Borrowing Workflow (Loans): The basic borrowing workflow for loans is as follows. These steps should be taken every day your library's interlibrary department is open. Please see below for more details.
Borrowing Workflow (Articles): Borrowing article requests are automatically sent to potential lending libraries, users receive an email with a download link once a lender fills a request, and the borrowing request is automatically completed once that email is sent, so borrowing workflow for article requests is fully automated.
Borrowing Request Statuses: The following are the most commonly seen borrowing request statuses:
Turning Off Borrowing: You can turn off borrowing at your library if your library will be closed for an extended period. Instructions on how to do that
Borrowing Loan Periods: All lenders are obligated to assign lending due dates in accordance with the SUNY Libraries Consortium Network Zone Loan Periods Policy. However, borrowers are not obligated to provide the full lending loan period to their users. Borrowers may shorten the loan period for resource sharing items however they see fit.
Training Video
Please see the link below for a video recording of a live demonstration of the workflows outlined in this FAQ.
Alma Resource Sharing - Physical Borrowing Workflows - April 24, 2024
User Roles Needed to Process Borrowing Requests
Your Alma account will need the following user roles to process borrowing requests.
If you are unable to perform any of the actions described below, please contact the staff responsible for assigning user roles at your institution.
Receiving Single Volume Requests
1. Go to Fulfillment | Resource Sharing | Receiving Items.
2. Make sure the Automatically notify patron box is checked, enter the request's External identifier (it should be on the paperwork provided by the lender) into the External identifier field and then click the Ok button. A new window will open.
3. Make sure Automatically print slip is set to Yes, enter a temporary barcode (we strongly encourage you to use the lending library's barcode), and then click Save. The Resource Sharing Receive Slip Letter will print, and the item will either be placed on hold for the user or put in transit to the user's pickup location. If the item is put in transit, it will be placed on hold for the user once it is scanned in at their pickup location.
Receiving Multi-Volume Requests
1. Go to Fulfillment | Resource Sharing | Receiving Items, make sure the Automatically notify patron box is checked, enter the request's External identifier (it should be on the paperwork provided by the lender) into the External identifier field, and then click the Ok button as shown above. A new window will open.
2. Make sure Automatically print slip is set to Yes, check the Multiple items box, enter a temporary barcode, and then click Save. You'll then see the barcode you entered listed below the Temporary Barcode field.
3. Enter a barcode for the second volume into the Temporary barcode field and then click the OK button. You'll see the second barcode added to the list of barcodes at the bottom of the window. Repeat this step until you've received all volumes and then click the Done button. The Resource Sharing Receive Slip Letter will print for each item, and the items will either be placed on hold for the user or put in transit to the user's pickup location. If the items are put in transit, they will be placed on hold for the user once they are scanned in at their pickup location.
Note: If a user submits a renewal request for a resource sharing item in Primo, Alma will automatically approve the renewal request on both the borrowing and lending end, and the user will immediately be given a new due date. No staff work is required for resource sharing renewal requests submitted via Primo. The workflow described below is for manually renewing resource sharing items on behalf of a user.
Renewing Items via Borrowing Requests
1. Go to Fulfillment | Resource Sharing | Borrowing Requests, search for the request you wish to renew (we suggest searching by Requester, Title, or External Identifier), click the ellipsis next to that request, and then click the Request Renewal link. The Request Renewal window will open.
2. Click "Choose a Date", select a new due date, and then click the Renew button. The lender does not need to approve the renewal request, so the date you pick will be your user's new due date. The renewal will be automatically approved, a renewal notice will be sent to the patron, and the request's status will change to Renewed by partner. Please do not enter anything into the Note to Partner field. This will create an active note in the lending request that could cause confusion.
Renewing Items via Manage Patron Services
1. Go to Fulfillment | Checkout/Checkin | Manage Patron Services, retrieve the user's account, change the Loans Display setting to All Loans, find the loan you wish to renew in the user's loan list, click the ellipsis next to that loan, and then click the Renew link. Alma will select a new due date of the current date plus the original loan period, send a renewal request to the lending library (which will automatically be approved), and notify the user that their loan has been renewed.
Note: Do use the Change Due Date function to renew resource sharing loans. That function will not send a renewal request to the lending library.
1. Go to Fulfillment | Checkout/Checkin | Return Items
2. Scan the temporary item barcode and then click the Ok button. A new window will open.
3. The new window will tell you which library the item should be returned to. Click the OK button. That will produce a Resource Sharing Return Slip Letter.
Responding to Conditional Messages
1. A borrowing request with a conditional message will appear in your Resource Sharing Borrowing Requests list with the status of Conditional. Click the Conditional status facet to display just the request with the conditional message and then click the Request with active notes link to view the conditional message. The request will open on the right side of the screen, and Alma will automatically scroll down to the conditional message.
2. Click the ellipsis next to the request with the conditional message, and then click the Conditional Reply link. The Conditional Reply window will open.
3. Select either Yes or No, enter a response to the conditional in the Note field, and then click the Send button. If you say yes, the request will remain active at the library that sent the conditional. If you say no, the request will move on to the next library in the rota.
1. Go to Fulfillment | Resource Sharing | Borrowing Requests, click the ellipsis for the request you would like to cancel, and then click the Cancel link. A new window will open.
2. Select a Cancellation reason, check the Notify User box if you'd like the user to receive an cancellation email, and then click the Confirm button.
When a user submits a borrowing article request, Alma automatically sends the request to potential lenders unless the request exceeds the CONTU "Rule of 5". The vast majority of borrowing article requests are automatically sent to potential lenders without any staff intervention at the borrowing library. Requests that exceed the "Rule of 5" end up in the Pending Approval status, and they must be manually sent to the first library in the rota if you wish to fill the reqeust in Alma.
Copyright payments must be managed outside of Alma. Recommended methods for doing this are purchasing the requested article directly from the publisher's website, purchasing the requested article from a commercial document supplier like Reprints Desk, or making a payment to the publisher via the Copyright Clearance Center. If you purchase the requested article outside of Alma, you can deliver the file via Alma instead of sending it to the first library in the rota.
Sending Requests That Exceed the "Rule of 5"
1. Click the Edit button for the article request that is in the Pending Approval status. A window with additional information about the reqeust will open on the right side of your screen.
2. Scroll down to the Requests Attributes section of the request, change the Copyright Status dropdown to "Copyright Approved", and then click the Save button. The request status will change to Ready to be Sent.
3. Click the ellipsis next to the request and then click the Send link. The request will be sent to the first library in the rota.
Delivering Purchased Articles to the User
1. Locate the borrowing article request in the Borrowing Requests list, click the ellipsis next to the request, and then clock the Upload link. You will then be taken to the Document Delivery interface.
3. Click the Browse link, select the file you received from the lending library, wait for the file to finish uploading, and then click the Send button. The Document Delivery Notification Letter will be sent to the user, and the borrowing request will be completed.
