Proposal on Alma Bulk Due Date Extension Approved by CARLI Board of Directors

The CARLI Board of Directors has voted to approve the proposal to do another bulk extension of due dates in I-Share to February 1, 2021. Please see the details in the proposal text below.  
 
Please note that this due date extension will extend the due dates of items now due October 1 to February 1, AND will also set up a fixed due date of February 1 for items charged after the batch change is made. The February 1 date will apply to all I-Share (resource sharing) loans and will also apply to all local circulation unless the I-Share library requests a different policy for some or all of their local circulation. Please see the proposal below for more detail on this change and options for local circulation changes.
 
This proposal came from many of the participants at an open discussion session for CARLI library directors held on September 3, 2020. The proposal below was crafted by the CARLI staff and the CARLI Board voted by email to approve. As always, please direct any questions or requests for help in modifying your local circulation settings to us at CARLI Support. Please don’t hesitate to ask for help; we know everyone is still new to Alma configuration and we would rather you ask for help than struggle with this work.

CARLI staff will send email updates to you as we make these changes in Alma.   

Proposal Approved by the CARLI Board of Directors on Alma Bulk Due Date Extension 

September 15, 2020
 
Background:  As I-Share libraries began to close in March 2020 due to COVID-19, many asked how best to keep patrons from being fined and billed for items they could not physically return during their closures. CARLI staff responded by proposing to the CARLI Board (who subsequently approved) that we perform tasks in Voyager (and later Alma) to adjust the due date to October 1, 2020 for all currently charged items with due dates between January 1, 2020 and September 30, 2020. As we are now in mid-September and many I-Share institutions are still teaching primarily online and some libraries are still not fully open, several library directors mentioned on a recent open call that they would like to see the October 1 due date extended into spring semester 2021.
 
Proposal: Should the CARLI Board approve, the CARLI staff propose to do the following to address this request. Please note that the resource sharing aspect of I-Share compels us to do this work for all I-Share libraries (with the optional exceptions noted below.)
 
Bulk Due Date Extension
 
1.  Before October 1, CARLI staff will change the due date of everything that is currently checked out in Alma and due before February 1, 2021, to be due February 1, 2021. 

• Note that if a patron’s record expires before February 1, 2021, their materials will fall due on the last day their record is unexpired. If their record’s expiration date is in the past, their due dates will remain unchanged. 
• Libraries may wish to work with CARLI to learn how to extend patron expiration dates manually or in bulk.

2.  If institutions are circulating short loan materials such as course reserves, equipment, etc., and do not wish these materials to have the bulk February 1 due date applied, they should contact CARLI to ask for reports on these items, and assistance with adjusting these materials’ due dates after the bulk change is made.
 
Ongoing Due Date Extensions
 
3.  Before October 1, CARLI will adjust Alma Configuration to set up a fixed due date of February 1, 2021 for all I-Share and local loans for materials that are checked out in Alma until we begin more normal circulation operations or decide to advance the fixed due date further into the future.  

More on fixed due dates

• Patrons from one I-Share library, borrowing another I-Share library’s materials, will receive the February 1 fixed due date for transactions. 
• If an institution does NOT want to use the February 1 fixed due date for ongoing circulation of materials to their own local patrons, they can inform CARLI staff that they wish to opt out of the fixed due date for local patrons.
• Exceptions can also be requested for either specific locations/item types, such as reserves and equipment. 
• CARLI staff will need notification of any exceptions by September 23, 2020 to be able to make these changes before October 1. 

Letters and Fulfillment/Circulation Jobs
 
4.  CARLI staff will NOT enable the Alma fulfillment jobs, rules, and settings that cause either local or I-Share patrons to be further fined, billed, or blocked until we can begin more “normal” circulation operations again.
5.  CARLI staff WILL enable the jobs, rules, and settings that create overdue notices on the schedules set by the libraries. If a library has added text to their Alma notices about fines, blocks, and billing, they may wish to review and edit this text.
 
Future Review of Adjustments
 
6.  CARLI will revisit this proposal with the Board in January 2021 to decide on whether to remove or extend these policies.