General Circulation: Tony Maniaci maniaci.1@osu.edu
Course Reserves: Emily Smock smock.19@osu.edu
Interlibrary Services: Brian Miller miller.2507@osu.edu
Patron Records
Retrieving a patron recordTo retrieve a patron record in Ex Libris products, you can follow these steps:
Go to the User Management area of Alma.
Use the search functionality to find the patron record by entering relevant details such as the patron’s name, ID, or other identifying information.
Once the patron record is located, you can view and edit the details as needed.
Patron records are usually imported from an external system like a Student Information System (SIS) and synchronized regularly. However, it is also possible to manually add or update a patron record in Alma
Creating a patron record
To create a patron record in Alma, you can follow these steps:
Go to the User Management area of Alma.
Select the option to add a new user.
Fill in the required fields such as first and last name, campus, user group, expiration date. Not all fields are mandatory.
Add contact information such as CAMPUS address and email. You can define multiple addresses and contact details. Not all fields are mandatory.
Optionally, add notes to the user record. Notes can be internal (viewable by circulation staff only) or public (viewed by the patron from My Account in Primo).
If needed, define a proxy user to perform loans and returns on behalf of the patron.
Patron records can also be imported from an external system like a Student Information System (SIS) using zipped XML files placed at a secure FTP location. Alma fetches these files, parses them, and updates external users according to the input file and the parameters defined in the integration profile
Holds
Canceling a hold
To cancel a hold request in Alma, follow these steps:
Select “Cancel request” for the relevant item. The Confirm Request Cancellation page will open.
From the Cancellation reason drop-down list, select a reason for the cancellation.
In the Cancellation note field, enter notes as required.
To send an email notifying the requester that the request has been canceled and that the item has been returned to its permanent location, select the Notify user check box.
Select Confirm. The request is canceled, and the item is returned to its permanent location
Expired holds
To manage expired hold shelf items in Alma, follow these steps:
Go to the Expired Hold Shelf Items page by navigating to Fulfillment > Resource Requests > Expired Hold Shelf.
Select the criteria for sorting the results in the Sort by field. The default option displayed is the one you selected for hold shelf sorting at the circulation desk.
Choose one of the following tabs:
Reshelve: Displays all expired requests for items belonging to the current circulation desk with no other request in the queue. To reshelve an item, select the Reshelve link beneath the item or select multiple items and click Reshelve.
Send to Circulation Desk: Lists all requests for items belonging to a different circulation desk in the same library or requested for pickup at another desk within the same library. To send an item to another circulation desk, select the Transit link beneath the item or select multiple items and click Transit.
Send to Library: Lists all requests for items belonging to a different library or requested for pickup at another library. To send an item to another library, select the Transit link beneath the item or select multiple items and click Transit.
Activate Next: Activates the next request in the queue, cancels the first request, and makes the item available to the next requester. To make an item available to the next patron, select the Activate next link beneath the item or select multiple items and click Activate next.
Send to Institution: Lists all requests for items belonging to a different institution or requested for pickup at another institution. To send an item to another institution, select the Transit link beneath the item or select multiple items and click Transit.
To edit an item in any tab, select the item number or the Edit request link beneath the item. The Create Request page will be displayed, where you can edit the fields.
To update the request expiration date for an item in any tab, select the Update expiry link beneath the request and modify the expiration date in the Update Expiration Date dialog box
