Check out a book:
Check a book back in:
Or:
Renewing materials:
Sometimes you may get the question "Can you tell me what books I have checked out?" You can either pull up their account from Manage Patron Services
OR send an activity report! Here's how:
Fulfillment > Manage Patron Services
Here's what it looks like:
Here's an example of what the email they get will look like (it will show details, I just didn't include it in this snip because confidentiality):
When you're working in Alma, especially when you're checking things out or returning them, pay attention to the screen! Sometimes important messages will pop up as you check books out so it's important to keep an eye on the screen.
There are multiple carts throughout the building for patrons to place books on. This is helpful so we can mark them as used (since clearly someone picked it up and at the very least looked at it) and re-shelve them correctly. Occasionally one of your tasks will be to collect those books. Also, occasionally staff people will hand you books and ask you to mark them "used". This helps us keep track of important book stats. Here's how to do it:
In Alma, under Fulfillment click Scan In Items. Then make sure the Register in-house use option is checked like this:
Then click in the "scan item barcode" field & scan the book! It can now be placed on a to-be shelved cart.
You can look up someone's netID in Alma?
Students, faculty, and staff from other Montana university libraries are also allowed to check books out here. They are already registered in the Montana University System, but they're not yet in "Our System" so we just need to add them in Alma first, which is the same way you'd register a community borrower!
How to Register a New User in Alma (courtesy borrowers OR students from other university libraries in Montana)
Always use correct capitalization and punctuation.
While in Alma:
Fulfillment > Manage Patron Services > Register New User
Next you will enter User Information.
-Enter the patron's First Name and Last Name
-Select the appropriate User Group: choose the group based on what they are at their home university: undergraduate, graduate, or faculty and staff
For now, leave Primary Identifier alone - this will be where you scan the barcode number or enter their University ID.
(This is also how you register Community Borrowers)
Next up in the User Management Information section, enter the password if the patron chooses one. This is not required, if they are not interested you may leave it blank. By setting a password they can log-in to their Library account in Primo. (Primo is the patron side of Alma. It's what you see when searching for materials from our Library home page.)
Courtesy Users will log in with their barcode number. Once they are logged in they will be able to view their
Loans, Requests, Fines + Fees, Blocks + Messages, and Personal Details
Next up is Email Addresses.
-Select the appropriate Email Type: Personal or School
-Type in the patron’s Email Address.
Please take care to get their email address correct. This makes it much easier to contact them in the future if necessary.
The next section is Addresses.
-Select the appropriate Address Type: Home or School
-Required fields are: Street Address (Use Address Line 1), City, State/Province, Postal Code.
The next section is Phone Numbers.
-Select the appropriate Phone Type: Home, Mobile, or Office
-Type in the patron’s Phone Number.
If you are registering a new Community Borrower this is when you can assign their Primary Identifier AKA the barcode on their card. Delete the number that was automatically put in that box; scan in the barcode from the back of the patron’s identification card.
If you are simply registering someone from another university to use our stuff, just enter their ID number or scan their school issued ID card!
Then click the Update User button in the top right of the screen.
Last step: Party because you're done! The patron is now set to check out materials.
Here are some hot facts you need to know about the Library Lockers!
What to do when someone wants to check one out: