134 results found
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Automatically email Manage Holds results to library staff
Have the results of Manage Holds automatically on a regular schedule (ie. each morning).
This would let staff pick holds even if they don't have Sierra open or available. The automated emails could be set up within the Manage Holds function itself, or could be accomplished if Scheduler worked with Manage Holds (right now Scheduler only works with Create Lists and Data Exchange).
1 vote -
Add a column for Loan Rule # to Loan Rule Table instead of using seq # in the table
Today the Loan Rule Number is the position in the Loan Rule Table. This means when we need to keep a lot of old and often Inactive rows in the table so that the loan rule numbers below don't change.
If you added a column with a loan rule number separate from the sequence in the table that the Loan Determiner table would point to, we could still mark old rules inactive until we are sure there are no more checkouts, but after we confirmed that we could delete the row completely and keep a much neater cleaner table with…5 votes -
Tooltip/Info Bubble for Loan Rule Names
We've currently got 55 loan rules in Cincinnati. Not the most I've seen, but also not the least. At a certain point, it becomes difficult to remember, or better yet, know at a glance, their purpose & what loan rule governs what. The character limit to the name entry for loan rules limits how descriptive we can be.
A number of Sierra releases back saw the addition of the tooltip rollover when searching patron records. I'd love to see something similar applied, so when I'm scrolling & rolling over loan rules, I can see a 2 or 3 sentence free…
7 votes -
loan rule determiners by agency
It would be nice to be able to choose location agency and leave location blank in the determiner table for some situations. In our case we have 4 partner library systems and one has 7 branches. Each of these branches has the exact same loan rules to allow certain items to circ to the whole consortium, and others to limit to only their system. If we could use agency, we would only have to create one set of those rules instead of one for each branch location prefix (in this case their branches are pri, max, bar,…
2 votes -
Charge type on fines tab needs to specify if it is a damaged item
We would like “replacement” changed to a term that reflects the actual item status. Currently, “replacement” is used for both long-overdue and damaged items that have been billed. To determine whether a billed item is damaged or simply overdue, staff must open the item record and check for a damage note.
3 votes -
Keep Bib Information for Deleted Records (for Reading History)
Unlike Polaris, when a record is deleted in Sierra, all information is deleted from the system. Unfortunately, this means that Sierra libraries would not be able to take advantage of the Vega Enhancement to "Display Deleted Titles in Reading History." Thus patrons only see "Resource is not available" in their Reading History.
Patrons opt in to keep their reading history assuming that the data will be there when they look for it. They don't understand why there is no record of it, think something is broken with the system.
9 votes -
Choose Priority between Item-level holds queue and bib-level holds queue
More control over choosing priority between the item-level holds queue and the bibliographic-level holds manually so that the Processing department can pull back specific items on popular, high-volume holds with more ease.
2 votes -
Customise font size and other details in Sierra pop-up messages
We'd like the ability to customise the display of Sierra popup messages, specifically we'd like the ability to increase the font size for key information (for example, the pickup location or destination) so it stands out more clearly. We would also like the option to hide the call number, as it is not used by our library.
3 votes -
Improve item title display on patron-facing devices by adjusting SIP2 parameters
Skip certain MARC subfields when preparing data for SIP2 connection.
Specifically:
When Sierra needs to send information to display an item title on a patron-facing device (automated materials handler, self-checkout kiosk, etc.) via SIP2, it currently appears to concatenate all occupied subfields of MARC field 245 and remove the delimiters. This means that certain information not intended to be patron-facing can end up appearing in the title the patron sees on screen (e.g. "880-01 Desu nôto 2..." appearing instead of just "Desu nôto 2...", where "880-01" is not actually part of the title, but rather a reference to another field…2 votes -
PIN limitations in Sierra: PIN_ALPHA_NUM should accept special characters
PINALPHANUM does not accept special characters.
If Vega Discover continues to be limited by wwwoptions for PIN creation, this option should accept special characters.
PIN Best Practice: The strongest defense combines a long length (12+ characters) with a true random mix of letters, numbers, and symbols.
Length vs. Complexity: Recent security guidelines emphasize that making a password longer (like using a multi-word passphrase) is often more effective than adding a single symbol to a short word. That said, library users do use special characters and want them included in their library PIN.
Adding symbols increases the character set…
14 votes -
Make Additional PCODEs Available
Libraries are increasingly looking at ways to gather metrics on patrons without identifying them. Data on age, gender, race, or all manner of characteristics might be collected, depending on the library.
I'd like to see Sierra be more accommodating in what it can collect & store on a patron's record, with the introduction of one or more additional PCODEs that can be used to store a significant amount of fixed field codes.
For example, we partner with schools in our service area & offer not only educator cards, but do an upload of student data. Having schools within our service…
12 votes -
Allow users to freeze a hold even when an available item could be used to fill that hold.
If a library's circulation or OPAC rules allow a customer to place a bib or item hold, the customer should also be able to freeze that hold at any time. This functionality is available in Polaris, but not Sierra.
Currently, customers cannot freeze a bib-level hold if there is an available item that could fill the request. This prevents customers from managing their holds the way they want. In many cases, they do not know an appropriate "Not Needed Before" date, but they do know that they are not ready to receive the item immediately.
Allowing holds to be frozen…
21 votes -
Allow users to freeze a hold even when an available item could be used to fill that hold.
Sierra libraries cannot freeze a hold in Vega Discover (and likely other third-party catalogues) if an available item could fill that hold. Innovative has confirmed that this limitation is caused by Sierra, and that Sierra's hold-freezing behavior must be changed before Vega Discover can support this functionality.
Currently, customers cannot freeze a bib-level hold if there is an available item that could fill the request. This prevents customers from managing their holds the way they want. In many cases, they do not know an appropriate "Not Needed Before" date, but they do know that they are not ready to receive…
1 vote -
Add Unique Control Numbers to Predefined Charges Table
Please add a unique, control number (ID) to predefined charges table in Sierra. This control number should be exported in the Fines Paid report. Currently, libraries waste significant administrative hours manually reconciling monthly, quarterly, and annual revenue because edited descriptions break automated data sorting (like Excel Pivot Tables).
The Problem:
To balance monthly revenue, libraries must sum payments by the type of predefined charge (e.g., photocopy charges, replacement cards, damaged books, donations).
Because Sierra lacks a dedicated, un-editable control number for predefined charges, we are forced to hardcode budget codes directly into the text description fields:
• 3323 Library Mug…3 votes -
Add index selector and pre-search limits to Check Out (Circulation Desk) Function
This idea is expanding on one originally proposed here by Catherine Kelso (https://ideas.iii.com/forums/951745/suggestions/47046682).
It would be helpful to more easily search on patron record indexes besides barcode when you need to (name, record number, e-mail, etc...) and for those sorts of searches it would be helpful to limit the search preemptively as you can in other search functions throughout Sierra. Say you want to search for the "Smith, John" with a teen ptype and a home library of anytown branch.
The current default search of entering a barcode should remain, it should just be simple to toggle to…
10 votes -
Generate Statement of Charges directly within patron record
It would be very helpful to be able to print or email a Statement of Charges directly from a patron record (and have it formatted for 8-1/2 x 11 paper and mail-ready).
Customers want a list of what they have out, and it looks very bad for the library to hand a customer a very, very long receipt when we are trying to save paper across the system.
11 votes -
check in claimed returned workflow - item location should reflect where item was made claimed returned
For libraries with floating collections, the branch where an item is marked Claimed Returned may not be reflected in the item record. This is because none of the three Claimed Returned options update the item's location.
Example
An item is checked out from Location A.
The patron reports returning it to Location B, and staff mark it Claimed Returned at Location B.
The item record still shows Location A.When marking an item Claimed Returned, staff have three options:
1.Add a Claimed Returned note to both the item and patron records.
2.Remove the checkout link between the patron and the…8 votes -
New Max Owed amount for renewals only within the patron blocks table
Add a new Max Owed for Renewals within the Patron Blocks table that is separate from the Max Owed dollar amount/threshold. Sometimes patrons accrue more fines when renewing overdue materials via the online catalog or app on their own. Added charges from renewals online may also put them over the set threshold preventing them from renewing additional materials. The only way around the situation is for patrons to work with staff and the staff override the renewal using Sierra. When patrons use the "Renew All" feature in our discovery catalog and encounter the above issue, they are no longer able…
4 votes -
Multiple Notice Preferences
Allow patrons to choose one or more notice preferences. A patron would receive the same notice through any and all channels they want, allowing the library to better serve a variety of needs and lifestyles.
29 votes -
Text/SMS Notice Preference
Please integrate text messaging/SMS as a notice delivery method just like print, phone, and email. Some patrons want texts and no other method. Even if patrons must complete a step outside Sierra, staff should be able to see and choose text as a preference. This would make things more consistent and easy for both patrons and frontline staff.
We had planned to switch to Vega Interact SMS but discovered that it is intrinsically linked to email notices, limiting its ability. We would love to have SMS as a real notice option in Sierra.
14 votes
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