Information and Reference Desk

Placing a "Physical Item Request" (Books, Journals, A/V, General Equipment) for a Patron

Processing Booking Request Emails

Requesting a Summit Item for a Patron

Cancelling a Request

Digitization and eResource Request Processing

Adding a Patron Proxy

Placing a Physical Item Request In Alma for WOU-Owned Items (Books, Journals, A/V, Equipment)

NOTE: Equipment that is restricted for a class or program, or materials on course reserve may typically not be requested for hold.

If you are assisting a patron find materials, you may place the request on their behalf via Alma.

1. Copy the item IZ number from Primo. Paste the number into the Alma search bar at the top of the screen and click the search icon.
   
   
2. After searching for the item, make sure to check that you are on the Institution (home icon) tab. There should be only ONE result so click on the '...' open up the menu and select the Request option.
   
   
3. Once you click on the request button you will be directed to a page asking you for more information. Choose “Patron physical item request”. The page will refresh and ask you to input the patron name or V#. Depending on the patron's preference, choose a pickup location or mailing option. No other details are required so hit the Submit button to finish the request!
   
   
    
4. Lastly, open the patron's user record and check the request tab to make sure that it appears in their account. 
   
   
5. When Checkout has pulled the item and placed it on the holding shelf, the patron will receive an email stating that their item is ready to be picked up.  
    

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Processing Booking Request Emails

1. If a request for an audiovisual item is received via email, print off the email message for each one, find them in Primo, and write down the Call Number for each one. 
    
2. Retrieve the items and give them to the checkout desk worker with the printed email. An example is listed below.

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Requesting a Summit Item for a Patron in Alma

1. Log into Alma. In the search bar at the top of the page, type the Primo Network Zone (NZ) # or ISBN of the book the patron wants to request. Click the dropdown menu, change the search scope to "Network" then click the magnifying glass to search.
   
   
2. If you searched by the NZ # you will only have one result. Click the '...' then the "Resource Sharing Request" button to proceed with the request.
   
   
    
3.  Input the patron's Name or V# and set the pickup location. The default is "Hamersly Library" but you can ask the patron if they'd rather pick it up at the Salem Campus, or have the item shipped to them. Leave all other sections as is unless special action is required. Click "Save" and the request is complete.
   
   
    
4. Lastly, review the patron's user record to make sure that the request appears in their account.
   
   
    
5. (NO REQUEST IN PATRON ACCOUNT) If the request you just made for a patron does not show up in their 'Requests' tab, then the request was automatically denied by the holding library (could be part of a restricted collection or already checked out). The patron will receive an email stating that their request could not be fulfilled, but give them the option to convert it to an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) request. The patron needs to follow the hyperlink and re-submit the request. The necessary fields should be auto-filled.
   
   

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Cancelling Requests In Alma

1. In Alma, click on "Fulfillment" and select "Manage Patron Services", under "Checkout/Checkin".

    

   
    

2. Enter in the patron’s name/V# to be taken to their Patron Services menu
    
3. Click on the ‘Requests’ tab below their user information to see what requests they’ve made.

    

   
    
4. Find the request they’d like to delete and check the ‘Task’ status of the item.
   IMPORTANT: If a request says that it is ‘On Hold Shelf’ notify the Checkout Desk so that they may return the item to stacks.
    
5. Click on the three dots at the far right to open a menu, then choose 'Cancel'.  When asked why you’d like to cancel the request, choose the appropriate option and complete the action. An email will be generated and sent to the patron stating the selected reason for cancelation. 

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You will occasionally receive on the libweb email account, patron-generated messages authorizing another individual checkout items on their behalf - also known as designating a proxy. The request will contain the person's name, the name and email of the individual they're authorizing, and an expiration date of the authorization.

Example:

Steps:

1. In Alma, access the record of the person who has been given permissions.

2. On the patrons account, click their V#/ID to access their record.

3. Select the 'Proxy For' tab and click 'Add Proxy For'.

4. Type in the name of the person who requested the proxy status and click 'Add User'.

5. The requestor's name should now be listed, and you can close out of the user's account.

6. Lastly, confirm that the proxy is correct by going to 'Manage Patron Services' from Fulfillment, typing in the name of the person who is the proxy, checkmarking the 'Use Proxy' box and clicking 'Go'. The screen should refresh with the name of the requester below it.

Note: You do not have to do anything pertaining to the expiration date - dates are periodically checked by your supervisor.

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Brief Overview

Digitization Requests are requests from patrons for portions of materials that we physically own.

eResource Requests are for materials that we already have access to digitally, that just need to be shared with the requester.

The library must abide by all copyright laws pertaining to the reproduction of materials, which includes restriction the amount we may legally copy for educational use.

Rejecting non-compliant requests

For any Digitization or eResource request that is not copyright compliant, reject the request. Select 'Lacks copyright compliance' as the reason and also write that in the 'Note to partner' field.

Before you process anything, make sure that you have quick printing enabled. The option is found under the location pin icon on the Alma homepage.

Digitization Request Processing

Open the 'Resource Sharing Requests' menu and open the 'Lending' tab. Under 'New' you'll see all requested waiting to be fulfilled.

For any new requests, click the horizontal ellipsis icon and select 'Print Slip'. You can then print the request at the desk printer and, as time allows, retrieve the physical copy from the book stacks.

If there is any important information from the request that didn't appear on the slip (e.g., chapter or page range), you can find that by clicking in the blank space of the request to open up a side menu

Copyright Review

Once retrieved, conduct a preliminary copyright review before scanning. If you have any questions about whether a request is copyright compliant, leave a sticky note on the request and wait for supervisor approval.

If you know a request is not compliant with the guidelines above, and the request is from a WOU patron (their email will be on the print slip), you can contact them, let them know you can only provide a smaller amount, and see if they would still like to proceed. If the request is from a non-WOU patron, consult with your supervisor or the ILL staff supervisor.

Scan Materials

Process the scan using the guidelines below.

• Scan documents cleanly and evenly (Refer to the images for unacceptable scanning errors)
• Make sure that pages are not cut off and there is no glare
• For large books, or those with glossy pages, scan in V-form or use one of the glass plates to eliminate glare and scanning distortions
• 300dpi minimum for scanning resolution
• Appropriate color-setting mode (text-only can be grayscale, but documents with images should be in color)
• File saved as a pdf with OCR
• Rename the file to match the book section(s) or article requested

Examples of poor scanning outputs

Complete Deliver Digital Document

• Click the ellipsis button on the item request and select 'Ship Item Digitally'
• Either drag and drop the file(s) into the box or click 'browse' to navigate to the files and select them.
• Check mark 'Complete the Request'
• Press Ship

eResource Request Processing

eResource requests are typically quick and easy to process as the library should already have electronic access.

For any new requests, click the horizontal ellipsis icon and select 'Download Electronic Resource'

NOTE: Some databases require an authorization of an active user, which libweb IS NOT. You may need to open Alma in a new browser session in which you're logged into your student account, sign into Alma and process it through there.

There will be one of more database resources that we could have electronic access to. Click it to be taken to that database vendor's journal page.

Finding and Downloading the eResource

Note: When finding articles some databases will take you directly to the article while others will only take you to the journal homepage and you'll need to manually find the article using the volume/issue information.

Once you've found the article or chapter download it as a pdf (or HTML if that is the only access).

Complete the eResource Request

Go back to the Alma tab with the request in it

• Drag and drop the file into the 'Ship item digitally' box.
• Check mark the 'Complete the request' box
• Press the 'Ship' button at the bottom of the page

Possible Issues and How to Handle Them

The article can't be found in any of the listed databases

• Double-check access options in Primo by copy/pasting the article title and searching.
• If there are no other options found click the horizontal ellipsis on the request and click 'Reject'.
• Select one of the appropriate reasons why it was rejected and confirm (e.g., not owned, not found)

There is missing critical information (e.g., a chapter request without any pages or chapter names)

• If there are no other options found click the horizontal ellipsis on the request and click 'Reject'.
• Select 'bad citation' as the reason why it was rejected.
• Include a message that the citation was bad in the 'Note to Partner' field.

There is a database technical error

• Technical errors vary and could be an issue with our reported holdings, or may be a broken authentication link
• In any instance, notify your supervisor so that they can diagnose and provide direction.
• Some databases require an active patron authentication which libweb IS NOT. If you get an error stating you're not authorized to view the resource ty again from a new browser session in which you're logged into your student portal, but not libweb.