How can we automatically notify people when a new resource is added?
Answer
Alma allows us to designate interested users in a PO line. An interested user is someone who wants to be notified when we have received an order and the item is ready to use. These users can be added during manual PO line creation or after the PO line has been created.
For an order placed via our GOBI real-time (API) system, you will need to find the PO line in Alma after placing the order in GOBI. We are not able to set them during GOBI order creation.
The user must have an account in Alma, so any Los Rios student or employee should be ok.
Add interested users
Find the PO line by searching for an ISBN or other relevant criteria such as title and author.
Click the Edit icon to enter the PO line editor.
In the navigation, click the Interested Users link to get to the correct area of the PO line.
Click Add Interested User and search for the user. Click the correct entry.
A dialog will appear allowing you to select various options. Note that for physical items, you even have the option to have the item automatically put on hold for the user upon being received.
When you've finished adding interested users, remember to click Save on the PO line. This will return the PO line to whatever workflow status it was previously in; for instance, if it was in Auto-Packaging, it will still be there when you save it.
When are the users notified?
Note that while you might expect that the user should be notified when the item is marked received or activated, this is not always the case.
For physical items such as books, the user is notified when the item is received. However, if Keep in department is checked in the Receiving workbench, then the notification is not sent until staff selects Done.
For electronic items such as ebooks or streaming videos, the user is notified when the Alma operator selects Done for the item in the Electronic Activation Task List. Since we sometimes keep portfolios in this task list for a while in order to review cataloging, it's important to note any interested users and select Done, then add an e-activation task if more review is needed.
When viewing the Receiving or Activation task lists, a check-mark will display for items with interested users (unless it has been hidden). This would allow you to prioritize these items if desired.
Letter
The email sent is the Interested In Letter. Note that the from line of this letter will be the email address set for the circulation desk of the library that created the PO line, not the address designated in the From label in the letter. This detail may lead to irregularities in the appearance of the letter; we may want to think about the function of the email address set for the circulation desk, or pursue an enhancement request.
Managing interested users in bulk
The Update PO Lines Interested Users manual job exists, but use cases are not totally clear; you can't add a user via this job. Instead you can change settings for already-added interested users in bulk.
If there is a need for adding interested users via e.g. a spreadsheet including particular users and PO lines, we could accomplish that using Library Open Workflows, but as of now no workflow is available.