FAQs

If your library needs to unexpectedly close due to an emergency, it's helpful to have a list of things that you'll need to change in Alma. Below are changes you'll need to configure in Alma to help mitigate confusion or issues related to your library closing unexpectedly.

• Change Hours
• Turn off Resource Sharing Borrowing and Lending
• Adjust General Electronic Services
• Turn Off On Shelf Requesting
• Turn off Recalls
• Update loan and renewal periods and activate automatic renewals
• Manage Holds
• Waive Fines
• Add Primo VE Alert

Change Hours or add closed dates to your library calendar

• Changing Your Opening Hours FAQ
• Adding Closed Dates FAQ
• SLS Calendar Management Webinar
• Roles Needed: General System Administrator (to edit Institution level calendar) or Fulfillment Administrator (to edit Library level calendar)
• Make sure to run the Apply Changes job after making calendar changes.
• If you want your calendar changes to update your due dates, make sure the Loans - Due Date Correction After Calendar Change job is running
• Temporarily turn off the FulItemChangeDueDateLetter email if you don't want your users to receive an email for every due date change

Turn off Resource Sharing Borrowing and Lending

• Turning off Alma Resource Sharing FAQ
• Video
• Roles Needed: Fulfillment Administrator
• Borrowing and Lending can be turned off separately
• OCLC lending must be turned off in the OCLC Policies Directory. Instructions for turning off all OCLC lending. Instructions for creating lending deflections.

Adjust General Electronic Services to hide ILL requesting (outside of Alma) if ILL processing will end.

• Turning Off ILL GES FAQ
• Video
• Roles Needed: Fulfillment Administrator
• You can turn off recalls by either editing your Loan TOUs or hiding the Hold Request service in Primo. If you hide the Hold Request service in Primo, you will also be disabling on shelf requesting.

If your library allows from the shelf requesting, change your fulfillment unit on shelf request policy so users no longer have the option of requesting items from your shelves

• Turning Off On Shelf Requesting FAQ
• Video
• Roles Needed: Fulfillment Administrator
• Changing your On Shelf Request Policy for a Fulfillment Unit will override the Is Requestable setting in that Fulfillment Unit's Request TOUs, so you do not need to edit those Request TOUs to turn off on shelf requesting.

If your library allows recalls, turn those off and cancel active recalls

• Turning Off Recalls FAQ
• Roles Needed: Fulfillment Administrator
• If your library does not allow on shelf requesting, the easiest way to turn off recalls is to hide the Hold Request service link in Primo
• If you need to allow on shelf requesting, you will need to adjust your Loan TOUs to turn off recalls

Update your loan and renewal periods and turn on automatic renewals

• Updating Loan Periods FAQ
• Automatic Renewals FAQ
• Roles Needed: Fulfillment Administrator
• To change the due date for future loans, you will need to edit your Loan TOUs. 
• To change the due date for items already on loan, you will need to use the Bulk Change Due Dates job

Change your hold shelf period setting and use the active hold shelf to update hold expiry dates so that holds don't expire until the date you'd like them to.

• Updating Your Hold Shelf Period FAQ
• Active Hold Shelf FAQ
• Roles Needed: Fulfillment Administrator (updating your hold shelf period) and Request Operator (updating hold expiry dates)
• Updating your hold shelf period will not update the Expiry Date for items already on hold
• The Active Hold Shelf lists both current and expired holds, so you can use it to update all hold expiry dates
• Hold expiry dates must be updated individually (there's no way to batch update all hold expiry dates)
• Expired holds are not automatically deleted, and users can still check out an item if the hold has expired, so updating hold expiry dates is not essential. However, users do see their hold expiry dates in the Requests tab of their Primo, so updating them should prevent questions and confusion.

If library is closed unexpectedly, and you don't have time to change loan periods, waive fines for time period where calendar was incorrect.

• Waiving Fines FAQ
• Roles Needed: Circulation Desk Operator (to waive individual fines) or User Manager (to waive fines in bulk)
• Fines may be waived individually or in bulk

Add message to Primo VE to indicate that the library is closed.

• ​Edit Primo VE Homepage 
• Add an emergency banner
• Add chat