When an item is on loan to a patron and the loan has been marked Lost, deleting that lost loan in Alma changes the item’s process status to Missing. This creates confusion because the item is not simply missing from the library’s shelves; it was previously checked out to a patron, declared lost through the overdue/lost billing process, and then administratively removed from the patron’s active loan record.
A distinct status such as Lost Loan Closed would more accurately reflect the item’s history and current condition.
Benefits
This enhancement would:
• distinguish deleted lost-loan items from regular missing inventory,
• improve accuracy in item status reporting,
• reduce confusion for circulation and technical services staff,
• support clearer Analytics reporting,
• improve audit trails,
• help libraries manage billed/lost-item workflows,
• and give institutions better control over long-term lost-loan cleanup.
I would like Alma to have a separate process status specifically for loaned items marked Lost when the lost loan is deleted, instead of changing those items to Missing.
Possible names for the new process status include:
1. Long-Term Lost
2. Administratively Lost
3. Lost Loan Closed
4. Irretrievable
5. Irrecoverable
Other optional behaviors:
When staff delete a loan that is already marked Lost, Alma should either:
Option 1: Automatically assign the new status
Automatically change the item to Lost Loan Closed or Administratively Lost instead of Missing.
Option 2: Prompt staff to choose the outcome
Display a prompt when deleting a lost loan, allowing staff to choose the appropriate next item status, such as:
1. Lost Loan Closed
2. Missing
3. Withdraw
4. In Place
5. Work Order
6. Leave status unchanged, if applicable
Option 3: Allow institutional configuration
Allow each institution to configure the default status applied when a lost loan is deleted.