# Terms of Use (TOU) A **Terms of Use** is a bundle of specific **fulfillment policies** (such as loan periods, fine structures, and renewal options) that are applied to items, patrons, or services within a library. - TOUs are attached to **Fulfillment Unit Rules** to determine the policies applied when a patron requests a service (e.g., a Loan, Request, or Booking). - Any changes made to a policy within a TOU are immediately applied wherever that TOU is in use. For more information on TOUs, please see Alma Knowledgebase page [Configuring Terms of Use](https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Product_Documentation/010Alma_Online_Help_(English)/030Fulfillment/080Configuring_Fulfillment/020Fulfillment_Infrastructure/Configuring_Physical_Fulfillment#Configuring_Terms_of_Use). --- ### Configuring Terms of Use 1. Navigate to the **Terms of Use Management** page (**Configuration Menu > Fulfillment > Physical Fulfillment > Terms of Use and Policies**).[![Screenshot 2025-10-14 132108.png](https://alma-documentation-bookstack.azurewebsites.net/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/scaled-1680-/screenshot-2025-10-14-132108.png)](https://alma-documentation-bookstack.azurewebsites.net/uploads/images/gallery/2025-10/screenshot-2025-10-14-132108.png) 2. Select **Add Set of Terms of Use** to start the configuration wizard. 3. **Step 1: General Information** - Enter a **Name** (required) and an optional **Description**. - Select the **Type** (e.g., Loan, Request, Booking, or Resource Sharing). - Select **Next**. 4. **Step 2: Policies** - This page lists all the policies that will be included in this TOU (e.g., Loan Policy, Fine Policy, Request Policy). - Select a policy from the drop-down list for each policy type. - To create a new policy, select **Add** from the row actions list. - To edit an existing policy (which will change it everywhere it's used), select **Edit**. - Select **Next**. 5. **Step 3: Review** - Review the details of the new TOU set. - Select **Save** to finalize and add the new Terms of Use to the list. --- ### Viewing Related Fulfillment Rules You can easily see which Fulfillment Unit Rules are using a specific TOU: 1. On the **Terms of Use Management** page, select **Show Related Fulfillment Rules** from the row actions list for a specific TOU. 2. The resulting page displays all the rules that currently employ that Terms of Use. --- ### Using TOUs in Fulfillment Units TOUs are attached to specific **Fulfillment Units** via **Fulfillment Rules**. Each Fulfillment Rule uses one TOU, and the rules determine when the specific TOU is applied to a transaction. **For instructions on how to associate TOUs with specific Fulfillment Rules, please see the WRLC Alma wiki page [Fulfillment Unit Rules](https://alma-documentation-bookstack.azurewebsites.net/books/fulfillment/page/fulfillment-units-and-fulfillment-rules#bkmrk-fulfillment-unit-rul).** --- ### Configuring Maximum Renewal TOU **NOTE: To maintain compliance with WRLC Alma Fulfillment Network (AFN) Lending agreed practices, the FN Lending Terms of Use (TOU) Maximum Renewal Period policy must be configured as outlined below.** - **Standard wrlc users receive a 42-day initial loan period with up to 3 additional 42-day renewals, resulting in a total allowable loan period of 168 days.** - **Patrons assigned the WRLC Faculty Job Category receive fixed semester loan periods (1/31/YYYY, 5/31/YYYY, and 9/30/YYYY) with a total allowable loan period of 365 days, including renewals.** The **Maximum Renewal Period** policy defines the total amount of time a patron may retain a loaned item beginning from the original loan date, including all renewals. Per ExLibris documentation, *"Alma doesn't count the number of renewals for a loan. Renewal limits are managed by the 'Maximum Renewal Period' policy in the Loan Terms of Use (TOU) which indicates the total period of time that a user may have the loaned item." [(ExLibris: Loan doesn't renew as expected in Alma)](https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Alma/Knowledge_Articles/Loan_doesn%27t_renew_as_expected_%28doesn%27t_consider_library_maximum_allowed_policy%29?utm_source=chatgpt.com)* Example: WRLC FN Lending Maximum Renewal Period configurations: - Students: - 42-day initial loan period plus 3 renewals - Configure Maximum Renewal Period = 168 Days - Faculty/Instructors: - 1 year total loan period including renewals - Configure Maximum Renewal Period = 365 Days If the desired **Maximum Renewal Period** policy is already available within the **Terms of Use (TOU)**, you may select and update the existing policy as needed; **skip ahead to Step #4** **1. If the policy is *not* available**, first create a new policy through: Configuration > Fulfillment > Physical Fulfillment > Advanced Policy Configuration> **Add Fulfillment Policy** [![image.png](https://alma-documentation-bookstack.azurewebsites.net/uploads/images/gallery/2026-05/scaled-1680-/xlyimage.png)](https://alma-documentation-bookstack.azurewebsites.net/uploads/images/gallery/2026-05/xlyimage.png) **2. From the Select Fulfillment Policy Type list**, locate and select the desired policy> **Maximum Renewal Period**; select **Next** [![image.png](https://alma-documentation-bookstack.azurewebsites.net/uploads/images/gallery/2026-05/scaled-1680-/Jxrimage.png)](https://alma-documentation-bookstack.azurewebsites.net/uploads/images/gallery/2026-05/Jxrimage.png) **3. In the Policy Details page**, complete the policy form to configure the new policy's values: - Enter a **Policy Name**, for example: - WRLC FN Lending Maximum Renewal Period 168 Days - WRLC Faculty Lending Maximum Renewal Period 365 Days - Enter a **Policy Description**, for example: - 42-day initial loan period plus 3 renewals; total allowable loan period = 168 days - 1 year total allowable loan period including renewals - From the **Value Type** drop-down menu, select **Other** - Selecting **Other** enables the fields required to configure the policy duration and unit of measurement. - In the **Value** field, enter the desired total loan duration - From the **Unit of Measurement** drop-down menu, select the appropriate unit: **Days** - Set **Default Policy** according to local library policy - Select **True** if this policy should be the default option for this policy type - Select **False** if this policy should only be available for selection when needed - Select **Save**[![image.png](https://alma-documentation-bookstack.azurewebsites.net/uploads/images/gallery/2026-05/scaled-1680-/W65image.png)](https://alma-documentation-bookstack.azurewebsites.net/uploads/images/gallery/2026-05/W65image.png) **4. Open the desired Terms of Use (TOU)** Navigate to: Configuration> Fulfillment> Physical Fulfillment> Terms of Use and Policies - Set <Terms of Use Type> to Loan - Locate the desired TOU; in this example it is WRLC FN Lending, your library may use a different TOU title - From the action row menu, select Edit [![image.png](https://alma-documentation-bookstack.azurewebsites.net/uploads/images/gallery/2026-05/scaled-1680-/i8Yimage.png)](https://alma-documentation-bookstack.azurewebsites.net/uploads/images/gallery/2026-05/i8Yimage.png) **5. Update the Maximum Renewal Period policy** from the <Terms of Use Policies> menu: - From the Terms of Use Management page, locate Policy Type: Maximum Renewal Period - Use the TOU's policy's drop-down menu to select the desired policy; here the policy example is <168 days (6 weeks old) but your library may have a different policy name [![image.png](https://alma-documentation-bookstack.azurewebsites.net/uploads/images/gallery/2026-05/scaled-1680-/PrAimage.png)](https://alma-documentation-bookstack.azurewebsites.net/uploads/images/gallery/2026-05/PrAimage.png) **6. On the resulting Terms of Use Confirmation** page, locate the Maximum Renewal Period policy from the menu to confirm it has updated to the desired policy; select Save [![image.png](https://alma-documentation-bookstack.azurewebsites.net/uploads/images/gallery/2026-05/scaled-1680-/jIIimage.png)](https://alma-documentation-bookstack.azurewebsites.net/uploads/images/gallery/2026-05/jIIimage.png)