Skip to Main Content

Alma Resource Sharing Guide

This guide explains the various components of FLVC's current resource sharing processes also known as UBorrow.

Setup

When we transitioned from Aleph to Alma, we setup the UBorrow (Resource Sharing) Libraries based on the following:

Partners

Partners are created for libraries that do Borrowing (Receiving, Return), or Lending (Shipping, Check-in).  There are other special cases such as FLARE, or other sharing entities, where a Partner is needed to be added in the Rota, such as ILLiad.

  • All Borrowing Libraries have a Partner.  Staff at these libraries retrieve material from Delivery and use Alma to Receive Requests. 
  • Only Lending Libraries, that also do Borrowing have partners.  Staff at these libraries use Alma to ship Requests, and mail to Partner libraries via Delivery.
    • Libraries that participate in UBorrow lending only,  pull requested material from the shelf and route it to the library handling Alma Lending.

UBorrow Libraries

In Alma it is not possible to display different lists of Pickup Locations for Fulfillment(Circ) and UBorrow. 

Therefore, if the pickup locations were the same, the UBorrow and Circ Desks were combined, see image below.

The Borrowing/Lending Implications for combining are below.

  • Borrowing:  When an item is Received at a Dual Fulfillment/UBorrow Desk, Received items does not need to be scanned in, it is done automatically.
  • Lending:  When UBorrow loan is returned, at a Dual Fulfillment/UBorrow Desk, the item does not need to be returned in UBorrow, it is done automatically.

Example of East and North Circ Desks.  Both UBorrow and Fulfillment functions can be done at these locations.  

If the Pickup Locations were different between Fulfillment (Circ) and UBorrow in Aleph, the UBorrow and Circ Desks were separated.  See image below.

The Borrowing/Lending implications for separating are below:

  • Borrowing:  When an item is Received at a UBorrow (only) Desk, Received items then need to be Scanned In at the Circ Desk.
  • Lending:  When a UBorrow loan is returned at the Circ Desk, it must also be Returned at the UBorrow Desk.

Example of separate Tampa Circ Desk and Tampa UBorrow Desk.  UBorrow functions can only be done at the UBorrow Desk.