Summit Documentation

Annual Account Reconciliation (AAR)

See the Annual Account Reconciliation Documentation page for schedule details, FAQs, procedures & tutorials, and reports for the AAR process.

Borrowing

Overview

Alma statuses – borrowing

This document outlines the statuses that borrowing requests may have. It explains why a request might end up in a particular status and gives recommendations for next steps to take, how frequently to check different statuses, and troubleshooting information.

The task list

The task list is one way to identify if there are requests or other tasks that need to be worked on in ALMA from the first page. This is a customizable option in Alma which can be displayed, hidden, and moved.

Requesting and Cancelling Requests

Creating a manual request

This document outlines how to create a request on behalf of a patron.

Canceling a request in Alma

Outlines how to cancel a Summit request from within Alma. This includes cancelling the request from the patron’s account and cancelling the request from the Borrowing Requests queue.

Duplicate a borrowing request

When and how to use the Duplicate option on inactive requests.

Receiving and Returning Materials

Receiving

This page demonstrates how to receive items using the “Receiving Items” page.

Returning borrowed items

This document highlights using return items (fulfillment menu) as well as returning an item from the borrowing request.

Cleaning Up

Clearing Expired Summit Holds

This document covers the two ways to clear expired holds on Summit items.

Dismissing Notes

How to dismiss notes from borrowing requests that have been rejected by all potential partners.

Configuration

Customizing Borrowing Request Statuses

This customization allows institutions to change the language of the description for request statuses displayed in Primo to make them better understood by borrowers.

Hiding the Summit Requesting Link

These instructions allow you to prevent Summit requests on electronic resources, articles, and journals, as well as quickly stopping requests in the event of a closure or emergency.

Limiting the Number of Summit Requests

An optional configuration to keep patrons from having more than 200 active requests at a time. While the configuration works and would rarely be triggered, since not many people request excessively, the results may be confusing to those who are restricted. Read thoroughly for details.

Patron accounts (multiple RS libraries)

Outlines how to assign patrons to a user group that will allow them to request Summit items. This applies to institutions with multiple resource sharing locations.

Troubleshooting

Search for borrowing requests

When searching for lending requests the user can use parameters such as external identifier, author, title, requester, and item barcode. Requests can also be narrowed down by facets, activity status, or the “assigned to” tab.

Stuck in Ready to be Sent

This document explains how to identify when requests stuck in Ready to be Sent with a “Could not Send” error require a workaround, and how to do it.

Lending

Alma statuses – lending

This document outlines the statuses that lending requests may have. It explains why a request might end up in a particular status and gives recommendations for next steps to take, how frequently to check different statuses, and troubleshooting information.

Shipping one item

This document explains how to ship individual items manually from the Lending Requests page.

Shipping items

This document explains how to ship items from the Shipping Items page.

Rejecting a lending request

On occasion a lending library will need to reject a request. The most common reasons to reject are non-circulating, poor condition and not on shelf.

Resolving locate failed

Sometimes the locate process has difficulty figuring out which item to place the Summit request on at a specific owning library. This can lead to a partial (or failed) locate. The request still gets sent to the lending library, but extra staff mediation is required.

Resolving created lending requests

Most lending requests automatically get routed into your Being Processed queue. However every now and then you’ll see one turn up with a status of Created Lending Request. These requests typically require a little extra staff intervention.

Quick Printing and Printout Queues

This document walks through how to set up printers for circulation desks in Alma, how to enable Quick Printing, and how to generate slips from the Pick From Shelf screen. The process was demonstrated on the recorded Slip Printing Demo Open Call (Video, 54:49) on July 27, 2021.

Completing lending requests

Outlines how to complete a lending request once the item has been returned to the owning library.

Search for lending requests

When searching for lending requests the user can use parameters such as external identifier, author, title, and item barcode. Requests can also be narrowed down by facets, activity status, or the “assigned to” tab.

Renewals

A Visual Guide for Primo and Alma Renewal

This document demonstrates how a borrower would request a renewal in Primo, and how a staff member can place a renewal request for a borrower through Alma.

Local Alma Configuration for Renewals

A brief guide to setting the Summit Loan TOUs to allow renewals and adjusting the Lending Resource Sharing TOUs to include a maximum renewal date.

Customizing the Borrowing Info Letter

The Borrowing Info Letter is triggered when a renewal request comes through Primo. This document shares ideas for editing that notification to make it bit clearer.

Best Practices

Summit Quick Sheet

Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting errors using history trails

Occasionally mistakes happen. Reviewing the audit trail is a good way to determine what went wrong. Below are some common errors and their accompanying audit trails.

Interpreting history trails

The history trail is an invaluable resource when it comes to troubleshooting Summit requests. It contains all the partner data that gets relayed back and forth between the borrowing and lending libraries. It archives any status changes that have occurred along the way. And it documents essential operator and timestamp information. By familiarizing yourself with what a normal history trail looks like, it will help you identify procedural missteps and give you a better sense for how to correct these problems when they occur.

Staff Permissions and Roles

Role templates

Role templates are used to create a customized set of privileges for Alma users.

Setting up staff to process requests

Summit processors need specific roles to allow them to process Summit requests. This document outlines the roles and scopes that will need to be assigned.

Communication

Using general messages

General messages are a way that you can communicate with your partner library concerning item damage, AAR status, general questions about the request, etc.

General Messages Videos

Using notes

Why and how to use the three types of notes available to Summit processors: internal, note to partner, and fulfillment.

Other Considerations

Processing Requests for Multi-part Volumes

Instructions for both Lending and Borrowing institutions for processing requests for multi-part volume series.

Summit visiting patron

All Summit libraries are required to offer Visiting Summit Patron borrowing privileges. This document explains how to verify a patron’s eligibility for the program, the role of the local institution vs the patron’s home institution, and its impact on AAR.

Recommended Alma Configuration to Support Summit Workflows

This document contains the recommendation to enable “Rejected by partner” as part of the Borrowing Requests Inactive Filters.

Deleting Completed Resource Sharing Requests

This document details how to configure deletion of completed requests, embargoed at two years, to maintain accuracy for our annual reconciliation process.

Changing Non-Lending Locations

Instructions for adding or editing non-Summit eligible locations in the Network Zones Resource Sharing Restriction Rules mapping table.

Release Recommendations

Alliance Policies and Courier Service

Questions

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