Requests - Fulfillment Overview Module

This is the third section of the Fulfillment module to the Alma Overviews course. The video is at the top of the page, followed by the script.

In this video, you'll review:

In this video, let’s look at placing a request for a patron. As with renewals, patrons can request materials directly through the public catalog, but staff helping them find materials can also place requests directly through Alma.

Title-Level Requests (default option)

The default patron request is set to the Title (or bibliographic) record level. To request a title:

1. Use a Physical Titles search in the persistent search bar to find the title that the patron wants.
2. Click on Request, which will either be a hot button or under the row action item list icon.
3. For the Request Type, choose Patron physical item request. The page will refresh to show the context-dependent options for this request type.
4. Scan the patron’s barcode in the Requester field. Give the system a moment to find them.
5. For any other required fields with a red asterisk, enter the information or make choices as needed. These might include selecting a volume or issue of a multi-part or serial work, adding information about a specific year, or edition, or other details.
6. Choose the Pick-up Location that the patron wants; their preferred location or locations will be at the top.
7. If needed, add additional information at the bottom, such as Material Type, Date Needed By, or a different Loan Period if it’s available.
8. When you’re done, click Submit in the upper right corner.

At this point, the request will appear on the patron’s record on the Requests tab, and you can search for this request using the persistent search bar and the criteria for the Requests search type.

Item-Specific Requests

Occasionally, you might need to place an item-specific request – for a particular edition at a specific library, for instance. In this case, you’d search for the item record, not the bib record.

1. Use a Physical Items search type, and we’ll use the same title as before.
2. Find the specific item the patron is interested in, and click on Request (again, a hot button or in the row action item list).
3. Proceed with the request in the same way:
   1. Patron Physical Item Request
   2. Requester
   3. Required fields
   4. Pick-up Location
   5. Additional request attributes if needed
   6. Click Submit

Now, if I look at the requests in the request list – by clicking on the number next to Requests in the title or item record snapshot – I can see that my title-level request for Crimson Gold does not have a barcode attached because it’s set at the title level and any item attached to that title could fulfill the request.

For the item-specific request, there is a barcode attached to the request itself. This indicates that only that specific item can fulfill that request.