Fulfillment Terminology

• What is Fulfillment? The process by which patrons borrow and return physical resources, or access electronic or digital resources. Fulfillment includes all areas where requests for items are created and filled. Tasks include viewing the status of an item, checking out and checking in materials, placing holds, adjusting loan periods, adding new patrons or editing existing patrons, renewing materials, managing fines, and sending notices to patrons.  

• Circulation desks: Work locations in the library that handle patron fulfillment. Users will set their location in the persistent menu (upper right corner) so that materials are checked out and returned properly. 

• Fulfillment units: Shelving locations with similar lending or return policies and blocks 

• Institutions: An institution is the highest part of the hierarchy. At Duke, we have one institution.

• Libraries: The individual libraries on a campus. Each library is uniquely identified in Alma so the specific needs of that library can be addressed. For example, Ford and Perkins are each Alma libraries.

The Alma Home Page 

The Alma home page is the initial page that appears when you log in to Alma. You return to the Alma home page by selecting the Duke logo in the persistent menu. 

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Alma homepage

The specific elements that display on the Alma home page and menu options depend on your user roles. However, the home page always presents: 

• Persistent Menu: every page contains this header that includes the Duke logo, a search box, and main menu icons.

• Navigation Bar: the main menu to navigate in Alma, located in the left sidebar. This is where you’ll find the Fulfillment unit. 

• Recent Pages Widget: Displays the pages you have most recently visited. Select to go directly to one of the pages. 

Additional features you can enable:

• Widgets and Manage Widgets Button: Widgets are small panes of information or actions that are relevant to your user role. You can choose to display or remove widgets (except for the Recent Pages widget) from the Manage Widgets button. 

• Quick Links: Alma tools that you use frequently can be set as Quick Links, so you don’t have to go through the sub-menus every time. Click the desired option in any module; when the star turns blue, it is set as a Quick Link. To create Quick Links: Select  on the Navigation panel and select Pin Quick Links Menu to display. For more information, see: https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Product_Documentation/010Alma_Online_Help_(English)/010Getting_Started/050Alma_User_Interface_%E2%80%93_General_Information/045Usability_Improvements/Layout_Improvements#Quick_Links_Improvements  

User Roles

User Roles define what functions a user can perform in Alma. Each role confers a set of permissions, and staff members will have multiple roles assigned to them, depending on their job responsibilities. 

Roles are specific to a library location (i.e., a Lilly staff member might have a “Circulation Desk Manager” role at Lilly but only a “Circulation Desk Operator” role at Music). Staff should always make sure they are logged in to the correct circulation desk location. 

Some circulation-related roles in Alma have three tiers: Manager (with the highest level of permissions), Operator, and Operator – Limited. All users, staff and patrons, will have the role of Patron in Alma, which allows borrowing of materials. Other roles are related to Circulation Desk functions, Requests, Users, Inventory, Course Reserves, and more.

For detailed information on Alma User Role Profiles, Job Categories, and how those affect permissions, see Permissions and Role Management.