Alma Resource Sharing Guide

Note:  You must choose the UBorrow library location first, or the joint Circ desk/UBorrow Library location to Receive material.

You will need two types of information to Receive Requests:  the External Identifier,  which is listed on each request in the Borrowing and Lending lists,  &  the Item barcode, on the actual item.  Although not optimal or practical for every request, if the slip sent with the item does not have this information, the request can still be received.

For Libraries that process large batches of requests each day, please use "Receiving Items", (see image below) instead of clicking "Receive" next to the request in Resource Sharing Borrowing Requests.

When receiving requests, if you use "Receiving Items", you can scan one request after another, instead of sorting through or searching 10s or 100s of requests in the List of Borrowing Requests and clicking on ... & "Receive" next to each request.  

This is a two-step process.

• Step 1:  Scan the External ID, which should start with 01FALSC 
  • This should be listed on the Shipping Slip, see examples below

Step 2:  

• Once you click "OK" on the Received Items form, another form will pop-up and you'll be prompted to scan in the Temporary Item barcode.  This should be the item barcode on the item, see example below.
• This Temporary Item barcode will be used when loaning and returning the item in Fulfillment. 

 

After the you click "OK" the status of the request should change to "Physically Received by library".

Note:  Be sure to scan in the External ID at the first step.  If you attempt to scan in the item barcode, you'll get an error message, see example below.

Scan in Items

Once the request has been Received, you need to make sure the request goes to the Active Hold Shelf in Alma.  Once the request reaches the Active Hold Shelf, the patron is automatically sent an email letting them know that the requested title is available for pickup.

Depending on your location when the request was Received, and/or the pickup location, this may require a few additional steps.

If you Received from a dual Circ/UBorrow location (generally does not have UBorrow in the name), which is also the Pickup Location.  This step will be complete.  

• If you click on Fulfillment - Active Hold Shelf, you should see the title you just Received listed, see Images 1, 2, below

Image 1. 

Image 2.

​​​​​​​If you Received from a dual Circ/UBorrow, which is not the pickup location,  you should automatically get an In-transit letter letting you know which Circ Desk location to route the item to.

• ​​​​​​​Once the item has reached the Circ Desk or dual Circ/UBorrow Desk, staff at that location will need to go to Scan in Items and scan in the item barcode.

If you Received from a UBorrow only location (generally has UBorrow in the location name):

• ​​​​​​​You (or other staff at the Circ Desk) must change to the Circ Desk location, then Go to Fulfillment - Scan in Items - Scan item barcode., see image 1 above

If you Received from a UBorrow only location, which is not the pickup location, generally at Institutions where one library does the UBorrow processing for other libraries:

• You should get an In-transit letter letting you know which Circ Desk or pickup (only) location to route the item to.
• Once the item has reached the Circ Desk or dual Circ/UBorrow Desk, staff at that location will need  go to Scan in Items and scan in the item barcode.
• This will put the item on the Active Hold Shelf and the patron will be notified that the requested title is ready to be picked up.