The Fulfillment Administrator Role allows access to the Fulfillment Management Menu in Alma's configuration area. The following is a list of menu options, some details about them, as well as some cautions about making changes. Link to PowerPoint
Read the documentation before making changes. Use the Help Menu --> Help for this Page to make sure you understand what each table does and how it might affect other settings.
Test everything in a sandbox first!
Keep track of all your changes and submit them to the help desk along with the problem or your goal if you need help.
Alma does not have a revert function. Take screen shots or export code tables before making changes in case you need to go back to a previous configuration.
Many configuration settings are Institution-wide. Get consensus before making changes.
The Fulfillment Configuration Menu is context dependent and will change depending on whether you are configuring at the institution level or at the library level.
Library Details (Library Level) - Used to update library name, contact information, and library hours.
Summary - Do not touch the Summary tab. Please contact us for library name changes etc that is configured on this page so that UBorrow isn’t broken.
Contact Information – You can update the address, telephone number and email address of this library here.
Calendar Management – This is where you would set the standard hours and exceptions for the library.
IP Definitions – Not used.
Opening Hours – Used to update institution-wide exceptions and events.
Summary – View only.
Contact Information – View only.
Calendar Management - Allows you to set institution wide Exceptions (closed days) and update Events (fixed due dates).
Opening Hours (Library Level) - This takes you to Calendar Management in Library Details where you would set the standard hours and exceptions for the library.
Transit Time – Allows you to set up rules that enable Alma to calculate the feasibility and expected delivery times for fulfillment requests.
Reshelve Without Transit Rules – Allows you to set up rules that prevent an item becoming intransit between libraries that might be connected.
SIP2 Bin Configuration – This is used in SelfCheck set up. Contact the help desk if you need to set up a new machine or troubleshoot an existing one.
Relationships (Library Level) - This is used to set up pick up locations for the library’s items and whether the library can circulate other libraries’ items, as well as whether the library can acquire resources for and supply from other libraries. Contact the help desk if you want to set up “Acquire for”. Do not touch “Supply from” if that column shows in your table.
Circulation Desks (Library Level) - This lists the circulation desks associated with the library. Consult the help desk if you are considering adding an additional circ desk. Opening the circ desk will show these tabs:
General Details – The name of the desk can be changed. Be careful making any other modifications.
Physical Locations – Do not touch.
Work Order Types – Contact the help desk if you are considering using work orders.
Operators – You can add and remove operators here instead of adding the role in the staff user record.
Automatic Printing -- This page is used to specify the rules for automated printing of request slips from the circulation desk for items that need to be fetched from the shelf. You could have pick from shelf slips go automatically to your printer queue instead of going to the Pick From Shelf page in Fulfillment.
Physical Locations (Library Level) - Modify existing or create new physical locations in Alma. Determines how materials within the location will circulate via the assigned fulfillment unit. Manages which circulation desk(s) can process materials from this location. Can suppress physical location from discovery.
Remote Storage (Institution level) - Used to manage offsite locations from which users can request materials. Configurations for institutions with remote storage facilities should be currently in place. Consult with FLVC before making any changes.
Fulfillment Units - Determines the loan and request parameters for materials within the designated physical locations. Made up of fulfillment unit rules that set a Terms of Use to defined parameters. For most institutions, fulfillment unit rules use item policy and user group combinations to determine loan and request behavior. However, parameters can also include Job Category, Location, Material Type, Patron Affiliated Campus, and Process Type.
Fulfillment Units (Library Level) - Don’t use
Terms of Use and Policies - List of policies grouped together to determine what services are available to the user. Possible Terms of Use types include: Booking, Borrowing Resource Sharing, Lending Resource Sharing, Loan, Request, User Registration. Loan TOU’s determine if and how long an item can be loaned, if it can be renewed, what overdue and/or lost fees are applied if the item is not returned, etc. Request TOU’s determine if an item is requestable, where the item can be picked up, how long it stays on the hold shelf before expiring, etc. Do not edit TOUs related to Borrowing Resource Sharing or Lending Resource Sharing.
Terms of Use and Policies (Library Level) - Don’t use
Block Preferences - Determines if a block can be overridden. If the block can be overridden it determines which circulation desk role is required to override it.
Auto Loan Renewal Rules – Used to automatically renew eligible loans. Works in conjunction with the Send Courtesy Notices and Handle Loan Renewals fulfillment job. Can set specific parameters based on user group and/or owning library to determine which loans are automatically renewed.
Item Policy - Set on the item record. Used within fulfillment unit rules to determine circulation behavior.
Item Policy (Library Level) - Don’t use
Advanced Policy Configuration - Sets all the policy types located within the TOU's.
Advanced Policy Configuration (Library Level) - Don’t use
Overdue and Lost Loan Profile - Determines when/how many overdue notices are sent to a user. Determines when an item is marked as lost.
Loan Recalls Configuration - Determines which workflows or services will recall a loan.
Loan Status Name - allows the customization of loan process status descriptions.
Request Task Name – allows you to rename tasks
Request Pickup Configuration - Determines if a physical item request shows up on the “pick from shelf list,” how long before the request expires, and if the requested material should be marked as Missing if the request does expire.
Self Check Messages - Maps SelfCheck error message codes to text descriptions.
Request Priorities - Sets the hierarchy for physical item requests.
Scan In Messages Configuration - Determines if/what messages appear when scanning in materials
Patron Groups - Also known as user groups. Set on the user record. Used to determine which Terms of Use is used when a circulation or request transaction occurs.
Patron Limits - Sets the threshold before a block is placed on the user account. Limits include the maximum cash value a user can overdue, the maximum number over overdue items a user can have checked out to them, the maximum number of requests that they can have open at a single time.
Patron User Authentication - Configurations that allow your users and library staff to login into Primo VE and Alma. Do not edit.
Loan Limits - The maximum number of loans a user can have checked out to them. Limits can be placed via user group, item policy, library, location, and/or material type.
User Block Description - Create manual block that can be applied to the user record.
User Block Definitions - Sets parameters on how the blocks created in the previous menu function.
User Demerits - Allows the creation of a demerit system to assign blocks to users. Works in conjunction with General – Other Settings.
Digitization Departments – Allows you to add and set up Digitization Departments. Setting up digitization requires multiple steps in configuration please contact the help desk if you are interested.
Digitization Departments (Library Level) -- Not used.
Electronic Document Delivery Rules – Used to set up digital fulfillment.
Delivery Profiles Metadata – Allows you to configure what metadata is shown in the Alma Viewer for digital objects.
Alma Viewer Labels – Allows you to configure the labels used in/by the Alma Viewer.
Viewer Share Buttons – Allows you to configure the social network sharing buttons that appear when selecting the Share link in the Alma Viewer.
Processing Departments – This allows you to add and label the processing departments available in the Course dropdown. The processing departments currently in Alma were migrated from Aleph’s Department list. Many institutions used this list in Aleph for academic departments rather than sublibraries/libraries. Feel free to modify this list for your uses.
Academic Departments – This allows you to add and label the academic departments available in the Course dropdown. The academic departments currently in Alma were migrated from Aleph’s Unit list. Many institutions used this list in Aleph for sublibraries/libraries rather than academic departments. The departments you add to this list are visible as facets in Primo VE and many institutions have found it useful to keep the sublibrary/library labels in this list to make it easy for patrons to quickly find reserves that are at a particular campus/library. Feel free to modify this list for your uses.
Additional Reading List Citation Statuses – Allows you to configure additional citation statuses to use while managing Reading Lists. Feel free to modify this list for your uses.
Citation Processing Rules – Allows you to configure rules to automatically create purchase requests for citations based on criteria associated with the citation, reading list, and/or course.
Course Terms – Allows you to customize what term descriptions are available in the Course dropdown.
Citation Attributes Types – Allows you to create attribute types. Attribute types need to be mapped to Attributes in the Citation Attributes To Citation Attributes Types table.
Citation Attributes – Allows you to create attributes. Attributes need to be mapped to an Attribute Type in the Citation Attributes To Citation Attributes Types table.
Citation Attributes To Citation Attributes Types – This table allows you to associate attributes to attribute types. You can associate up to five attributes to each attribute type. You can add attributes by type to citations in the Attribute tab in the citation record. Once you associate attributes to types you can assign them in your citations by going to the Citation Attributes tab. Reports on these attributes can be created in Analytics: https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Product_Documentation/010Alma_Online_Help_(English)/080Analytics/010Introduction/The_Basics_of_Working_with_Analytics/080Displaying_Citation_Attributes_in_Analytics_Reports
Locate Citation by Fields – This table allows you to configure the fields that Alma uses to match newly-entered non-repository citations to Alma inventory.
Tags – This table allows you to define tags. Tags defined here should be mapped in the Tag Mapping table.
Tag Mapping – This table allows you to map tags by level (to citations or sections) and visibility. Some of this functionality requires Leganto. You can add these tags by visibility to citations in the Tag tab when editing a citation.
List Subjects – This table allows you to enable, disable, or change the names of the Reading List subjects.
Additional List Subjects – This table allows you to add, delete, enable, disable, or change the names of new Reading List subjects.
Citation Material Type -- This table allows you to add, delete, enable, disable, or change the names of secondary material types for citations.
Reading List Statuses – This table allows you to change the name of the predefined reading list statuses.
Additional Reading List Statuses – This table allows you to add additional reading list statuses.
Notification Types – Allows you to customize the language of what appears in the Recent Changes tab in Reading Lists and Citations.
Test BIB to Citation Normalization – Used with Bibliographic Mapping Rules menu option to test the rules created there.
Bibliographic Mapping Rules -- The fields in a citation are copied from bibliographic records when a) you create a citation from a repository record or b) a resource locate is successfully performed (manually or automatically) on the citation, thereby connecting the citation to a repository record. You can modify how the fields are copied over by modifying the Normalization Rules that are used for this process.
Workflow Profiles
Rota Assignment Rules
Rota Assignment Rules (Library Level)
Locate Profiles
Shipping Cost Lender Rules
Shipping Cost Borrower Rules
Sending Borrowing Request Rules
Sending Borrowing Request Rules (Library Level)
Patron Query Types
Additional Requested Media
Requested Media Definition
Levels of Service
Library Mapping
Brief Audit Fields
Resource Languages
Item Policy Exceptions
Request Form Type by Genre
Borrowing Requests Inactive Filters
Borrowing Request Statuses
Automatic Locate Reject Reasons
Automatic Renew Reject Reasons
ISO General Messages
Resource Sharing Directory Member
Display Logic Rules
Related Records
Direct Linking
General Electronic Services
Viewer Services
Online Services Order
General Electronic Services Order
Locations Ordering Profile
Other Settings
Currency Symbols
Fulfillment Jobs Configuration – Do not modify the jobs on this page without consulting with us first.
Other Settings – Be extremely careful modifying any of the settings on this page. Any changes here are institution wide and can have significant impacts on fines, UBorrow, and other processes.
Printers – This is where you would set up printer queues for institution-wide departments.
Printers (Library Level) -- This is where you would set up printer queues for library desks and departments.
Article Form Mandatory Fields – Do not touch. Designates specific fields as mandatory when configuring Alma resource sharing requests.
Book Form Mandatory Fields – Do not touch. Designates specific fields as mandatory when configuring Alma resource sharing requests.
Digitization and Copyright Rules – Used in the configuration of Digitization. If you are interested in Digitization, please contact the Help desk.
Access Rights – Allows you to set rules for access to digital objects.
Copyright Declaration – Allows you to customize copyright declarations.
Copyrights Statements – Digital – Allows you to configure digital resource copyright statements to display to a user before displaying digital resources.
Digital Watermark – Allows you to upload an image as a watermark used for digital objects.
Resource Sharing Copyright Declaration – Allows you to configure a resource sharing copyright declaration that is displayed to patrons before they request an item from a partner.
Copyright Publishers – This table allows you to create a list of publishers against which to compare the publishers associated with digitization requests. These comparisons can be used in digitization and copyright rules during automatic copyright approval.
Citation Default Copyright Status – Allows you to configure the default copyright status for reading list citations.
The Fulfillment Administrator Role allows access to some new jobs. The following is a list of jobs, some details about them, as well as some cautions about making changes.
Jobs can be run on logical or itemized sets. Best practice is to run jobs on itemized sets so that you maintain a record of items that were updated.
Changes made are not easily reversed. When possible, run the job on a single item or in a sandbox before modifying a large group of records.
Accessed via Admin -> Manage Jobs -> Run a Job
These jobs modify records within a pre-defined set. See Managing Search Queries and Sets.
Accessed via Fulfillment --> Advanced Tools - Loans
Accessed via Fulfillment --> Advanced Tools - Loans