Managing Patron Services at a Circulation Desk

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This page describes how to manage patron services at a circulation desk including loans, requests, fines, etc.
For links to all the main fulfillment documentation pages see Fulfillment.

To manage patron services, you must have one of the following roles:

Circulation Desk Manager (logged in to a circulation desk)
Circulation Desk Operator (logged in to a circulation desk)
Circulation Desk Operator - Limited (logged in to a circulation desk)

As part of the fulfillment process, the Circulation Desk Operator/Manager selects a patron (see Selecting a Patron) and manages the patron’s services. These activities include:

Viewing requests – The Circulation Desk Operator/Manager can view a list of items requested by the patron (see Viewing a Patron's Requested Items).
Loans – The patron arrives at the circulation desk to receive the requested material which is currently on the active hold shelf.
Alternatively, the patron may bring the desired item directly from its permanent location (that is, without having ordered in advance) to the circulation desk. The barcode is scanned at the circulation desk (see Loaning Items).
Returns – The patron returns the loaned item. The barcode is scanned at the circulation desk (see Returning Items). The item is displayed in the Returns table.
Fees and fines – Fees may be charged for library services (such as digitization), or fines may be levied if, for example, a patron damages a book. The Circulation Desk Operator/Manager can view a patron’s fines/fees and receive payments from a patron if the circulation desk is configured to receive payments (see Viewing Fines and Fees and Receiving Payments). Email and/or SMS notifications may also be set up to notify patrons of their fines and fees (see Sending Patron Notifications for Fines and Fees).
Editing patron information – The Circulation Desk Operator/Manager can make changes to patron information (see Editing Patron Information).

You can create relationships between libraries to enable the libraries to check in and check out items for each other (see Configuring Fulfillment Services Between Libraries Within an Institution).

For more information, see Patron Services Overview. (2:41 min)

Selecting a Patron

Before you can provide services to a patron, you must find the patron’s record, either at your local institution or, if your institution belongs to a fulfillment network, at the patron’s home institution. (In this latter case, you may have to register the patron at your local institution; see Registering Patrons.)

Patron Identification Page

To select a patron from your institution:

On the Patron Identification page (Fulfillment > Checkout/Checkin > Manage Patron Services), either scan the patrons' ID, or in the Scan patron’s ID or search for patron field, search for the patron in the database in one of the following ways:
- Begin typing the name of the patron. From the third character on, a dropdown list appears, and displays the first ten names that begin with the sequence of letters you typed. (Note that this not necessarily the same list as the one you would see if you performed a full search, as in the next option.)
- Perform a full search: Select . The Find and Manage Users window opens. Use the search features to find and select the patron. The window closes, and the patron's name appears in the Scan patron’s ID or search for patron field.
- Select the patron from a list of recently accessed patron records: Select , and then select the patron from the list. (Note that this list only contains patron records that were during the current session. Due to privacy concerns, this list is emptied each time you log out.)
If the patron is acting as a proxy for another patron (the "target" patron), and their account is configured to support this proxy relationship (see Managing Proxy Users), select Use proxy, and then select Go. The Proxy for field appears. Select the target patron.
Select Go. The Patron Services page opens, with the patron's record displayed in it, and the Loans tab selected. For details on patron loans, see Loaning Items.

Besides patron selection, the Patron Identification page also provides the following options:

Go To Return Items – Return patron items (see To return multiple items).
You can also press Ctrl + Alt + R on your keyboard to return patron items on the Manage Items Returns page.
Register New User – Register patrons; see Registering Patrons. Note that this should be used for patrons only and not staff users.

The Patron Services Page

Once you have selected a patron, as described above, you can use the Patron Services page to manage their services.

Patron Services Page – Loans Tab

The Patron Services page displays the following core patron information:

Patron name
ID
User group
Active balance (of the patron’s fines/fees)
Notes
Number of items on the On Hold Shelf
Overdue items

For more information on the User Notes tab, see Adding Notes to Users. The user notes contain information on items waiting for pickup. The number of items only refer to local items. Items from other institutions will not be included in the calculation.

The following keyboard shortcuts are available on the Patron Services page:

Alt + 1 – Opens the Loans tab
Alt + 2 – Opens the Returns tab
Alt + 3 – Opens the Requests tab
Ctrl + Alt + D – Same as selecting Done; returns to the Patron Identification page to enable searching for another patron (see Selecting a Patron)

You can do the following on the Patron Services page:

Select Renew All to renew all items that the patron currently has on loan. The system displays an informational message and sends the Borrowing Activity Letter with the updated due dates, where relevant. See also the note below for Renew Selected.
Select Renew Selected to renew all items that are selected on the loan display. The system displays an informational message and sends the Borrowing Activity Letter with the updated due dates, where relevant.

Renew Selected and Renew All do not prompt for overrides. The reason is that multiple items may have multiple reasons for requiring overrides, which could potentially require differing levels of privileges based on user roles, creating conflicts and potential errors. Even if only a single item is selected, Renew Selected will not allow for overrides, because of this reason. Using the Renew option found in the row actions menu is currently the only method of overriding.

Select Refresh Blocks/Notes to update the notes and check the relevancy of any blocks - whether loans have been returned and the block should be lifted or new loans have been added and a block is newly applicable.
Renew the patron if the patron's card has expired. When this happens, Alma displays a block that the patron's card has expired. To renew the user, click Renew within the block. The renewal period is determined by the User Registration Terms of Use (see Configuring Terms of Use).
If the patron has a social account attached, select Detach from Social Account to disassociate the social login from the patron.
Select Edit User Info to open the Quick User Management page and edit the patron’s information. For details on the fields displayed on this page, see Quick User Management Page Fields below.
Select Add/Renew Patron Role to add a patron role to a user, as well as view and update the patron role's expiration date. This functionality enables:
- Adding the new patron role either in the institution or the scope the desk operator is currently in (depending on the User Registration Rules).
- Renewing a patron role is only allowed if the scope is at the "institution/specific library" which the operator is currently at.

The Expiration Alert Period that is defined in the User Registration Terms of Use will be used to warn (in the User Notes area of the Patron Services Workbench) about an expected expiry of the patron role in the current library or institution.

Select Send Activity Report to send the Borrowing Activity Letter to the patron, which lists patron activity, including loans, overdue items, and active fines.
Select Send Return Receipt to send a return receipt to the specified patron for items returned to the circulation desk during the current session. For details on configuring the sending of receipts automatically, see the relevant field descriptions in Circulation Desk – General Information Fields in Configuring Circulation Desks. For details on customizing the Return Receipt Letter, see Configuring Alma Letters.
Select Send Loan Receipt to send the Loan Receipt Letter to the specified patron for items borrowed at the circulation desk during the current session. For details on configuring the sending of receipts automatically, see the relevant field descriptions in Circulation Desk – General Information Fields in Configuring Circulation Desks. For details on customizing the letter, see Configuring Alma Letters.
Select Send Requests Report to send the Full Requests Report Letter to the specified patron listing all requested items, broken down by Not Active, In Process, and On Hold Shelf.
Select Submit Request to create a request, automatically populating the request with this user's data. A physical item will have three options for the type of request to be created: Patron Physical, Booking, and Digitization. An electronic item will have an option for Document Delivery. After submitting the request, the user is again returned to the Patron Services page on the Requests tab. You can type in the title or ISBN/ISSN that you want to request, and an auto-complete will suggest possible matches. If the title you are looking for is not automatically suggested, you can use the search tool to conduct a full search.
For more information about the Submit Request function, see the Place a Request from Manage Patron Services video (1:18 mins).
Select the link to add or view patron notes. If there are no notes for the patron, the link is Add Note. The link is Edit Notes if there are between one and five notes. If there are more than five notes, the link is More User Notes Exist.
Select the Loans tab to view the patron loaned items. For details, see Loaning Items.
Select the Returns tab to view the patron returned items. For details, see Returning Items.
Select the Requests tab to view the patron’s requested items. The patron’s requests are displayed. For details, see Viewing a Patron's Requested Items.

The Patron Services page is set by default to time out after two minutes of inactivity. Optionally, you can configure the Patron Services page time out to be between 1 and 30 minutes by modifying the patron_services_timeout_minutes setting on the Customer Parameters Mapping Table page (see Configuring Other Settings).
A circulation-desk role’s ability to view all of a patron’s return history is determined by a configuration preference set during implementation (the default is to view all). If required, work with your Ex Libris Professional Services/Support representative to customize this option differently, for your specific institution’s needs.

For more information about adding the Call Number to fulfillment pages, such as the Loans display above, and selected letters, Watch the Call Number Added to Fulfillment Pages and Letters video (1:02 mins).

Managing Patrons

Only patrons that are registered at your institution can be make use of the institution's services. You can register patrons from the Patron Identification page, edit most of the information of an existing patron from the Patron Services page, and configure which fields appear in patron-related forms in the Alma configuration.

Registering Patrons

Before you can provide services to a patron, the patron must be registered at your institution. In addition, if your institution belongs to a fulfillment network, you can search for and retrieve a patron’s information from their home institution. (See also Centrally Managing Users in a Network Zone.)

When a user from one institution borrows or places requests at another institution, the user’s home institution contact information is refreshed at the servicing institution.

Learn about how Alma creates a linked user in a non-home institution when a user in a fulfillment network requests an item from that institution using their home institution's Primo in the Request from a Member Institution video (5:59 mins).

To register a new patron:

On the Patron Identification page (Fulfillment > Checkout/Checkin > Manage Patron Services), select Register New User. The Quick User Management page appears. Follow the instructions in Adding Users. When you are done, select Update User.

The Quick User Management page is slightly different when accessed by selecting Register New User on the Patron Identification page than it is when adding a user from the Manage Users page, as follows:

Quick User Management Fields
Section	Field	Description
User Information	Primary identifier	A generated value is prefilled in this field. See Configuring User ID Generation. You can change the value.
User Management Information	Patron has institutional record	Whether the patron is external or internal. Possible values are: Yes – The patron is external and information is updated by the SIS synchronization process. No – The patron is internal. If you select Yes, the Owning system field appears. The options that appear are the names of the configured SIS profiles (see Student Information Systems). Users are normally managed as external users by an external system, such as the Student Information System. External user records are synchronized with Alma using the User integration profile. Internal users are defined (see Managing Users) for users that are not managed in an external system. For example, internal users can be defined for community patrons who are not students, or for alumni. For an in-depth explanation of user management in Alma, see the Development Network. Institutions whose Student Information System (SIS) does not offer authentication services, can create users as external in Alma, but assign passwords for them directly in Alma. In this case, all the user information is managed from the SIS, but the passwords are stored in Alma and managed by the Ex Libris Identity Service. For these users, the "Password" field remains available in this section. To activate this behavior, please contact Ex Libris customer support.
User Identifier	Value	A generated value is prefilled in this field. See Configuring User ID Generation. You can change the value.

To register a walk-in patron who belongs to another institution in the Fulfillment Network:

On the Patron Identification page (Fulfillment > Checkout/Check-in > Manage Patron Services), first check to see if the patron was already registered. Search for the patron ID.

Search for Patron in Local Institution

If the patron’s ID is found, proceed with the loan on the Patron Services page. Otherwise, continue to the next step.
Search for the ID at the patron’s home institution:
1. Select Find user in other institution to open the Fulfillment Network search fields.
  Note that check box only appears if your institution is part of a fulfillment network.
  
  Search for Patron at Another Institution
2. Select the patron's home institution in Institution.
3. Enter patron search criteria in the field labeled Scan patron’s ID or search for patron. Valid search criteria include patron ID, first name, last name, or email address. The searchable identifiers can be configured by an admin; see Configuring Searchable User Identifiers. The search must be an exact match. If the search yields more than one result, an error is returned. If the search is successful, the available fields are populated. The patron's local ID will be their primary ID at their home institution.
  - To search for a patron by fields other than patron ID, ensure that fulfillment_network_search_by_all is set to true.
  - If an institution has defined hidden identifiers, these identifiers are not used for searches in a fulfillment network unless fulfillment_network_search_by_all is set to true. For more information, see Configuring Other Settings.
  - Your network may be set up not to require selecting an institution from a ‘Find user in other institution’ drop down. Instead, a "Find user in all network institutions" option causes Alma to search for the ID first in the local institution and if not found then in all other participating institutions. Alma automatically finds the user record at any of the network institutions and pulls its information from its institution. Of course, this option should be activated only if the patron used IDs that are unique across the entire network. For this option, set the network_users_unique_identifiers parameter to FULL.
4. Select Find User.
5. The Quick User Management page appears and displays the patron’s contact information, which was retrieved from the patron's home institution. Enter the patron’s ID in Primary identifier. For more information, see Adding Users.
  In a fulfillment network containing members of a Network Zone, Alma may be configured to copy automatically primary identifiers (and other identifiers, such as barcode) from the user’s home institution.
Select Update User to create the register the patron for your local institution.
The Patron Services page appears, allowing you to manage patron services.

To import a patron from a student management system:

Configure the integration profile with the online import fields as detailed on the Student Information Systems page.
When the integration profile is configured, Import user from User Management System appears on the Patron Identification page (Fulfillment > Checkout/Check-in > Manage Patron Services). Search for a patron's ID on the Patron Services page. If the ID is not found, select this field.

Online Import
Scan or type the patron’s ID from the student management system in the User Identifier field.
Select Find User.
If the ID is found in the student management system, the Quick User Management page appears and displays the patron’s information that was retrieved.
Select Update User to create the patron in the local institution’s Alma. The Patron Services page appears, enabling you to manage patron services.
If the patron’s ID does not exist in the external system, select Save to locally register the patron. The new patron information will be transmitted to the student management system.

Editing Patron Information

The Quick User Management page allows you to create and modify a patron’s account and contact information.

To edit patron information:

On the Patron Identification page, select the patron account that you want to modify (see Selecting a Patron). The Patron Services page opens.
On the Patron Services page, select the Edit info link. The Quick User Management page opens. Follow the instructions in Adding Users, or select Full Information and follow the instructions in Editing Users. You cannot edit the primary identifier or any other user identifier.
Select Save. The changes are saved and the Patron Services page opens.

Configuring Patron Information (User Registration Form)

It is possible to configure which fields appear in the User Registration, Patron Registration and the Edit User forms (from the Manage Patron Services page) forms in Alma. This option makes it possible to configure forms that are fine-tuned to the library's needs and handle only the information that the library requires. Accessing this option enables users to select the fields in the user registration form that they want to be visible in the form, with the exception of the mandatory fields.

To configure the User Registration Form:

Access the User Registration Form (Configuration menu > User Management > User Details > User Registration Form).
In the table, select the fields to be displayed for the various User Record Types (Public, Staff, Contact). Note that the mandatory fields also apply to the SIS (Users Synchronize) job (see Student Information Systems). If a user account in the XML file is missing a mandatory field, it will be rejected by the job with an error.
Click Save.

It is also possible to determine which address/email/phone types appear on the form. This option can be activated by Ex Libris. Please contact support for assistance.

Select the fields to display in the User Registration Form

User Registration Form

Loaning Items

Items are loaned as part of the circulation desk workflow (see Circulation Desk Operations Workflow), or the patron can bring the item directly from its permanent location to the circulation desk to be loaned.

When loaning an item that does not currently exist in the repository, you can create a new item to be entered into the repository by selecting Create Item (appears if you have the Physical Inventory Operator role – see To create a new item to be entered into the repository).

You can create relationships between libraries to enable a library to loan items for another library (see Configuring Fulfillment Relationships).

For institutions in a fulfillment network or Network Zone, loans belonging to another institution may be seen in the Network Activity tab. For more information, see Viewing Network Activity.

For information on handling lost loans, see Lost Loan Management.

Depending on the Reloan Limit policy, an item that was just returned by a patron may not be immediately reloanable to the same patron. Depending on the policy chosen, you may receive a block message when the loan is attempted. A different copy of the same title with the same material type is considered as a single item for this policy. This policy only applies to items that include the same Description (or both have an empty Description) under the same bibliographic record. If the policy is set to none or the time frame for reloaning has passed, the loan will successfully execute. See Reloan Limit.

For more information, see Patron Loans and Proxy Loans. (3:11 min)

To loan an item:

On the Patron Services page (see Selecting a Patron), select the Loans tab.
Under Scan item barcode, scan or enter the barcode of the item being loaned.
Alternatively, select to open the Physical Items repository-search page, search for the item, and then select it. The Physical Items page closes, and the barcode of the item is inserted into the Scan item barcode field.
If you manually enter a barcode that does not exist, a dialog box is displayed indicating that the item was not found. You can select Create Item (appears if you have the Physical Inventory Operator role) in the dialog box to create an item with the barcode. For details on creating a new item, see To create a new item to be entered into the repository.
An item without a barcode can be searched but not loaned from the Manage Patron Services screen.

Watch the Loan Material Records video for more information about viewing information and loaning without a barcode.
Choose an item and select Select. The item’s barcode is displayed in the Scan item barcode field.
Select OK. The loan is created, and appears in the list of loans at the bottom of the tab.

Patron Services Loans Tab

The Due Date value indicates the item's due date at the time of receiving the item.

If the item was borrowed through resource sharing, this date is corrected by subtracting the Delivery Delay value (configured on the Resource Sharing Partner page; see Resource Sharing Requests). For example, if the due date when receiving the item is May 16, 2012 and Delivery Delay = 4, the Due Date value displays as May 12, 2012, to allow 4 days for item delivery and ensure that the item arrives by its actual due date of May 16.

When a loan’s due date is after the patron’s expiration date as defined in the patron’s user details, the loan is shortened and the due date is calculated as the last closing hour of the library before the patron's user account expires.

To change the due date when it extends beyond the end of a semester and must be shortened to the end of the semester, see How to Make Items Have Due Dates at the End of the Semester.
When you have finished performing all the actions you need to perform for this patron in this session, select Done to end the patron session. You are returned to the Patron Identification page.

Depending on the configuration settings of the circulation desk (see Adding a Circulation Desk), a Loan Receipt letter may be sent automatically to the patron when you select Done. A single letter is sent for all loans performed in the current session. If the desk is not configured to have this letter sent automatically, you can choose to send it manually from the Patron Services page by selecting Send Loan Receipt before you select Done to end the session. (This option does not appear in the page if the desk is configured to send the letter automatically.) For information on customizing letters, see Configuring Alma Letters.

The Loan Receipt letter is not sent automatically if you do not select Done to close the current session; it is only sent when you select Done.

Managing Loans

You can view and manage existing loans in the Patron Services page, in the Loans tab.

If the loan status or the due date of a loan is changed, a Loan Status Notice letter is sent to the patron immediately. If the circulation desk is configured to send Loan Receipt letters automatically, when you select Done to close the current session, a Loan Receipt letter is also sent automatically for the updated loan. (If multiple loans were initiated or modified during the session, a single letter listing all of the changes is sent.)

When you are finished working with the Patron Services page for a particular patron, select Done to end the current patron session. This insures that all automatic notification letters are sent to the patron.

Display Options

From the Loan display drop-down list, select one of the following:

All loans – displays all items that have been loaned to the patron. When All Loans is selected, an option exists to sort on the Library column.
Loans of this session – displays items that have been loaned during the current session.

The default for the Loan display drop-down list is determined by the remember_last_loan_display parameter (see Configuring Other Settings).

Row Actions

For each loan, the following options are available in the row actions:

Work Order – Creates a request; you can select a work order or other request. See step 2 in To create a request.
Delete Loan – Deletes the item from the Loans tab. The item’s status changes to Missing (for lost loans) or In Place (for other loans). Note that the status to which the item is updated may differ depending on the value of close_paid_lost_loan.
Change Due Date – The loaned item’s due date can be changed at or after the loan time (see To change the loan due date when requested by a patron).
- You cannot change the due date on a loan if a calendar is not defined for the specified library.
- If the new due date is after the expiry date of the patron, the date is altered to match the patron expiry date. When this happens a warning message appears to inform you that the due date has been changed. In order for the warning message to display, shortened_due_date_notifications must be set to MESSAGE or MESSAGE_EMAIL. For more information, see Configuring Other Settings.
View Notes – View, edit, or add notes on the loan (see Managing Loan Notes). If any notes exist on the loan already, a check appears under Loan Notes.
View Queue – View the queue of hold requests that have been placed on an item.
View Policies – Opens the Fulfillment Configuration Utility page, which enables you to view policies that would take effect for the item if it were loaned to the indicated patron. Displayed information includes the Fulfillment Unit Name, Fulfillment Unit Rule, and Terms of Use associated with the item, as well as the due date and overdue fine information. For details, see Viewing Fulfillment Configuration Information.
Loan History – View a history of the loan (see Viewing Loan History).
Renew – Renew an item (the Loan Status field value is updated to Renewed).
- If you renew an item before its due date, the new due date is calculated from the date of renewal and not from the previous due date. For example, if an item is due on July 15 and is renewed on July 10, the new due date is calculated from July 10, according to the TOU.
- When a loan renews to the current time, it means that the renewal due date calculated by the system is in the past. This occurs if the user is expired or if the due date policy is a fixed date in the past.
- If Patron Renewal is added to a Resource Sharing Workflow Profile of Type = Lending, the patron can request renewals from the Primo loan list. Renewal is possible only if allowed by the loan's terms of use, as it is for non-resource sharing related loans.
Claimed Return – Claim an item as returned (see To claim an item was returned). When claiming an item as returned:
- The loan’s status is changed to Claim Returned.
- The item’s Process Type value is Claimed Returned, and the item remains requestable and is considered to still be on loan.
- By default, overdue fines accumulated prior to the item being claimed as returned are applied to the patron's active balance, but no new overdue fines accrue from that point onward. (This functionality, however, can be configured using the overdue_at_claim_return_loan parameter. For details, see Configuring Other Settings.)
  Due dates cannot be changed on loans in "Claimed Return" status.
Lost – Specifies that an item is lost and charges the patron (see To indicate a lost item). Ensure that the value of the Loan Display drop-down list is All loans. Select OK to add the details of the loan to both the Loan Status column of the Patron Services page and to the Fines/Fees tab of the User Details page (see Editing Users).

Columns in the Loans Grid

The columns displayed in the loans grid may be selected by selecting on the Columns button above the grid.

The columns that display by default are:

Title
Due Date
Barcode
Fine (includes the active balance as well as accrued fines)
Loan Date
Loan Status - possible values are: Normal, Normal (with user), Normal (on shelf), Recalled, Lost, Claim Returned, Renewed, Renewed (with user) and Renewed (on shelf)
The statuses followed by (with user) or (on shelf) are applicable to reading room loans. For more information, see Configuring Loan Status Names.
Item Policy
Library
Loan Notes

The columns that are hidden by default are:

Call Number
Loaned at Library
Loaned at Desk
Last Renew Date
Last Renew Status
Accession Number
Item Call Number
Author
Year - Publication year
Location
Description

Creating a New Repository Item During a Loan Process

If you are loaning an item that does not currently exist in the repository, you can add it to the repository from the Patron Services page. In order to do this, you must have he Physical Inventory Operator role.

To create a new item to be entered into the repository:

On the Patron Services page (see Selecting a Patron), select the Loans tab.
Select Create Item. The Choose Holding Type dialog box appears.
Choose the holding type and, where relevant, the citation type, and select Choose. The Quick Cataloging page appears.

Quick Cataloging Page
Configure resource and item information and select Save. For information about the fields, see Adding a New Book or Journal Article. A new item is created and entered into the repository. It can then be searched for in the Scan item barcode field in the Loans tab.
An Acquisition Technical Services work order is also created when you complete this process. For an in-depth overview of work orders, see Physical Inventory - Defining and managing work orders in Alma. Note that Alma does not submit a request for the item to be picked from the shelf, since the item is going out on a loan. It will be going into work order when it returns.

Changing a Due Date

You can change the due date of a loan.

To change the loan due-date when requested by a patron:

On the Patron Services page (see Selecting a Patron), select the Loans tab.
In the Loan display drop-down list, select All loans.
In the row actions of the loan, select Change Due Date. The Select Due Date dialog box opens.
Select the New due date box and select the due date from the Calendar dialog box.
Optionally, select the time due in the At field.
When the time is not specified, the system uses the closing time of the new due date. If the library is closed on that date, the Closed Library Due Date Management Policy is invoked (see the Closed Library Due Date Management Policy entry in Fulfillment Policy Types.)
Select Change Due Date. The new date is saved in the Loans tab.
A Loan Status Notice letter email is sent to the patron with the new due date and saved as an attachment to the user record.

A Fulfillment Administrator can change the due dates of all loans that are planned for a specific date as a bulk action, such as when the library wants to close on a specific date for some unplanned maintenance work. The system automatically corrects due dates that occur when the library is closed, depending on the library's predefined policies.

Indicating a Lost Item

You can mark a loaned item as lost.

To indicate a lost item:

On the Patron Services page (see Selecting a Patron), select the Loans tab.
In the Loan display drop-down list, select All loans.
In the row actions of the lost item, select Lost from the row actions list. The Lost Item dialog box opens with the fine/fee information.
Select OK. The Loan Status column of the Patron Services page is updated, and information about the loan is added to the Fines/Fees tab of the User Details page (see Editing Users).

For additional information about handling lost items, see Lost Loan Management below.

Indicating an Item Was Claimed Returned

If the patron claims a loaned item was returned, you can mark the item as Claimed returned.

To claim an item was returned:

On the Patron Services page (see Selecting a Patron), select the Loans tab.
In the Loan display drop-down list, select All loans.
In the row actions of the loan, select Claimed return. The value of the Loan Status column changes to Claim returned.

It is not possible to make an item Claimed Returned once it has been marked as Lost. In the event that a patron approaches to advise that a resource is returned when that resource is in the Lost status, we recommend marking the loan as Found and then as Claimed Returned.

Managing Loan Notes

You can add new loan notes, and edit or delete existing loan notes. Loan notes remain visible after a loan is returned. If notes already exist on a loan, a checkmark appears under Loan Notes.

To manage loan notes:

On the Patron Services page (see Selecting a Patron), select the Loans tab.
In the Loan display drop-down list, select All loans.
In the row actions of the loan, select View notes. (Alternatively, if a checkmark exists in under Loan Notes, select the checkmark.) The Loan Notes page opens.
To add a note, select Add Note. To edit or delete an existing note, from the row actions, select Edit or Delete. For more information on adding, editing, and deleting notes, see Notes Tab.

Viewing Loan History

You can view a loan’s history on the Loan Audit Trail page.

To view loan history:

On the Patron Services page (see Selecting a Patron), select the Loans tab.
In the Loan display drop-down list, select All loans.
In the row actions of the loan, select Loan history. The Loan Audit Trail page appears, displaying the actions taken on the specified item.

Loan Audit Trail Page

The following actions can appear in the loan history (displayed in the Action column):

Action Column Values
Action	Description
Normal	Indicates that the item was checked out. This is an item’s initial status.
Recalled	The item was recalled by the library
Renewed	The item was renewed by the patron
Lost	The item has been declared lost, based on the configured lost loan profiles (see Configuring Overdue and Lost Loan Profiles)
Lost with overdue charge	An overdue fine was incurred when the item was declared lost
Claim returned	The user claims to have returned the item
Claim returned with overdue charge	An overdue fine was incurred when the item was claimed returned
Reading room with user	The resource is in the library, in use by a user (patron)
Reading room on shelf	The resource in the library, on the shelf but reserved for a user (patron)
Web change forward	The loan’s due date has been moved forward
Web change backward	The loan’s due date has been moved backward
Bulk change forward	The loan’s due date has been moved forward by a job
Bulk change backward	The loan’s due date has been moved backward by a job
Automatic renewed	The loan was renewed by an automatic renewal job
Undo return	The SIP2 machine cancels the Check in message
Undo renew	The SIP2 machine cancels the Renew message
Item was found	An item declared Lost or Claimed returned has been found
Overdue Notification	An overdue notification was sent for this loan

The Operator column appears only for managers and administrators. See Configuring Users' Ability to View Operator Details.

Managing Lost Loans

Items can be marked as lost by the Circulation Desk Operator in one of the following ways:

Manually, when a patron notifies the circulation desk that the item is lost
Automatically, if the system is configured to automatically change an item’s status to Lost when it is overdue for a specified number of days

The following is an illustration of the actions that can be performed on lost loans.

A diagram showing the workflow for a list item.

Lost-Item Management

The following is a detailed description of the actions that can be performed on lost loans:

You mark an item as lost in one of the following ways:
- On the Patron Services page (Fulfillment > Checkout/Checkin > Manage Patron Services), locate the patron that borrowed the item and select Lost from the row actions list for the relevant item.
- Configure an item to automatically be marked as lost after it is overdue for a a specified number of days. This is done on the Lost Loan Profile Record page (Configuration Menu > Fulfillment > Physical Fulfillment > Overdue and Lost Loan Profile, select Add Overdue and Lost Loan Profile). For details, see Configuring Overdue and Lost Loan Profiles.
If a lost item is subsequently found, you can mark it as found in one of the following ways:
- On the Patron Services page (Fulfillment > Checkout/Checkin > Manage Patron Services), locate the patron that borrowed the item and select Found Item from the row actions list for the relevant item. The loan status reverts to Normal, and the item remains checked out to the patron. Depending on the lost-item fee policies configured for the item, some or all of the lost-item fees charged to the patron may be returned (for information about configuring fine and fee policies, see below).
- Scan the barcode of the item as a return (see Returning Items below). When you do so, the item is marked as found and returned. Depending on the lost-item fee policies configured for the item, some or all of the lost-item fees charged to the patron may be returned (for information about configuring fine and fee policies, see below).
You can search for items marked as lost by performing an advanced search in the repository. Select the Advanced Search link and in the Physical Items column, select Process Type. On the Advanced Search page, select Equals and Lost in the drop-down lists and select Go. For details on advanced searches, see Performing an Advanced Search.
You can also configure the following:
- Lost items can be excluded from appearing in Primo (configurable in Configuration Menu > Resources > Record Export > Exclude Process Types from Publishing). For details, see Excluding Resources with Specific Process Types from Publishing.
- Lost items can be configured as searchable but not as requestable. This is done on the Fulfillment Rules Editor page (Configuration Menu > Fulfillment > Physical Fulfillment > Fulfillment Units, select Edit from the row actions list for a Fulfillment Unit and select the Fulfillment Unit Rules tab). For details on configuring Fulfillment Unit Rules, see To add fulfillment unit rules:.
You can configure policy types for lost loans which determine how lost loans are handled. Parameters are configured in Fulfillment Configuration (Configuration Menu > Fulfillment > Physical Fulfillment > Advanced Policy Configuration > Add Fulfillment Policy) by selecting the following fulfillment policy types:
A lost item fine cannot be refunded.
For details on selecting policy types, see Configuring Policies.
- Lost Item Fine – The fine which the patron is required to pay for losing the item.
- Lost Item Replacement Fee – The amount charged to the patron for the institution to replace the item.
- Lost Item Replacement Fee Refund Ratio – The percentage of the lost item replacement fee that the institution is willing to refund to the patron if the lost item is found.
You can create a fulfillment set that displays a list of all items lost from a specific date (Fulfillment > Advanced Tools > Create Fulfillment Sets, and configure the Loan status value as Lost). For details on configuring fulfillment sets, see Managing Fulfillment Sets. You can then view the fulfillment set on the Manage Sets page (see Managing Search Queries and Sets).
If the close_paid_lost_loan parameter is set to true, when an on-loan item's status is changed to Lost and the last lost or replacement fee is closed, the loan status is changed to Lost and paid and the loan is removed from the active loans list. The loan will be considered complete and not accrue further fines or be counted in patron limits (see Configuring Other Settings (Fulfillment)). You can close Lost and Lost and paid loans by running the Close lost loans job (see Running Manual Jobs on Defined Sets). This job closes all loans in the fulfillment set, regardless of status. Any fines or fees associated with the loan remain on the patron's record. If a lost item is returned after the loan has been closed by the job, the patron is not refunded for the replacement fee. When the parameter is set to false, the loan remains active in the loan list until the Close Lost Loans job is executed and the item process type is changed to Lost even if the patron paid the lost fees.
If the rs_use_tou_for_lost_item parameter is enabled, then the lost loan settings will be applied to resource sharing requests (see Other Settings).

If an item is determined to be lost and the policy for a lost loan is Not Requestable, the Requests - Recalculate After Inventory Update job detaches the request from the item and potentially cancels the request (if no other items can be used for fulfilling the request). If the item is found, this job re-links the request to the item. For details, see Requests – Recalculate after Inventory Update in Viewing Scheduled Jobs.

Returning Items

When an item is returned, you scan its barcode and return it to its proper location, which may be in a different institution.

Managing item returns enables you to view the loan and usage history of returned items. This information is collected when its barcode is scanned. If the barcode cannot be read, you can search for the item. Note that if the item does not have a barcode, you must first assign a barcode to the item record before scanning in or returning the item. Barcodes are required in order to circulate items or move them within the library using the scan in or return features.

Scanning in an item twice will log an in-house loan (usually applies when an item is scanned but not checked out such as a non-circulating item that is used by a patron, then scanned and re-shelved by staff). See In-house Usage FAQ for more information.

For more information, see Returns. (1:50 min)

Loan and usage history information is available in Analytics reports (see Users) and in the More Info dialog box for imported records (see the More Info description in Viewing Imported Records).

Loaned items can be returned in either of the following ways:

Individually – For items loaned to a single patron (see To return an individual item)
Bulk – For items loaned to more than one patron; used to streamline operator workflow and enhance productivity (see To return multiple items)

The returned item is logged in to the system, reshelved, and made available for loaning. The history of returned items is saved indefinitely.

Usage history information can be viewed in the returns tab if the All returns filter is selected. Note that:

The privilege to view a patron’s usage history can be disabled by Ex Libris. Please contact Ex Libris support if you would like to disable this privilege.
Loan history may be anonymized. It is possible to configure how loan records will be anonymized by using the Loan Anonymization Rules. For more information, see Configuring Anonymization.

The Resource Sharing Return Slip Letter is printed when returning a resource-sharing borrowed item to the lender. For more information, see Configuring Alma Letters.

For detailed information on in-house loans, see In-House Use and Alma Analytics Reports for In-House Use.

Alma can be configured to allow a patron to return items to any member of a fulfillment network, regardless of the institution from which the patron checked out the item. This feature is called Return Anywhere. For example, if University A and University B are members of the same fulfillment network, a patron could check out a book at University A and check it in at University B. See Fulfillment Networks.

Accepting items for return from a different institution is available only if your institution is a member of a fulfillment network and has a Circulate For relationship to another member of the network (see Configuring Fulfillment Relationships). When the return is entered, The Ful Transit Slip Letter is printed at the institution accepting the return. The returned item is sent to the originating institution and marked as In Transit.

For more information about returning items from different institutions in a fulfillment network, see the Return Anywhere video (2:35 mins).

When items are loaned to and returned by a proxy user, information about the loans is stored in the loan and usage history of the borrowing patron only (and not the proxy user). For details on working with proxy users, see Managing Proxy Users.

When returning a requested item on a self-check machine, no resource request slip is generated.

The return date is checked to determine if there is an overdue fine. If necessary, you can indicate that:

The item was already returned (see To claim an item was returned)
The item was lost (see To indicate a lost item)

Returning an Individual Item

You can return a single item by entering its barcode.

To return an individual item:

On the Patron Services page (see Selecting a Patron), select the Returns tab.
Under Scan item barcode, scan or enter the barcode of the item being returned.
Alternatively, select to open the Physical Items repository-search page, search for the item, and then select it. The Physical Items page closes, and the barcode of the item is inserted into the Scan item barcode field.
Select OK. The item is returned, and appears in the list of returned loans at the bottom of the tab.
When you have finished performing all the actions you need to perform for this patron in this session, select Done to end the patron session. You are returned to the Patron Identification page.

Depending on the configuration settings of the circulation desk (see Adding a Circulation Desk), a Return Receipt letter may be sent automatically to the patron when you select Done. A single letter is sent for all returns performed in the current session. If the desk is not configured to have this letter sent automatically, you can choose to send it manually from the Patron Services page by selecting Send Return Receipt before you select Done to end the session. (This option does not appear in the page if the desk is configured to send the letter automatically.) For information on customizing letters, see Configuring Alma Letters.

The Return Receipt letter is not sent automatically if you do not select Done to close the current session; it is only sent when you select Done.

Managing Returns

You can view and manage returned loans in the Patron Services page, in the Returns tab.

Display Options

From the Return display drop-down list, select one of the following:

All returns – displays all loans that have been returned by the patron.
Returns of this session – displays items that have been returned during the current session.

The default for the Return display drop-down list is determined by the remember_last_loan_display parameter (see Configuring Other Settings).

Row Actions

For each returned loan, the following options are available in the row actions:

Work Order (Returns of this session only) – Creates a request; you can select a work order or other request (see step 2 in To create a request).
Loan History – View the audit trail of an item’s loan history (see Viewing Loan History).
View Notes – View, edit, or add notes on the loan (see Managing Loan Notes). If any notes exist on the loan already, a check appears under Loan Notes.
View Queue (Returns of this session only) – View the queue of hold requests that have been placed on an item.
View Hidden – Opens a Hidden Columns List window in which you can see the contents of hidden columns for an item.

Columns in the Returns Grid

Columns displayed on the returns grid may be selected by selecting on the Columns button above the grid.

The columns that display by default are:

Title
Return Date
Due Date
Barcode
Fine
Loan Date
Next Step (Returns of this session only) - suggests the next step that should be performed in the processing of the return (e.g., return to item to the shelf)
Owned By Library
Loan Notes

The columns that are hidden by default are:

Call Number
Description
Accession Number
Item Call Number
Author
Year - Publication year
Item Policy

Returning Multiple Items

To speed up the process of handling returns when you have multiple returns to perform, you can use the Manage Item Returns page.

To return multiple items:

Open the Manage Item Returns page (Fulfillment > Checkout/Checkin > Return Items).

Manage Item Returns Page

If your institution is part of a fulfillment network and has a Circulate For relationship with another institution, an item for that institution may be scanned in from this page as well. In this case, the Item Owner is displayed and you can select the item's originating institution from the Institution drop-down list.
Scan or enter the item barcode in the Scan item barcode field, or select and select the item from the displayed list.
In the Place directly on hold shelf field, select the relevant option, as follows:
- Yes – The item is to be placed directly on the hold shelf. An On Hold Shelf Letter is sent to the patron, indicating that the item is ready for pickup at the hold shelf (see Configuring Alma Letters).
- No – The item is not yet ready for the hold shelf and is to be designated for hold shelf processing (that is, preparing the item for the hold shelf, such as checking the item’s condition). After hold shelf processing is complete, scan the item into the relevant circulation desk. The item is placed on the circulation desk’s hold shelf, and an On Hold Shelf Letter is sent to the patron, indicating that the item is ready for pickup at the hold shelf (see Configuring Alma Letters).
This field is displayed only when the Has hold shelf processing option is selected when configuring a circulation desk (see Configuring Circulation Desks).
Select OK. The item details are displayed on the Manage Item Returns page.

Manage Item Returns Page
You can use the following keyboard shortcuts on the Manage Item Returns page:
- Alt + Ctrl + L – Opens the patron identification page (see Selecting a Patron)
- Alt + Ctrl + C – Clears the list of returned items
- Alt + Shift + X – Returns to the Alma homepage
If needed, modify the return date. One reason to modify the return date would be for items that were returned in an overnight drop box during the prior day. The date is modified as follows:
The return date defaults to the current date. The date should only be set to current date or a date in the past.
1. On the Manage Item Returns page, select Override return date and time and select the return date and time..
2. Select Apply. The return date and time is changed on the Manage Item Returns page.
To reset the return date to the current date, select Reset Return Date.
If required, select one of the following options from the row actions list:
- Work order – Creates a request; you can select a work order or other request (see step 2 in To create a request:)
- Loan history – Displays an audit trail of an item’s loan history see Viewing Loan History)
- View notes – Displays notes on the loan (see To view loan notes)
Select Exit to exit the page, or select Go to Patron Services to open the Patron Identification page.

Viewing Fines and Fees and Receiving Payments

Patrons may incur fines and fees for many reasons. Circulation desk operators view and receive payments for patron fines and fees on the Fines and Fees tab on the User Details pages (see Viewing a Patron’s Fines and Fees and Receiving Payment for Fines and Fees).

If payments are made online using the WPM Education e-payment system, circulation desk operators may need to manually record any transactions that patrons paid directly to the WPM Education e-payment system. These payments are tracked by their payment method (online) and the transaction ID, which is sent in the patron’s transaction confirmation message from the WPM Education e-payment system. To handle these types of transactions, see Recording Online Payments Manually.

After a payment is received from a patron, Alma sends the Fine Fee Payment Receipt Letter to the patron. To configure the message, see Configuring Alma Letters.

Viewing a Patron’s Fines and Fees

The Fines and Fees list below displays fines and fees that have been charged to the patron.

To view a patron’s fines and fees:

On the Patron Identification page (Fulfillment > Checkout/Checkin > Manage Patron Services), enter the patron’s name in the Scan patron’s ID or search for patron field and select Go.
The Patron Services page appears.
Select the value in the Active balance link.
The Fines/Fees tab on the User Details page appears, which lists all fines and fees for a patron.

For institutions in a fulfillment network, fines and fees for loans belonging to another institution may be seen in the Network Activity tab. For more information, see Viewing Network Activity.

User Details Page – Fines/Fees Tab

The Fines and Fees Summary area displays amounts for:
- Active balance
- Disputed balance
- Transferred balance
- Currently filtered balance
- Currently filtered disputed balance
For details on adding fines and fees, see Assigning Fines/Fees to Users.
Select Save or Cancel to return to the Patron Services page.

Sending Patron Notifications for Fines and Fees

Libraries can set up notifications to users about fines/fees. See Configuring Fines/Fees Notifications. The notifications are sent by the Fines/Fees Notifications job. See Configuring Fulfillment Jobs.

Receiving Payments for Fines and Fees

The Patron Services page enables circulation desk operators to receive payments from patrons for fines and fees.

To receive payments:

On the Patron Identification page (Fulfillment > Checkout/Checkin > Manage Patron Services), enter the patron’s name in the Scan patron’s ID or search for patron field and select Go.

The Patron Services page appears, and the sum of all fines and fees they owe appears in it, under Active balance. If the sum is greater than 0, and you are connected to a circulation desk that is configured to be able to receive payments, a Pay button appears beside the field. (For information about selecting your current location, such as a circulation desk, see Library/Desk Selector in The Persistent Menu; for information about configuring circulation desks to accept payments, see Configuring Circulation Desks.)
Select the Pay button. The Payment Details dialog box appears.

Payment Details Dialog Box
To display the entire outstanding balance, select All fines.
To select specific fines for payment, select Specific fines. The Fines to pay field is added to the dialog box.
If you selected Specific fines, do the following:
1. Select the Fines to pay. The User Fines and Fees page appears and lists the user's outstanding fines and fees.
  You can filter the list as required, for example, to only show fees for a specific fee owner, use the Owner name filter.
  
  User Fines and Fees Page
2. Select the checkboxes of the fines and fees that are being paid at this time, and then select Select. The balance of the selected items is displayed in the Payment Details dialog box, under Payment amount.
  
  Patron Details Dialog Box – With Balance
For more information about paying specific fines and fees, see the Pay Specific Fines and Fees video (5:02 mins).
Under Payment method, select a payment method (such as Cash, Credit Card, or Online). For information on online transactions, see Recording Online Payments Manually.
Payment method options can be customized. For example, you can change the Check option to Cheque. To customize payment methods, contact Ex Libris Support.
Select Add change to balance to indicate that when paying an amount greater than the balance, a credit is to be created in the patron's account for the extra payment. If this box is not selected, the system assumes you are returning the difference to the patron as change.
In the Payment amount field, modify the amount that appears to match the amount you are actually receiving.
In the Transaction ID field, enter the transaction ID.
In the Comment box, enter descriptive information for the payment, as required.
Select Send and then, in the confirmation message that appears, select Confirm. The payment is recorded, and the Patron Services page appears and displays the updated balance. If you have to return change to the patron, a message appears, informing you of how much to return to them.

Specific fines and fees can also be paid in either of the following ways:

Self-check machines – If the self-check integration profile has been set up with the Extended Fines and Fees extension type, the SIP2 Fee Paid action can receive the following field pairs:
- BZ – Payment transaction number, to attach to payment section
- EK – Fee to be paid
For details on self-check machines, see Self-Check Machines.
Web service – See https://developers.exlibrisgroup.com/alma/apis/users.

Recording Online Payments Manually

If a payment is made directly to the WPM e-payment system, Alma may not be made aware of the transaction. The Patron Services page enables circulation desk operators to manually record payment information for these types of transactions in order to update a patron’s account.

To manually record online payments:

On the Patron Identification page (Fulfillment > Checkout/Check-in > Manage Patron Services), enter the patron’s name in the Scan patron’s ID or search for patron field and select Go.
The Patron Services page appears.

Pay Link on Patron Services Page
Select the Pay link. The Payment Details dialog box appears.
Select Online from the Payment method drop-down list.
Enter the payment amount and transaction ID, which are both listed in the user’s transaction confirmation email.
Select Send.

Viewing a Patron's Requested Items

You can view a list of requested items in the Requests tab. Enter your search criteria in the Find box at the top of the page and select Go, or select a context in which to search from the Request Type or Task filter.

For institutions in a fulfillment network, items on the hold shelf belonging to another institution may be seen in the Network Activity tab. For more information, see Viewing Network Activity.

Patron Services Requests Foreign Institution.png

Patron Services Page – Requests Tab

This page allows you to perform the following actions per item in the list:

To edit the request, select Edit from the row actions list. The Create Request page opens, enabling you to edit the request’s parameters (see Creating a Request).
To cancel the request, select Cancel from the row actions list.
To update the expiration date of the request, select Update Expiry from the row actions list.
To view this title in the context of the search screen, select View title in search from the row actions list.

The Resource Sharing Request column indicates the status of the resource sharing request. If no resource sharing request exists, the value of this column is No. This is a sortable column.

Resource sharing requests with multiple items will show a line for each of the items received. In contrast, the Primo My Account request list shows only one line item per request. This is because Primo displays only the resource sharing request, regardless of how many items shipped to fulfill the request, while Alma displays all the items to the operator that are on shelf or in transit. For more information, see Resource Sharing Requests with Multiple Items.

Columns to be displayed on the requests grid may be selected by selecting on the Columns button above the grid.

The columns that display by default are:

Title
Request Type
Request Date
Start Time
End Time
Expiry Date
Task
Process Date
Managed By
Place in Queue
Resource Sharing Request

The columns that are hidden by default are:

Library
Location
Call Number
Author
Publication Year