How do I use the new Manage Patron Services and Return Items interfaces?
Answer
The November 2024 Alma release contained a new versions of the Manage Patron Services and Return Items interfaces. You currently need to opt-in to use these new interfaces. A demonstration of how to opt-in and use the new interfaces can be found here:
https://public.3.basecamp.com/p/KJNCwS3xxdvQ9GiMM57qtq4g
These new interfaces are scheduled to become the default interfaces for all users in February 2025, and the old interfaces are scheduled to be removed from Alma in May 2025.
The Manage Patron Services interface allows you to perform the following fulfillment tasks:
- Check items out and back in
- Renew loans and change loan due dates
- Edit or cancel active requests
- Accept fine/fee payments, create fines/fees, dispute fines/fees, and waive fines/fees
The Return Items interface allows you check items back in from users. To use these interfaces, you need either the Circulation Desk Operator or Circulation Desk Operator - Limited role scoped to your library's circulation desk.
Accessing Manage Patron Services
To access the Manage Patron Services interface:
1. Go to Fulfillment | Checkout/Checkin | Manage Patron Services. You'll be taken to the Patron Identification page.
2. Enter the user's name or identifier in the "Scan Patron's ID or Search for Patron" search box, select the user's record from the search results, and then click the "Go" button. You'll then be taken to the Manage Patron Services interface.
Note 1: If you're looking up a walk-in borrower from another SUNY campus, click the "Find User In Other Institution" box and then select the user's campus. For more information on walk-in borrowing, please see this FAQ.
Note 2: If the user wants to check an item out on behalf of another person, search for the user in the "Scan Patron's ID or Search for Patron" box, check the "Use Proxy" box, and then click the Go button. You will then need to select the other person's name from the "Proxy For" and click the "Go" button a second time. In order for the Proxy feature to work, the user is listed as a Proxy in the other person's user record.
1. Make sure the Institution button is clicked and then click the "Loans" link.
2. Enter the item's barcode into the "Scan Item Barcode" field and then either hit enter or click the "OK" link. The loan details will appear below. Repeat this process until all items have been checked out. Once all items have been checked out, click the "Done" button. You'll be taken back to the initial Patron Identification page. If you have the "Create Loan Receipts" box checked in your circulation desk settings, the Loan Receipt Letter will either be sent to the user via email or print at the circulation desk depending on how your circulation desk is configured. The Loan Receipt Letter will not print or be sent if you leave Manage Patron Services without clicking the "Done" button.
Checking Items In
Items can be checked in using either the Manage Patron Services or the Return Items interface. The Return Items interface will send the user a copy of the Return Receipt Letter for each returned item, whereas Manage Patron Services sends a single copy of the Return Receipt Letter listing all returned items. Therefore, it is best to use Manage Patron Services if you're checking in multiple items for the same user. If you need to backdate a return for any reason, you'll need to use the Return Items interface (the backdate option isn't available in Manage Patron Services).
Checking Items In via Manage Patron Services
1. Make sure the Institution button is clicked and then click the "Returns" link.
2. Enter the item's barcode into the "Scan Item Barcode" field and then either hit enter or click the "OK" link. The return details will appear below. Repeat this process until all items have been checked in. Once all items have been checked in, click the "Done" button. You'll be taken back to the initial Patron Identification page, and the user will be sent a copy of the Return Receipt Letter listing all items checked in during the session. The user will not receive the Return Receipt Letter if you leave Manage Patron Services without clicking the "Done" button.
Checking Items in via Return Items
1. Go to Fulfillment | Checkout/Checkin | Return Items
2. Enter the item's barcode into the "Scan Item Barcode" field. If you need to backdate the return, select a return date and time from the "Override Return Date and Time" field. If you do not need to backdate the return, you can leave that field blank. Finally, click the OK button. The item will be reshelved or put in transit, and the user will be sent a copy of the Return Receipt Letter.
When an loan is renewed using the Renew function, Alma determines the user's new due date by adding the standard loan period for the item to the current date. For instance, if an item with a 30 day loan period is renewed on July 1, the item's new due date will be July 31. If you need to renew an item until a specific date, you should use the Change Due Date function.
1. Make sure the Institution button is clicked and then click the "Loans" link.
2. If you wish to renew a single loan, click the the Renew button for the loan you wish to renew (you may need to click the ellipsis next to the item to see the Renew function depending on how you have the Manage Patron Services interface customized). The item will be assigned a new due date, and the user will receive a copy the Loan Status Notice.
If you wish to renew multiple loans at once, you have two options. If you wish to renew some loans but not others, you can check the box for each item you wish to renew and then click the "Renew Selected" link (you may need to click the ellipsis next to the loan list filters to see the "Renew Selected" link). If you wish to renew all loans, you can click the "Renew All" link. The items will be assigned new due dates, and the user will receive a copy of the Loan Status Notice listing all renewed loans.
You can use this feature if you need to change an item's due date to a specific date. if you simply need to renew an item, it's best to use the Renew function.
1. Make sure the Institution button is clicked and then click the "Loans" link.
2. Click the ellipsis next to the loan whose due date you wish to change and then click the "Change Due Date" link. The Change Due Date winsow will appear.
3. Select the new due date in the "New Due Date" field, select a new due time in the "At (HH:MM)" field if necessary, and then click the "Change Due Date" button. The item's due date will be updated, and the user will receive a copy of the Loan Status Notice email.
You can edit the pickup location of an active request via Manage Patron Services if need be. When you edit a request, you're essentially deleting the original request and creating a new one. It's possible that your Request Terms of Use will prevent you from doing this. If you run into this problem, please email info@sunyolis.libanswers.com.
1. Make sure the Institution button is clicked and then click the "Requests" link.
2. Click the "Edit" button for the request you wish to edit (you may need to click the ellipsis next to the request to see the Edit function depending on how you have the Manage Patron Services interface customized). The Create Request window will open.
3. Select a new pickup location from the "Pickup At" dropdown and then click the "Submit" button.
The Manage Patron Services interface can be used to cancel active hold, booking, digitization, and resource sharing requests.
1. Make sure the Institution button is clicked and then click the "Requests" link.
2. Click the ellipsis next to the request you wish to cancel and then click the "Cancel" link. The Confirm Request Cancellation window will open.
3. Select a cancellation reason from the "Cancellation Reason" dropdown. if you wish to leave a note, enter that into the "Cancellation Note" field (the note will be included in the cancellation notice). If you do not want to send the user a cancellation notice, uncheck the "Notify User" box. Finally, click the "Confirm" button. The request will be cancelled, and the user will receive the Ful Cancel Request Letter (unless you unchecked the "Notify User" box).
1. Make sure the Institution button is clicked and then click the "Fines and Fees" link.
2. If the user wishes to pay all of their fines/fees, click the "Pay" button (it doesn't matter which one you click). The Pay window will open. Enter the payment amount into the "Payment Amount" field and select a payment method from the "Payment Method" field. If you need to add a transaction ID or comment for record keeping purposes, you can add those to the "Transaction ID" and "Comment" fields. Finally, click the "Pay" button. The user will receive the Fine Fee Payment Receipt Letter, and their active balance will be adjusted accordingly.
If the user has multiple fines/fees and they wish to pay a specific one, click the ellipsis next to the fine/fee they wish to pay and then click the "Pay" link. The Pay window will open. Enter the relevant information and click the "Pay" button as shown above.
Note: If a user has multiple fines/fees and they don't make a full payment or ask for a specific fine/fee to be paid, Alma will apply the partial payment to the oldest fines/fees first.
1. Make sure the Institution button is clicked and then click the "Fines and Fees" link.
2. Click the "Add Fine/Fee" link (you may need to click the ellipsis next to the fine/fee list filters to see the "Add Fine/Fee" link). The Add Fine/Fee window will open.
3. Select the fine/fee type from the "Type" dropdown, select the owning library from the "Owner" dropdown, and enter the fine/fee amount into the "Amount" field. If you want the fine/fee to be attached to a specific physical item, enter that item's barcode into the "Item Barcode". If you wish to attach a note to the fine/fee, enter that note into the "Add Comment" field. Finally, click the "Add" button. The fine/fee will be added to the user's record, and their active balance will be updated accordingly.
1. Make sure the Institution button is clicked and then click the "Fines and Fees" link.
2. Click the ellipsis of the fine/fee the users wishes to dispute and then click the "Dispute" link. The Dispute window will open.
3. Add a note about the dispute to the "Add Comment" field if necessary and click the "Dispute" button. The status of the fine/fee will change to "In Dispute", and the amount of the disputed fine/fee will be temporarily removed from the user's active balance.
4. Once the dispute has been resolved, you should either restore or waive the fine/fee. Instructions for waiving fines/fees are below. To restore the fine/fee, click the ellipsis next to the fine/fee you need to restore (you may need to chance the Status filter to "All" or "In Dispute" to find it) and then click the "Restore" link. The Restore window will open. Add a note about the result of the dispute to the "Add Comment" field if necessary and then click the "Restore" link. The status of the fine/fee will change back to "Active", and the amount will be added back to the user's active balance.
1. Make sure the Institution button is clicked and then click the "Fines and Fees" link.
2. Click the ellipsis of the fine/fee you wish to waive and then click the "Waive" link. The Waive window will open.
3. Enter the amount you wish to waive into the "Total Amount to Be Waived" (the default value will be 100% of the fine/fee). Select the waiving reason from the "Waiving Reason" dropdown, enter a note into the "Add Comment" field if necessary, and then click the "Waive" button.The fine/fee will be removed from the user's record, and the amount will be removed from their active balance.
