Show a confirmation/warning about completing a lending request when using scan in items
It would be a good enhancement to get a warning or a confirmation that a request is about to be set to completed, when we scan in an item that is currently in a resource sharing process. Because we use RFID, we have had multiple occurences of scanning in a document that already has the status Shipped Physically again by mistake, only to have the lending request irreversibly set to Request Completed, without the item ever being received by the Borrowing library. This means we have to contact the owning library and ask them to resubmit the request.
When using Scan in items, it should check the lending request to see if it ever had the status Physically Received by the library. If not, it should display a prompt asking us to confirm if we actually want to complete it unfulfilled.
As of July release you canset a message to warn the users if they are going to complete a lending process when scanning items. On the Scan In Messages Configuration page, the Complete lending request message, which defaults to none (no message), can be set to Popup message.
for more information please see Alma release notes:
https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Release_Notes/2020/Alma_2020_Release_Notes
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Timothy Jackson commented
Is there any update on when this might be implemented? SUNY's courier sometimes returns shipped item to the lender without delivering them to the borrower. Catching instances where this has happened is very difficult without a feature like this.
Thanks,
Timothy Jackson
SUNY Library Shared Services -
Magnus Carlström commented
Hi Moshe,
This would certainly solve most of the problems with scanning two times and automatically completing a lending request. This would ensure that when we scan books we have picked from shelf, this can't happen, but it is still possible to "double scan" when we return items that are requested, for instance checking in an item that has a lending request in its queue. But this fix is definately helpful, and would reduce the occurences by quite a lot.
Thanks
Magnus
Oslo University Library -
Hi,
We would like to take the below approach to this suggestion.
A new check-box will be added to the Scan In interface for 'Allow check in of shipped items'. The check box will enable blocking scan in of items that are shipped for resource sharing (i.e. that their scan in would check in the item).
The check-box will default to be selected, preserving current functionality, but will be sticky.
This will enable preventing mistaken check-in of shipped items.
Moshe
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Geir Nordanger commented
Hi Moshe,
We are awere of that posiblility, but it would make the work more inneficient.
When gathering the pick from shelf list with both patron physical and lending we would need to go 2 places. And we need to itentify the different requests.
the other problem is when returning items. the you will find both patron and lending to.Is it not possible to make a rule in the system to get a notification when trying to return an lending 30 seconds after shipping it?
kind regards
Geir Nordanger -
Hi,
Please note that using the Shipping Items menu option can greatly decrease the probability of an error. It is recommended to use this interface when shipping out items. A mistaken double scan of an item in this interface will not result in a shipped item being registered as returned.
Moshe Shechter
Alma Product Manager -
Reidar Bjorvatn commented
A splendid suggestion!
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Fredrik H. Juell commented
We have had this problem too, and support this idea.
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Øystein Haug commented
This would greatly improve my quality of work life.