Booking request creation
Basic process and common errors for patron-created requests in Primo and staff-created requests in Alma.
as of 18 September 2025; Primo portions assume use of VE original UI, not NDE UI
Patron-created requests
Basic process in Primo
Patron needs to log in, if they haven't already
Click on the Georgetown Request link
Select the dates desired, up to three days
Click the Send Request button
If it worked, they'll receive the message, "Your request was successfully placed."
If a patron wants to use multiple pieces of equipment, yes, they have to place a separate request on each piece of equipment.
Common problems/errors
No items can fulfill the submitted request.
This usually means the date range selected is too long. The system is very pedantic about date selection, so "three days" means the 14th to the 16th, for example.
This could also mean that all items are already booked for some portion of the date range selected. The patron can use the "Check Availability" link to see if part of the desired date range is blocked off as unavailable.
Request conflicts were found.
Some portion of the request conflicts with other requests already in the system. The patron can use the "Check Availability" link to see if part of the desired date range is blocked off as unavailable and adjust their request accordingly.
Staff-created requests
Basic process in Alma
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Perform a title search (All Titles or Physical Titles) in Alma
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Click the three dots button and select Request
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In the Request Type dropdown list, choose "Booking Request"
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Fill in the "Requester", "Date Range", and "Pickup At" fields
- NOTE: If you're overriding some policy (like how long the booking is allowed to last), click the "Override Booking Policies" checkbox
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Click Submit
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You should be taken back to your search results and see a green popup message "The request was successfully submitted : request id = [long string of numbers]".
If a patron wants to use multiple pieces of equipment, yes, you have to place a separate request on each piece of equipment.
Common problems/errors
No items available for the request due to policy.
Some portion of the request contradicts what's allowed in the Alma terms of use (e.g. how long the booking will last).
If that's the desired outcome, check the "Override Booking Policies" checkbox to proceed with placing the request.
Request conflicts were found.
Some portion of the request conflicts with other requests already in the system. You need to adjust the request dates to avoid the conflict.
Note: Cindy has encountered at least one example where this message appeared even though there were no apparent conflicts, so there may be something in the settings that needs additional refinement? In that case, use the "Override Booking Policies" checkbox to proceed with the new request, if able, then alert AlmaHelp of the issue and provide the new request ID so the "conflict" can be investigated.