcodes as detailed in the idea and comments. See here for more details: https://developers.exlibrisgroup.com/appcenter/bulk-scan-in/
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Lynne Billington commented
I went to run this job today and realised this job does not exist in Alma, which was very disappointing. I have a batch of physical items that are still in transit and were never scanned in when they went to the reading room and I can't just zap them and fix the problem like I used to be able to do. Another job for the devs to build.
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Melanie West commented
I'm not sure if this is the same thing as what is suggested here, but a batch return within the patron record in Fulfillment would be extremely useful rather than having to scan in each item separately.
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Nirmal Prabu commented
Hi all, Thanks for your suggestion.
@Moshe Shechter: Great idea, I would need to try this method
@Chris Jones: Currently, we are using the offline circulation file it is pretty tedious since we have almost thousands of records to process.
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Another option for doing returns without using the Alma UI is using the Scan In RESTful API. There's a nice blog about using this API in https://developers.exlibrisgroup.com/blog/Scan-in-and-Next-Step-APIs.
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Chris Jones commented
Although it is perhaps not a complete solution, could an offline circulation file perhaps be used in this situation?