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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.

For information on how to edit the CLS Request link in Primo, see the Display Logic Rules for the AFN/CLS Request Form in Primo 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

  • Is Resource Sharing Library = Yes
  • Itemless = No
  • Symbol = [ISO symbol]
Borrowing Setup section
  • Cancel request on locate failure = Yes
  • Automatically activate locate profile = Yes
  • Temporarily inactive for borrowing = No
    • This can be switched to Yes for a specific period of time, for example if the Library is closed
  • Default location = CLS Borrowing Library
  • Default pickup location = [Institution's Library]
  • Extend due date when renew requested = No

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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

  • CLSBORR (CLS Borrowing Library location)
    • Item records for AFN items borrowed from other libraries will be given the temporary borrowing location CLSBORR.
    • IZs that only borrow in the WRLC AFN will only have the CLSBORR location configured in their IZ. 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.
  • CLSLEND (CLS Lending Library location)
    • Although there is a location named CLSLEND, it is NOT used in the AFN workflow. Items lent out via AFN will have a status of Loan, but will not be given a temporary location. Meanwhile, items lent out in either Peer 2 Peer or Rapido requests are given the CLSLEND temporary location. 

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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.

  • Rule Name = Temporary item rule
  • Location = CLSBORR
  • Item Policy = 4 week loan

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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.

For information on how to apply the NZ Fulfillment rules for AFN requests to IZ-only Fulfilment Units, please see the Network Fulfillment Units (Consortial Environments) section of the Fulfillment units and Fulfillment Rules page of the WRLC Alma Wiki. 

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

 

Request Pickup Configuration

Configuration > Fulfillment > Physical Fulfillment > Request Pickup Configuration

The following 2-3 request pickup rules are configured for each Institution Zone that lends their library's items in the CLS/AFN. These rules control how and when both AFN and SCF requests expire. 

The first request rule should always be WRLC SCF Requests, followed by WRLC AFN/CLS Requests. The third request rule, General Request Pickup Rule, is configured if there are no other request pickup rules used by the Institution Zone.

When the item's expiration time arrives, the Requests - Handle Expiration Step job cancels the requests. For more information, please see the Fulfillment Jobs Configuration section of the AFN Institution Zone Configurations page on the WRLC Alma Wiki.

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WRLC SCF Requests pickup rule

When a request is made for an item in the Shared Collections Facility, two copies of that request are created in WRLC's network; the original request in the owning Institution's IZ, and a second copy of the request in the SCF IZ. This rule ensures that both copies have the same expiration date.

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  • Input Parameters
    • Name - Location
    • Operator - In List
    • Value - ALL Remote Storage locations configured in the IZ
  • Output Parameters
    • Consider as missing when expired - Never
    • Expiry time for 'Pick From Shelf' (in days) - 95*
    • Show in 'Pick From Shelf' list - False
    • Calculate expiry time in open days - No

*This number is to match the expiry time automatically given by the SCF Remote Storage app when requests are copied from the owning Institution Zone to the Shared Collections Facility Institution Zone. For more information about the Remote Storage Applications, please see the Remote Storage App chapter in the WRLC Alma Wiki.

WRLC AFN/CLS Requests pickup rule

This rule ensures that each CLS/AFN request is given 5 days to be filled before the request is marked as expired by Alma.

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  • Input Parameters
    • Name - User Group
    • Operator - '='
    • Value - wrlc user
  • Output Parameters
    • Consider as missing when expired - Never
    • Expiry time for 'Pick From Shelf' (in days) - 5
    • Show in 'Pick From Shelf' list - True
    • Calculate expiry time in open days - Yes

General Request Pickup Rule

This third request rule is only configured IF there are no other request pickup rules active in the Institution Zone. This rule is primarily used to prevent Alma's out-of-the-box configurations (7 day expiry, mark as missing when expired) being applied to all requests.

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  • Input Parameters
    • Name - Request Type
    • Operator - In List
    • Value - Boking, Library physical digitization, Move permanently, Move temporarily, Patron digitization request, Patron physical item request, Resource sharing digital shipment, Resource sharing physical shipment, Restore item, Staff digitization request, Work order request
  • Output Parameters
    • Consider as missing when expired - Never
    • Expiry time for 'Pick From Shelf' (in days) - 99
    • Show in 'Pick From Shelf' list - True
    • Calculate expiry time in open days - Yes

Rota Assignment Rules

Configuration > Fulfillment > Resource Sharing > Rota Assignment Rules

Rota Assignment Rules assign Rota Templates to specific requests, based on specified criteria. 

The following assignment rule is configured in each individual Institution Zone. 

The Copy of CLS Book Borrowing rule should be at the top of the list.

The priority of Institution rules versus Network rules is determined by the network_rota_assignment_rules_precedence setting found in Configuration > Fulfillment > General > Other Settings. The default setting for WRLC is FALSE (IZ rules take precedent over NZ rules). 

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  • Copy of CLS Book Borrowing
    • Input Parameters
      • Name - Requested Format 
      • Operator - =
      • Value - Physical
    • Output Parameters
      • Rota Templates - CLS Physical

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

Fulfillment Jobs Configuration

Configuration > Fulfillment > General > Fulfillment Jobs Configuration

Below are the Fulfillment jobs that should be active to facilitate CLS/AFN requests.

Requests - Handle Expiration Job

This job should be active only for libraries that lend their library's items in the CLS/AFN.

The job cancels requests when the expiration date for a request has passed AND the status of the request is one of the following :

  • Pick from shelf
  • Communicated to Remote Storage

Expiration dates are configured according to an Institution's Request Pickup Rules. For more information on how these should be configured for the AFN, please see the Request Pickup Configuration section of the AFN Institution Zone Configurations page on the WRLC Alma Wiki.

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