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Alma Fulfillment Resource Guide

This guide covers all aspects of the fulfillment process. This includes maintaining all patron records, loaning materials, returning/renewing loaned materials, managing lost items dealing with fines and fees as well as course reserves.

Users Groups Project Introduction

FLVC has surveyed the current user groups listed in Alma instances for the Florida 40. We believe there are opportunities to clean up these groups by removing unused groups. Many existing user groups with low utilization were migrated over from Aleph. If your institutions are interested in cleaning up your user groups please let us know and we will send the information we have gathered to start the process. 

Removing unused user groups can have the following benefits:

    • Reduce the list of patron groups that must be navigated when updating  user records
    • Reduce the chances of incorrect user groups being assigned to patrons
    • Assist with managing and understanding loan policies and how they apply to various users
    • This project will help with future opt in cleanup projects such as the cleanup of fulfillment terms of use

This will be an ongoing project, participation is completely voluntary and FLVC can assist with this process at any point in time when an institution wishes to work on this cleanup.  

Please email the helpdesk at FLVC if you are interested in learning more about this project or are ready to participate.

Project Overview

Below are the expected steps of the user group cleanup process.

  1. Institution email the FLVC helpdesk indicate they wish to examine their Alma user groups. 
  2. FLVC staff member will share current user groups and number of active users in these groups.
  3. Institution will identify user groups that they wish to be removed, if any. FLVC will provide feedback during this process.
  4. FLVC will assist institutions with any work that needs to occur prior to removal of groups. This could include bulk updating existing users to new group, and removal of unused patrons.
  5. Institutions should confirm that groups selected for removal are not part of the patron load process at their institution. 
    1. Note: FLVC can review past patron loads but it is advisable to confirm current local IT configurations that generate patron load files.
  6. FLVC will remove user groups that have been identified for removal. 

Common Unused User Groups

The following is a list of common user groups that are still present that may no longer be used at institutions or have other workflow options aside from using user accounts for workflows. Please note local workflows should be examined before confirming a user group should be removed.

  • 15 Autologin- Many schools have no users in this group. It appears some schools may track guest users with the group
  • Sublibrary- Some schools have no users in this group. Some schools may no longer use this group because of workorders available in Alma 
  • Missing and Lost- Items can be flagged as missing and lost within the Alma interface
  • 69 UBorrow partner- updated resource sharing workflows do not require patron groups for reciprocal libraries 
  • 99- previously used for Mango Statewide Catalogue 
  • Reserves- Typically handled by temporary or permanent locations in Alma