CLS/AFN

Common policies and task related to consortial lending and borrowing.

Faculty Due Date Maintenance

Each IZ that participates in consortial lending needs to maintain the fixed due date on their calendars for patrons in "wrlc user" user group with the "WRLC Faculty" job category.  This is done 3 times a year so that Faculty can have loans that last the semester.  The dates are changed about 6 weeks prior to the expiration of the current due date.

The designated due dates are January 31st for the Fall semester, May 31st for the Spring semester, and September 30th for the Summer sessions.

The dates are changed on the following schedule:

Procedure: Update the Faculty Due Date

The following procedure assumes that the "End of Term WRLC Faculty" date is configured at and inherited from the Institution's Calendar.  All Libraries under the IZ that have this date on their calendar will be updated by the procedure below.

If you do not have this date configured on the Institution Calendar, you will need to select the individual Libraries that have this date and update them individually following the same basic procedure except at the Library level.

Go To:  Alma --> Configuration --> General --> Libraries --> Add a Library or Edit Library Information

Select the Calendar Management tab.  Click on the ellipsis to Edit the "End of Term WRLC Faculty" date.  Select Edit.

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Click on the calendar button on the right.  Select the new "End of Term WRLC Faculty" date.  Then Save.

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After saving, make sure that you "Apply Changes"!

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You will be notified once you submitted the job to apply the changes.

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The "End of Term WRLC Faculty" date is now updated.

Consortial Partners in CLS/AFN

Lending and Borrowing Partners

These partners are configured in the ROTA for the "Consortium Book Borrowing"

Borrowing Partners*

*Borrowing partners do not lend via CLS although they may lend via ILL requests and other methods.

Standard Opening Hours - impact on yours and partner's patron's due dates

A library's Standard Opening Hours along with other events in their calendar can affect item due dates and renewal dates.  It is good practice to review the Standard Opening Hours each semester when you may be adding specific events, exceptions or holidays.

A library's Standard Opening Hours are always set at the library level.  (They do not "inherit" from the institutional calendar.)  The "Valid from" date to the "Valid to" date is set to 3 years.  If the "Valid to" date is approaching, this can shorten due dates for items that would otherwise get a much longer loan period.

The procedure to update the "Valid to" dates in your library's calendar is fairly simple.  You must have the role of Fulfillment Administrator (or General Administrator).

Procedure: Update the Standard Opening Hours

The following procedure assumes that you have the role of Fulfillment Administrator (or General Administrator) and you have selected a valid Library from the top of the Configuration page.

Go To:  Alma --> Configuration --> Fulfillment --> Library Management --> Opening Hours

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Find the calendar entries of type "Standard opening hours".  (You can arrange the record types alphabetically by clicking on the Record type column header.)  Select the ellipsis at the right of the first entry.

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Select Edit on the first Standard opening hours entry.

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Select Save. This will automatically update the "from" and “to” date. (You do not need to make any changes.)

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Repeat this for the remaining 6 Standard Opening Hours entries.

As with all calendar updates, "Apply Changes"!

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Discharging CLS Hold Shelf Items

 

Expired Hold Shelf Audit Workflow

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Weekly Request Status Exception Report

The Weekly Request Status Exception report reflects requests that have stalled in the rota the previous week. It is an opportunity to see what material is outstanding and reach out to the library staff at the IZ where the request is waiting. This report is run weekly at 6am on Monday and can be configured to be sent directly to a preferred email. 

Once you contact the library staff where the request is stalled, they can then investigate why it has not been fulfilled and, if the item is not available, cancel the request so that it can be moved along the rota to the next IZ where the item is available. 

 

 

 


AFN Network Zone Configurations

The following Automated Fulfillment Network (AFN) configurations are set in the WRLC Network Zone. Most of the settings are visible (and not editable) in the Institution Zones; the only one that is not visible in the Institution Zone is the Institutions Relations configuration.


Locate Profiles

Configuration > Fulfillment > Resource Sharing > Locate Profiles

For the WRLC AFN, a locate profile defines how the AFN searches a particular institution's catalog. Locate Profiles are associated with a specific resource sharing partner profile.

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For more information, see the Alma Knowledgebase page Configuring Locate Profiles.


Workflow Profiles

Configuration > Fulfillment > Resource Sharing > Workflow Profiles

Workflows control the actions that can be performed on the borrowing and lending request task lists for the defined partner; Workflow Profiles are associated with a specific resource sharing partner profile.

There is one workflow each for borrowing and lending. Below are the borrowing and lending configurations for the WRLC AFN

CLS Borrowing RS 

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CLS Lending RS

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For more information, see the Alma Knowledgebase page Configuring Workflow Profiles 


Institutions Relations

Configuration > General > Network Groups > Institutions Relations

Please note that this configuration is NOT viewable in the Institution Zone.

These relation configurations determine if items belonging to an institution can be checked out/in or delivered to other institutions.

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For more information, see the Alma Knowledgebase page Configuring Pick Up Anywhere/Return Anywhere

 


Resource Sharing Partners

Fulfillment > Resource Sharing > Partners

Partner profiles define the types of request and communication sent to a specific institution. The profile also defines the Locate Profile and the Workflow Profiles for an institution.

For a list of all partner profiles in the WRLC AFN, as well as their borrowing and lending preferences, see the Consortial Partners in CLS/AFN page.

Typical Partner Profile for a Borrowing AND Lending WRLC Institution

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For a full list for all WRLC partners that both borrow and lend in the AFN, see the Consortial Partners in CLS/AFN page.

Typical Partner Profile for a Borrowing ONLY WRLC Institution

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For a full list for all WRLC partners that only borrow in the AFN, see the Consortial Partners in CLS/AFN page.

Borrowing only partners do not lend via CLS although they may lend via ILL requests and other methods.

For more information, see the Alma Knowledgebase page Configuring a Resource Sharing Partner

 


Rota Templates

Fulfillment > Resource Sharing > Rota Templates

A rota template specifies the list of partners that are queried to see if a particular borrowing request can be fulfilled. The rota template for the WRLC AFN (named CLS-Physical) only lists the institutions in the WRLC that lend items in the AFN (for a full list of lending institutions in the WRLC, see the  Consortial Partners in CLS/AFN page); this rota is a non-ordered template, meaning requests are sent to partners in a random order.

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For more information, see the Alma Knowledgebase page Configuring Rota Templates page.


Rota Assignment Rules

Configuration > Fulfillment > Resource Sharing > Rota Assignment Rules > CLS Book Borrowing

Rota Assignments assigns rules to a specific Rota template. The rule assigned to the CLS-Physical rota template is that the request requires a physical format. 

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For more information, see the Alma Knowledgebase page Configuring Rota Assignment Rules 


Fulfillment Unit

Configuration > Fulfillment > Physical Fulfillment > Fulfillment Units

The Fulfillment Unit named WRLC Fulfillment Network (code WRLC_FN) sets the rules by which items circulate in the fulfillment network. This NZ-managed Fulfilment unit is applied to the each Institution's Fulfillment Unit for items requestable and loanable via the WRLC AFN. For more information on IZ Fulfillment Units, see the AFN Insitution Zone Configurations - Fulfillment Units section.

WRLC-FN Fulfillment Unit Details

The above settings means all pickup locations that are allowed according to the Pickup Locations policy are available, regardless of whether the item is on the shelf

WRLC-FN Fulfillment Unit Rules

Loan rule type

WRLC Faculty Lending

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WRLC FN Lending

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WRLC Media Lending

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Request rule type

WRLC FN Requesting

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WRLC Media Requesting

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WRLC Limited Requesting

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For more information, see the Alma Knowledgebase page Configuring Fulfillment Units


Terms of Use

Configuration > Fulfillment > Physical Fulfillment > Terms of Use and Policies

Terms of Use refers to a list of policies that define the institutional services that will be provided or terminated. Terms of Use are assigned to specific Fulfillment Unit Rules.

WRLC-FN Terms of Use

Below are the Terms of Use owned by the Network Zone and affiliated with the WRLC-FN Fulfillment Unit

Loan TOUs

WRLC Faculty Lending

Terms for lending to Faculty in the CLS fulfillment network. This TOU is applied to the WRLC Faculty Lending Loan rule.

Policy Type Policy Name Policy Description
Is Loanable Loanable  Loanable
Is Recallable Recall Allowed  Recall is possible
Due Date CLS - Faculty End-of-term loan for faculty
Requested Item Due Date 14 day limit if request exists Limit new loans to 14 days if another request on the same item
Recall Period 14 Days Recall Period 14 Days Recall Period
Renew Fee No Renewal Fee  Default No Renewal Fee
Lost Item Fine No Lost Item Fine  Default Lost Item fine - per RSAC 10/5/2022
Lost Item Replacement Fee CLS $110 replacement fee Default replacement fee for WRLC-FN Lending TOU 8/20/2018
Lost Item Replacement Fee Refund Ratio 100 Percent Lost Item Refund Default lost item replacement refund
Maximum Fine CLS $25 maximum fine Max fine for WRLC FN Lending TOU 8/20/2018
Overdue Fine CLS no overdue fine Daily overdue fine removed 4/15/2019
Recalled Overdue Fine CLS $5/day recalled item fine Overdue for recalled items for WRLC FN Lending TOU 8/20/2018
Grace Period CLS 39 day grace period. Extension of grace period before Lost Item Fine
Is Renewable Renewable Is item renewable
Maximum Renewal Period No Maximum Renew Period Default Maximum Renewal Period
Closed Library Due Date Management Move Due Time to Next Open Time When the Library will close before the Due Time of a short loan, lengthen the due time to the Library's next opening time
Cancelled Recall Due Date Restore to original due date This option will take the due date of the loan before the recall was done on the loan
Overdue Notification Fine Type 1 No Overdue Fine Default value - No Overdue Fine
Overdue Notification Fine Type 2 No Overdue Fine Default value - No Overdue Fine
Overdue Notification Fine Type 3 No Overdue Fine Default value - No Overdue Fine
Overdue Notification Fine Type 4 No Overdue Fine Default value - No Overdue Fine
Overdue Notification Fine Type 5 No Overdue Fine Default value - No Overdue Fine
Block When Overdue No block when overdue Do not create a block when overdue
Maximum Period for Overdue Block No Maximum Block Period No Maximum Block Period for Block When Overdue
Reloan Limit No Reloan Limit No Reloan Limit
Time frame when loan renewal is allowed No limit Do not limit the time in which renewal is allowed
 
WRLC FN Lending

Terms for lending in the CLS fulfillment network. This TOU is applied to the WRLC FN Lending Loan rule.

Policy Type Policy Name Policy Description
Is Loanable Loanable  Loanable
Is Recallable Recall Allowed  Recall is possible
Due Date 6 wk general loan 6 week general loan
Requested Item Due Date 14 day limit if request exists Limit new loans to 14 days if another request on the same item
Recall Period 14 Days Recall Period 14 Days Recall Period
Renew Fee No Renewal Fee  Default No Renewal Fee
Lost Item Fine No Lost Item Fine  Default Lost Item fine - per RSAC 10/5/2022
Lost Item Replacement Fee CLS $110 replacement fee Default replacement fee for WRLC-FN Lending TOU 8/20/2018
Lost Item Replacement Fee Refund Ratio 100 Percent Lost Item Refund Default lost item replacement refund
Maximum Fine CLS $25 maximum fine Max fine for WRLC FN Lending TOU 8/20/2018
Overdue Fine CLS no overdue fine Daily overdue fine removed 4/15/2019
Recalled Overdue Fine CLS $5/day recalled item fine Overdue for recalled items for WRLC FN Lending TOU 8/20/2018
Grace Period CLS 39 day grace period. Extension of grace period before Lost Item Fine
Is Renewable Renewable Is item renewable
Maximum Renewal Period No Maximum Renew Period Default Maximum Renewal Period
Closed Library Due Date Management Move Due Time to Next Open Time When the Library will close before the Due Time of a short loan, lengthen the due time to the Library's next opening time
Cancelled Recall Due Date Restore to original due date This option will take the due date of the loan before the recall was done on the loan
Overdue Notification Fine Type 1 No Overdue Fine Default value - No Overdue Fine
Overdue Notification Fine Type 2 No Overdue Fine Default value - No Overdue Fine
Overdue Notification Fine Type 3 No Overdue Fine Default value - No Overdue Fine
Overdue Notification Fine Type 4 No Overdue Fine Default value - No Overdue Fine
Overdue Notification Fine Type 5 No Overdue Fine Default value - No Overdue Fine
Block When Overdue No block when overdue Do not create a block when overdue
Maximum Period for Overdue Block No Maximum Block Period No Maximum Block Period for Block When Overdue
Reloan Limit No Reloan Limit No Reloan Limit
Time frame when loan renewal is allowed No limit Do not limit the time in which renewal is allowed
 
WRLC Media Lending

Terms for media loans in the CLS fulfillment network. This TOU is applied to the WRLC Media Lending Loan rule.

Policy Type Policy Name Policy Description
Is Loanable Loanable  Loanable
Is Recallable No Recall Default Recall is not possible
Due Date 1 week media loan 7 day loan period for WRLC media lending TOU
Requested Item Due Date No Requested Due Date Default value - No Requested Item Due Date
Recall Period No Recall Due Date Default Recall Due date - none
Renew Fee No Renewal Fee  Default No Renewal Fee
Lost Item Fine No Lost Item Fine  Default Lost Item fine - per RSAC 10/5/2022
Lost Item Replacement Fee CLS $110 replacement fee Default replacement fee for WRLC-FN Lending TOU 8/20/2018
Lost Item Replacement Fee Refund Ratio 100 Percent Lost Item Refund Default lost item replacement refund
Maximum Fine CLS $25 maximum fine Max fine for WRLC FN Lending TOU 8/20/2018
Overdue Fine CLS $5/day overdue media fine Overdue fine for WRLC FN Media 8/20/2018
Recalled Overdue Fine No Recall Overdue Fine Default Value for recalled overdue fine
Grace Period No Grace Default value for Grace
Is Renewable Not Renewable Item not renewable
Maximum Renewal Period No Maximum Renew Period Default Maximum Renewal Period
Closed Library Due Date Management Move Due Time to Next Open Time When the Library will close before the Due Time of a short loan, lengthen the due time to the Library's next opening time
Cancelled Recall Due Date Keep due date No change to the due date
Overdue Notification Fine Type 1 No Overdue Fine Default value - No Overdue Fine
Overdue Notification Fine Type 2 No Overdue Fine Default value - No Overdue Fine
Overdue Notification Fine Type 3 No Overdue Fine Default value - No Overdue Fine
Overdue Notification Fine Type 4 No Overdue Fine Default value - No Overdue Fine
Overdue Notification Fine Type 5 No Overdue Fine Default value - No Overdue Fine
Block When Overdue No block when overdue Do not create a block when overdue
Maximum Period for Overdue Block No Maximum Block Period No Maximum Block Period for Block When Overdue
Reloan Limit No Reloan Limit No Reloan Limit
Time frame when loan renewal is allowed No limit Do not limit the time in which renewal is allowed

Request TOUs

WRLC FN Requesting

Terms for requests in the CLS fulfillment network. This TOU is applied to the WRLC FN Requesting Request rule.

Policy Type Policy Name Policy Description
Is Requestable Requestable  Requestable 
Pickup Locations Pickup At Any Institution  Pickup At Any Institution 
Hold Shelf Period 14 day Hold Shelf (Covid default) Longer hold shelf time due to library restrictions.
Is Digitizable Is Digitizable Default value for Digitizable
Is Requestable for Physical Resource Sharing Requestable for Physical Resource Sharing Requestable for Physical Resource Sharing
Is Requestable for Digital Resource Sharing Requestable for Digital Resource Sharing Requestable for Digital Resource Sharing
Request Priority Medium  Medium 
On Shelf Request Policy Use fulfillment unit definition Use fulfillment unit definition
Personal Delivery Personal Delivery - None Do not deliver items at all
Personal Delivery Fee Personal Delivery Fee - No Fee Personal Delivery is not charged with a fee
Automatically convert to resource sharing Do not convert to resource sharing Do not convert to resource sharing
Digitization Fee per Digitization No Fee Digitization request is not charged with a fee
Digitization Fee per page No Fee Digitization request is not charged with a fee per page

WRLC Media Requesting

Terms for media requests (requestable but not digitizable) in the CLS fulfillment network. This TOU is applied to the WRLC Media Requesting Request rule.

Policy Type Policy Name Policy Description
Is Requestable Requestable  Requestable 
Pickup Locations Pickup At Any Institution  Pickup At Any Institution 
Hold Shelf Period 7 day Hold Shelf Default value for HoldShelfPeriod
Is Digitizable Not Digitizable Not Digitizable
Is Requestable for Physical Resource Sharing Not requestable for Physical Resource Sharing Not requestable for Physical Resource Sharing
Is Requestable for Digital Resource Sharing Not requestable for Digital Resource Sharing Not requestable for Digital Resource Sharing
Request Priority Medium  Medium 
On Shelf Request Policy Use fulfillment unit definition Use fulfillment unit definition
Personal Delivery Personal Delivery - None Do not deliver items at all
Personal Delivery Fee Personal Delivery Fee - No Fee Personal Delivery is not charged with a fee
Automatically convert to resource sharing Do not convert to resource sharing Do not convert to resource sharing
Digitization Fee per Digitization No Fee Digitization request is not charged with a fee
Digitization Fee per page No Fee Digitization request is not charged with a fee per page

WRLC Limited Requesting

Terms for limited requests (digitizable but not requestable) in the CLS fulfillment network. This TOU is applied to the WRLC Limited Requesting Request rule.

Policy Type Policy Name Policy Description
Is Requestable Not Requestable  Default value is not requestable 
Pickup Locations Pickup At Any Institution  Pickup At Any Institution 
Hold Shelf Period 10 day Hold Shelf Default value for HoldShelfPeriod (per RSAC)
Is Digitizable Is Digitizable Default value for Digitizable
Is Requestable for Physical Resource Sharing Not requestable for Physical Resource Sharing Not requestable for Physical Resource Sharing
Is Requestable for Digital Resource Sharing Requestable for Digital Resource Sharing Requestable for Digital Resource Sharing
Request Priority Medium  Medium 
On Shelf Request Policy Use fulfillment unit definition Use fulfillment unit definition
Personal Delivery Personal Delivery - None Do not deliver items at all
Personal Delivery Fee Personal Delivery Fee - No Fee Personal Delivery is not charged with a fee
Automatically convert to resource sharing Do not convert to resource sharing Do not convert to resource sharing
Digitization Fee per Digitization No Fee Digitization request is not charged with a fee
Digitization Fee per page No Fee Digitization request is not charged with a fee per page


AFN Institution Zone Configurations

The following Automated Fulfillment Network (AFN) configurations are set in each WRLC Institution Zone. Settings will look slightly different depending on whether the Institution Zone is both a lender and borrower in the WRLC AFN, or if they are only a borrower. For a list of all partner profiles in the WRLC AFN, as well as their borrowing and lending preferences, see the Consortial Partners in CLS/AFN page.

 


Resource Sharing Library

Configuration > Configuring drop-down menu = [choose your institution's Main Library] > Fulfillment > Library Management > Library Details

Your resource sharing library is the library where your temporary borrowing and lending locations are housed. For the WRLC AFN, your institution's Main Library is the designated Resource Sharing Library.

Resource Sharing Information section

Borrowing Setup section

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Lending Setup section

Please note that the Lending Setup portion of the Resource Sharing section is NOT used by the WRLC AFN. This is because our AFN handles all lending requests as regular hold requests within the owning Institution's IZ; they are NOT considered true lending requests by Alma. For more information, see the Alma Knowledgebase page Automated Fulfillment Network Requests (AFN)

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Similarly, the AFN follows the settings in each Institution's Locate Profile to find a matching item, NOT the settings in the Lending Setup section of the Library Details page. This is because our AFN handles all lending requests as regular hold requests within the owning Institution's IZ; they are NOT considered true lending requests by Alma.

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For more information, see the Alma Knowledgebase page Configuring Parameters of a Resource Sharing Library


Temporary Resource Sharing Locations

Configuration > Configuring drop-down menu = [choose your institution's Main Library] > Fulfillment > Locations > Physical Locations

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For more information, see the Alma Knowledgebase page Configuring Physical Locations


Temp Item Creation Rule

Configuration > Configuring drop-down menu = [choose your institution's Main Library] > Fulfillment >Library Management > Temporary Item Creation Rules

These are rules that dictate what location and item policy are given to temporary item records created by AFN requests.

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Please note that the length of loans are dictated by TOUs and fulfillment units, NOT the item policy assigned to CLS items

For more information, see the Alma Knowledgebase page Configuring Temporary Item Creation Rules


Fulfillment Units

Configuration > Fulfillment > Physical Fulfillment > Fulfillment Units > Edit Fulfillment Unit > Fulfillment Unit Details tab

Fulfillment Units are one or more physical locations in an institution that follow the same fulfillment policies. Similarly, the Network Zone has a fulfillment unit for WRLC's AFN, that dictates the rules by which items circulate in the fulfillment network.

NZ-managed Fulfillment Units can be applied to institutional Fulfillment Units. The WRLC AFN Fulfillment Unit (named WRLC Fulfillment Network) should be applied to Institutional fulfillment Units that are requestable through the AFN.

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 For more information, see the Alma Knowledgebase page Configuring Fulfillment Units


Sending Borrowing Request Rules

Configuration > Fulfillment > Resource Sharing > Sending Borrowing Request Rules

Sending Borrowing Request Rules dictate when a borrowing request is sent automatically to an active partner institution without staff intervention.

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For more information, see the Alma Knowledgebase page Configuring Sending Borrowing Request Rules