Modification of On Hold Shelf letter

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Legend: NOT STARTED IN PROGRESS STALLED DECIDED

Executive Summary

Problem Statement

Recommendations

Impact

Reasoning

Background

Copied from the Consortia Blocks Decision Page.

Following implementation of SILS, it was discovered that patrons with cash limit or manual blocks on their library account could place AFN requests through UC Library Search, only to be blocked at the point of checkout.

Alma allows for patron account blocks through both cash limits and manual blocks. Manual block options available to all UCs are:

• 01 – loan

• 02 – loan, renew

• 03 – loan, renew, hold

Additionally, Ex Libris has created two consortial blocks for UC as follows:

• 04 - AFN request

• 05 - AFN request, loan, renew, hold

Currently, there is no consistency across UCs in cash limit amounts or how they are applied. Additionally, consortial blocks 04 & 05 are only available at two campuses (UCLA & UCB). There’s no UC-wide policy on the use of consortial blocks.

Cash blocks are the first type of block to be incurred by the patron for overdue material and are only impacted locally. Though cash blocks prevent loan of material, it does not prevent requesting through UC Library Search.

Existing Alma functionality allows for manual user blocks 04 and 05 to apply to the home campus and push out to other UCs. 04 & 05 blocks at other UCs do not push back to the home campus, as per Ex Libris documentation. This lack of communication between UCs prevents a comprehensive methodology for effectively blocking patrons between all UC campuses. For example, a borrowing patron has a manual or cash limit block on their Network stub record at another UC, they are not currently blocked from placing new AFN requests from that UC. The requested item would be sent from the lending UC to the pick up location without any indication of a problem. It is not until the actual checkout phase that library staff would be alerted of the delinquency account block, preventing the loan. Additionally, though the patron is blocked from checking out AFN or walk-in materials from the UC with the block, they can still make AFN and walk in requests from the other eight UCs with impunity. This also applies to patrons with manual or cash limit blocks on their local home accounts. Currently, local delinquencies do not block patrons from making AFN requests through UC Library Search, though the patron will still be blocked from checking out the UC material at their home campus.

A subgroup consisting of members from the Resource Sharing OST and Fulfillment OST identified current Alma configurations for Cash Limit and Manual Blocks (cohort only) across all UCs, as well as performed extensive testing to evaluate current behavior and impact of cash limit and manual 04 & 05 blocks. Results of testing are summarized in the chart below.

Dependencies

Modifying the On Hold Shelf letter is a temporary solution until a more permanent fix is implemented.

Questions to consider

Action Log