Claimed returned option for Lost items
In our previous system, with one click we were able to change items to Claimed Returned status, no matter what their current status was. one click and it was done.
But in Alma, for some reason, this is not possible once the item has been declared Lost. One has to go through a long and convoluted process creating a file and saving it then creating a set and saving it then running a job on the set. This involves three pages of instructional documentation and about 15 minutes of staff time every day.
We often have items claimed returned when they have automatically gone to Lost status, and it would be really useful to have the Claimed returned option appear as a choice in the elipsis also when the item is Lost.
The 'Claimed Returned' action will be available for lost loans. It will change the loan status to 'claimed returned'.
A customer parameter will determine whether the change to claimed returned should trigger a 'Find Item' action (and refund the lost item fees) + change to 'claim return', or only change to 'claim return'.
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Laura Krier commented
This has been "Accepted" for almost two years now. Is there a timeline?
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Katie Wallis commented
Has this been enacted yet? Is there a timeline?
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Simon Hunt commented
This idea has been closed and accepted, but that was over a year ago. Is this on the roadmap?
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Lisa McLaughlin commented
Any updates about the status of this, Moshe?
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Katie Wallis commented
We can't mark it as found in order to mark it as claims returned. That would prompt an automatic notice to the patron that the item has been found! Which it clearly has not or else we wouldn't need claims returned! To do so would be confusing not just for us, but for our patrons, too.
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Stacey van Groll commented
I recently submitted OLH Feedback to ask after what does Ex Libris expect us to do when a patron does not approach the library to state an item is claimed returned until after the loan is at Lost status.
They advised (and updated the documentation) that the recommendation is to make the loan Found first, and then Claimed Returned.
A clunky workaround, but at least there is some indication of how to deal with this until Ex Libris accepts that it is an issue in development currently to have such strictness of automated statuses that we cannot step in and control as library staff when we need to. -
Henry Steele commented
The problem we have with claimed returned is that something can’t have a claimed return status, and then also another process type like being on a search work order. This limits our ability to use the claimed return status, because in most all cases it would be searched for afterwards.
Would addressing the larger problem mentioned in this enhancement also address the issue I've described?
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Liz Hollendonner commented
Lost is usually not the end of an item's journey. Plenty of times a patron gets the lost email only to let us know they still have the item and that they either need some more time or will return it soon. Or they claim to have returned it. Being able to change a lost book's status to claims returned or extending the due date should be an option without having to mark it as found.
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Judy Niekelski commented
Claims Returned status needs to be a featured choice. One click and change the status. It is not functional the way it is set up.
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Marcella Nowak commented
It is imperitive the claims returned can run smoothly. This going from lost to found to lost doesn't allow for a proper claims returned that still has the item connected to the record. we can't have a record showing as found but still being claims returned.
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Mona Ammon commented
If an item is already marked lost because user did not return it on time and they got billed we do the following. Mark it found (we do this under a login that does not send return receipts). Then mark it claim returned. We also have our lost and overdue profiles set up not to function on CR status. If we find the item it is scanned in and all good. If we do not we mark it found again no return receipt sent. And then mark it lost so it bills again. Yes, a bit convoluted but not as much as other processes I see. Our biggeest issues with CR was that if we wanted to do multiple searches it was hard to track that. Recently we decided to just add note to box that pops up when you mark CR. That shows in an analytics report. Each time a search is done and item not found a new note is added. These end up being loan notes.
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Jade Erickson commented
Kate, does this convoluted process prevent the claimed returned item from reverting back to lost? I marked a lost item as found yesterday to mark it as claimed returned, but today it reverted back to lost.
If so, would you mind sharing your process?
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Lisa Hatt commented
Agree with Laura Krier- there's nothing magical about Lost that should mean a patron can't still claim they returned an item.
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Laura Krier commented
Yes, the fact that you can't change a Lost loan to Claimed Returned seems to completely defy the logic of when you would even need to use this feature at a circ desk.
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Yvonne Sang commented
I agree too. Our circulation staff add a note to the item record to avoid all this problems in processing, but that does not show the student that the item is in the claimed returned status. Something easier would be amazing!
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Keri Kirkpatrick commented
Agree! Please give us a one-click solution to change "Lost" status items to "Claimed Returned", just as we can with "Normal" status.
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Kate Webb commented
We have also recently discovered that unless you add to this process 'waive replacement cost', then it will be added a second time if the claimed returned item is not found and needs to be marked as lost again, resulting in the user being charged twice for the same item.
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Dulce Morais commented
I absolutely agree. It would be very useful and would save everybody a lot of time.
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Anonymous commented
I agree with the previous comments.
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carlos commented
Totally agree, our previous system was capable of reversing "Lost items" into "Claimed returned" status by the power of one "CLICK"