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    Resource Sharing Workflow

    Translatable
    Resource sharing enables a request by a patron in one institution to be fulfilled by another institution. The fulfillment of the request is invisible to the patron: the patron requests and returns the item to the patron's local institution, except in some cases with a fulfillment network. Resource sharing has two main players: borrowing library and lending library (see the following entries). The lending library usually sets the due date and overdue fees of the material borrowed. The borrowing library and the lending library communicate in order to enable the requesting patron to receive material, and return it to the owning library after it was used.
    Different libraries within an institution or from different institutions can share resources. Sharing can be done either through Peer-to-Peer, Broker-based, or Fulfillment Network requests. Each type of sharing has slightly different rules and follows different workflows.
    For more information on the various workflows for resource sharing, including broker and peer to peer based, managing resource sharing partners, borrowing/lending requests and contributing to the resource sharing directory, see Resource Sharing.
    See the Introduction to Resource Sharing video series (3 sessions) for more information. It is also recommended that you watch the More Information About Resource Sharing presentations. For a general overview of resource sharing see here.

    Peer-to-Peer Resource Sharing

    Peer-to-peer resource sharing occurs when a patron places a title level request at their home institution. Alma can be configured for the borrowing institution to find the resource automatically at lending institutions and place a request. The lending institution supplies the item based on negotiated lending policies. The borrowing institution then performs the circulation.
    Resource sharing libraries can manage both borrowing and lending. The protocols currently used for peer-to-peer sharing are ISO or NCIP.
    For more information on the peer-to-peer resource sharing workflow, see Peer to Peer Resource Sharing - Borrowing and Peer to Peer Resource Sharing - Lending.
    For more information on the ISO and NCIP protocols, see the Developer Network.
    For details on managing borrowing requests, see Managing Resource Sharing Borrowing Requests.
    Watch the Peer-to-Peer Resource Sharing video series (5 sessions).

    Broker-Based Resource Sharing

    In broker-based resource sharing, the borrowing institution staff requests a resource at the title level from a broker on behalf of the patron. The broker then chooses a lending institution, which defines the lending policies. Circulation is performed in the broker system.  
    For more information on broker-based resource sharing, see Broker Based Resource Sharing - Borrowing and Broker Based Resource Sharing - Lending.
    For details on managing lending requests, see Managing Resource Sharing Lending Requests.
    For additional details on the broker-based protocols of NCIP, Libris, and SLNP as well as their integration with resource sharing requests, see the Developer Network.
    For details on configuration settings to enable integration with the broker, see Configuring Alma/Broker Integration.
    Watch the Broker-Based Resource Sharing video series (5 sessions).

    Fulfillment Networks

    A fulfillment network is a group of Alma institutions that have a predefined agreement to provide fulfillment services to the patrons of the other institutions in the network. Patrons can search the network members' collections and directly request resources from the institutions within the group. The requested items can be circulated at any institution in the network.
    For more information on Fulfillment Networks, see Fulfillment Networks and Configuring Fulfillment Networks.