Item's Home Institution: Lost and Paid Status

This workflow explains how to process a Lost item as Lost and Paid in Alma when a patron has paid the replacement fee, allowing the system to:

• Remove the item from the patron’s Active Loans

• Mark the item’s process type as Lost and Paid

• Resolve the loan without requiring the item to be returned

Use this workflow when:

• A patron pays for a Lost item and will not be returning it

• Staff need to finalize the loan and remove it from the patron’s account

• Replacement costs have been collected and the item is considered permanently lost

Note: Without using the Lost and Paid functionality, items may remain on the patron’s account in Lost status even after payment, leading to confusion and inaccurate loan records.

Required Roles

• Fulfillment Operator

• Circulation Desk Manager

1: Locate the Patron Record Navigate to Fulfillment > Checkout/Checkin > Manage Patron Services> Search for and open the patron record

2: Access the Payment Screen Select the <Pay> button next to the Active Balance

5: Select <View Fines and fees full list> Selecting specific fines ensures that only the intended lost item charge is processed and that other fines are not accidentally paid or altered

6. My Institution - Fines and Fees Locate the Lost item from the resulting list Fines and Fee full list; Select Pay for the specific item you wish to resolve

7: Process the Payment

1. Confirm that the Lost Replacement Fee is reflecting as expected
2. Use the <Payment Method> drop-down menu to select the desired form of payment
3. Select the desired form of payment from the available options
4. Per your library's policy standards, if required, enter a Transaction ID
5. Per your library's policy standards, if required, enter a Comment
6. Select <Pay>

8: Confirm Loan Closure After payment:

• A display confirmation notification will publish on the right-hand side of the screen with a confirmation note indicating the item has been successfully paid

• The Loan record will update to Paid and the fine amount will reflect a zero balance

• The item is removed from the patron’s active loans list

• The item’s process type changes to: Lost and Paid

What Happens Automatically

When configured correctly and applied to Alma-native lost loans:

• The loan is closed
• The item is no longer associated with the patron
• The replacement fee is recorded as paid
• The item remains in a non-circulating lost status

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why didn’t the item disappear from the patron’s account after payment?

  • The close_paid_lost_loan parameter may not be enabled, or the item may be a migrated lost loan.

• What does “Lost and Paid” mean?

  • The patron has paid for the item, and the loan is closed without requiring return.

• Can the item still be returned later?

  • Yes. If returned, staff may need to:

    • Adjust or refund fees

    • Update item status manually