Library Answers: Los Rios Common Questions

The Fulfillment Configuration Utility is a tool that allows staff to view the terms of use (TOUs) and related policies under which a specific item is loaned to a specific patron. To avoid generating false circulation statistics, please test fulfillment policies using this tool rather than checking out/in items for testing. 

The tool can be found in Alma > Fulfillment Menu > Advanced Tools - Loans > Fulfillment Configuration Utility. (Note: A role of Circulation Desk Operator or above is required to use this tool.)

To use the tool, enter the student/employee ID of an active patron in Alma, and enter the barcode of a specific item. 

• The first tab will reflect the Fulfillment Unit and Loan Terms of Use that apply to this item/patron combination.
  • The terms of use are labelled descriptively for the fulfillment unit, patron group, and loan length.
• The second tab will reflect the Request Terms of Use that apply to this item/patron combination.
  • The request terms of use are labelled to indicate whether requests are allowed or not, and whether requests may be picked up anywhere (e.g. General) or only from the owning library or campus (e.g. reserves). 
• The final tab will reflect the Overdue and Lost Loan profiles, which control when letters are sent and when an item is changed to lost. 

Important notes for using the Fulfillment Configuration Utility: 

• The utility does not track the patron's expiration date. This means
  • expired student accounts will show the same due dates as active students, and
  • if you use the tool close to the end of the term, loans without a fixed due date will most likely not show as due at the end of the term (because the end of term is not part of their loan TOU). If the closed-library-due-date-management policy is set to shorten the due date, the loan will show as due at end of the term, but we tend not to use that policy.
• If the library is closed (such as during intersessions), calculated due dates will reflect the closure and related policy action (e.g. move the due date to the next open date). 
• Most loan rules are now the same for Faculty/Staff and Students so you may choose to test the utility with either type of patron, though this may be an unnecessary risk.
• Currently Booking TOUs are not in use. The default rule (no booking) will show for all items.