SCF - Update Internal Note 1

A form is used to input and update the Internal Note 1 field in both the Shared Collections Facility (SCF) IZ and the IZ that owns the item.

At a glance

• Status: Active

• Applies consortium-wide?: No

• Runs on: SCF Production Alma environment, with conditional updates to owning Institution Zones (Inferred from credential labels and network logic; you may want to check the workflow export.)

• Trigger: Manual form submission — staff enter a barcode and tray location via a web form

• Primary outcome: Updates Internal Note 1 on an item record with a tray location, in SCF and (when applicable) the owning institution’s Alma IZ.

• Who receives results: The submitting staff member (on-screen success or error message)

Why this exists

Shared Collections Facility (SCF) staff need a fast, reliable way to record tray location information on physical items in both the SCF Institution Zone and the IZ of the Owning Institution. This workflow provides a simple form-based tool that updates the Alma item’s Internal Note 1 field without requiring staff to navigate full Alma item editing screens, while also keeping owning institutions’ records in sync when appropriate.

What it does

• Presents a simple form asking staff to enter an item barcode.

• Looks up the item in Alma using that barcode.

• Determines whether the item belongs only to SCF or also has an owning Institution Zone (IZ).

• Prompts the user to enter a Tray Location.

• Writes the tray location into the item’s Internal Note 1 field.

• Updates:

  • SCF’s item record, and

  • the owning IZ’s item record when the item belongs to a WRLC member institution.

• Displays a clear success or error message explaining what was updated.

Where it runs

• Alma IZ(s):

  • Shared Collections Facility (SCF) Institution Zone

  • Owning WRLC member Institution Zones (conditional)

• Systems touched:

  • Alma APIs — used to retrieve and update item records

  • Alma Network Zone logic — used to identify and route updates to the owning IZ

• Reports / queries used: None (no Alma Analytics usage)

How it works

Logic overview

Execution flow (plain language):

1. Form submission

   • Staff submit a barcode via a web form titled “Update Internal Note 1.”

2. Retrieve item using barcode

   • Alma API retrieves the item record from SCF.

   • If the barcode is invalid or not found, the workflow stops and shows an error.

3. Owning IZ check

   • The workflow checks the item’s provenance value.

   • If the provenance matches a known WRLC member IZ code, the item is treated as having an owning IZ.

   • Otherwise, it is treated as an SCF-only item.

4. Tray location entry

   • Staff are prompted to enter a Tray Location, with the item title shown for confirmation.

5. Update logic

   • The tray location is written to item_data.internal_note_1.

   • For SCF-only items:

     • The item is updated in SCF only.

   • For items with an owning IZ:

     • The item is updated in SCF.

     • The workflow retrieves the owning IZ’s item record and updates it as well.

6. Completion

   • A success message confirms where the update occurred.

   • If the SCF update succeeds but the owning IZ update fails, a partial-success error message is shown.

If results exist

• The item is found and updated.

• Internal Note 1 is overwritten with the entered tray location.

• A success message clearly states whether the update occurred:

  • in SCF only, or

  • in both SCF and the owning Institution Zone.

If no results

• If the barcode lookup fails:

  • The workflow stops immediately.

  • The user sees a descriptive error message returned from Alma.

• No updates are made.

Artifacts produced

• Updated Alma item records

  • Field affected: Internal Note 1

• No reports, files, or emails are generated.