What are the staff workflows for resource sharing with libraries outside of CUNY?
This document covers workflows for resource sharing requests that are to be filled by or shipped to libraries outside of CUNY. (As of December 2023, CUNY shares physical resources with 52 libraries at SUNY via Alma.)
Permissions & Settings
User Roles
To process requests in Alma, staff need the following roles on their user accounts:
- Requests Operator
- Fulfillment Services Manager (managers) or Fulfillment Services Operator (operators)
- Circulation Desk Manager (managers), Circulation Desk Operator (managers and operators), or Circulation Desk Operator-Limited (operators)
Staff may have additional roles assigned as needed to complete their work in Alma.
Settings
"Enable quick printing" in the location section of the main menu should be enabled:
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It's important to have "Automatically print slip" enabled on the "Scan In Items," "Shipping Items," and "Receiving Items" screens:
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If your library does does additional processing before putting items on the hold shelf, you may need to have "Place directly on Hold shelf" enabled on the "Scan In Items" screen:
Supplying Libraries
Retrieving Requests
Resource sharing requests may be either:
- Internal (placed by CUNY patrons, to be picked up a CUNY library) or
- External (placed by patrons outside of CUNY, to be shipped to a library outside of CUNY)
Because there are distinct Alma workflows for these two types of resource sharing requests, it is imperative that staff process requests bound for libraries outside of CUNY separately.
To do that, go to Fulfillment > "Resource Requests": Pick From Shelf and use the "Request/Process Type" facet to limit your results to just Ship physically:
Alternatively, if you download the slip report as an Excel spreadsheet, you can filter on the "Request Type" column.
Once the items are retrieved from the shelves, they must be processed for shipping.
Processing Requests
Go to Fulfillment > "Resource Sharing": Shipping Items. Ensure "Automatically print slip" is set to Yes. Do not change any other settings. Scan the item's barcode into "Scan item barcode" field. If necessary, click OK.
Preparing Requests for Shipment
As requests are filled, shipping notices are printed. Staff should pair the slips with the appropriate items. These items can then be prepared for ELD shipping.
Identify the recipient on the slip and package the items in the ELD bags, being careful to not overfill the bags.
Be careful not to scan in already "Shipped" items! Scanning in a shipped item tells Alma that the item is back in the library, which effectively completes the request. If you do accidentally scan in a shipped item, do not still send the item to the requesting library! Their Alma will not recognize it and they will just send the item back to you. Your only option is to reshelve it.
To prevent this from happening, process materials bound for libraries outside of CUNY separately.
Receiving Libraries
Routing Items for Hold Shelf
When sorting ELD deliveries, create a separate stack for items received from libraries outside of CUNY (with shipping slips from Alma).
Go to Fulfillment > "Resource Sharing": Receiving Items. Make sure the "Identifier type" field is set to External identifier. The "Automatically notify patron" field should be set to Yes. The "Received format" field should be set to Physical.
With the cursor in the "External identifier" field, scan in the external identifier from the shipping slip of the supplying library:
If there is no slip or the slip is missing the external identifier, go to Fulfillment > "Resource Sharing": Borrowing Requests. Look up the item by title, author, etc. When you locate it, click ... (action) > Receive.
In the screen that pops up, do not modify any of the fields. With the cursor in the "Temporary barcode" field, scan in the item barcode. If necessary, click Save.
You can usually find the item barcode on the shipping slip, below the external identifier:
If there is no slip or the slip is missing the item barcode, scan or type in the barcode from the item in hand.
Place the item on the hold shelf. The patron will automatically receive an email letting them know the item is available to be picked up.
Charging Materials from the Hold Shelf to the Patron
Materials supplied by non-CUNY libraries can be checked out to patrons like all other items.
Go to Fulfillment > "Checkout/Checkin": Manage Patron Services to look up the patron (by barcode, EMPLID, name, etc.). On the "Loans" page that opens, scan in the item's barcode. Et voila! The item is checked out to the patron and they will receive a loan receipt from your institution with the loan date, item title, and due date.
Returning Materials Supplied by Non-CUNY Libraries
Materials supplied by non-CUNY libraries can be returned to any CUNY library.
If the item is returned to a library other than the one that originally received it, go to Fulfillment > "Resource Requests": Scan In Items. Ensure "Automatically print slip" is set to Yes. Alma will put it into transit to the CUNY library that received it and print a transit slip.
When the item is back at the library where it was originally received, go to Fulfillment > "Resource Requests": Scan In Items. Ensure "Automatically print slip" is set to Yes. Pair the slips with the appropriate items. These items can then be prepared for ELD shipping.
Identify the recipient on the slip and package the items in the ELD bags, being careful to not overfill the bags.