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  1. This idea came from a discussion at the IUG2025 Sierra Reporting Forum.

    It would be very useful to provide an endpoint to assist with gathering/generating the sorts of circulations statistics that would normally require SQL access. However, the all or nothing nature of SQL permissions is a barrier that prevents many users from being permitted to access those features. With the API on the other hand a user could be limited to simply having read access to an endpoint such as this, along with likely the bib and item endpoints so that they may craft reports without also having to…

    21 votes

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  2. This proposal suggests enhancing the Patron API key creation process by incorporating a Stat Group field, allowing staff to categorize API keys by vendor and track their usage using existing reporting tools. The proposed enhancement would modify the API key creation window to include an optional Stat Group field towards the bottom. If left blank, the default stat group (zero) would be assigned, maintaining current functionality. This change addresses a common issue where vendors do not implement the stat group provided by the library, often resulting in API-driven transactions being categorized under stat group 0. This leads to inaccurate or…

    17 votes

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  3. Our library wants to provide the patron validate role to our vendors.
    But, we do not want to give the vendors any read or write roles.

    We do this now with several vendors, but the authentication does not update the "last circ activity" field in the patron record.

    Is it possible to add a new permission that would only allow authentication but update the "last circ activity" field in the patron record.

    Why add this feature?
    Our library purges patron that don't circulate for X number of years. We don't want to delete patrons that are actively using our eVendor…

    15 votes

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  4. Currently the only hold parameters one can modify via the API are

    PatronHoldPut {
        pickupLocation (string, optional): the hold's pickup location code,
        freeze (boolean, optional): whether the hold should be frozen (suspended)
    }

    It would be very helpful if the Pickup By date – and while you're at it, the Hold Note – were added as modifiable parameters.  There have been many times when unscheduled branch closures or problems in sending hold pickup notices have caused us to want to extend hold Pickup By dates for items on the holdshelf.

    Having this functionality in an API endpoint would permit a…

    10 votes

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  5. Batch check-in is a necessary component of debt write-off and system maintenance. Running this process updates the patron account circulation activity date (CIRCACTIVE) even though this is a system-generated process and not initiated by the patron.

    We use the CIRCACTIVE date when reporting on card usage, and as an indicator of when to delete inactive cards. Because the date is updated through batch check-in, we have to do a lot of clean-up work to understand actual patron usage and behavior.

    Ideally, batch check-in should not update CIRCACTIVE. It would be fine for the account UPDATED date to be updated.

    This…

    21 votes

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  6. Improving universal accessibility features for users/employees with diverse accessibility needs.

    For example, for employees with visual impairments :
    - High contrast mode and adjustable font size. Currently, users can change text color and size, but increasing the font size often causes content to be hidden, as the window does not automatically adjust. Users must manually resize the window each time. A responsive layout would greatly improve usability.

    Other potential improvements could include : screen reader compatibility, customizable keyboard navigation, text descriptions for icons, etc.

    Even just the high contrast would help a lot. Additionally, it would be helpful if users…

    10 votes

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  7. It would be helpful for us to have access to the history of item and volume records, including details of their creation and any subsequent edits. This would improve our ability to track changes and ensure accountability if any issues come up.

    16 votes

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  8. We use the patron's 18th birthday as their youth card expiration date. Due to the Year 2038 issue we have been unable to add the correct date for several years now. We would really like to be able to have (any/all) date fields updated so we can begin to record accurate future dates again.

    24 votes

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  9. Develop a utility to add new location codes to the so-called Branches table using a CSV file as input. Optionally permit updates (overlays) of existing location code entries so that the branch_code_num, name and/or is_public columns may be reassigned values in this way.

    Our library has very granular location codes which describe branch (or collection subset of a branch such as a display area), audience, format and genre, loosely speaking. This amounts to 220-250 location codes per branch (or collection subset). We currently have over 5,000 distinct location codes in our Sierra database, and every time a new branch is…

    8 votes

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  10. We would like to see more granulated permissions for user administration, especially with assigned permissions, settings, options, workflows, etc.

    We would like the ability to assign a particular group of user accounts (e.g., circ student employees) to a specific admin (e.g., head of circulation) without assigning ALL system administration. It would be helpful for troubleshooting and having this department be able to assign macros, specific permissions, and print settings to different accounts.

    Ideally, this "group admin" would have the ability to edit settings on accounts for options, settings, and workflows. It would be great if they could clone and create…

    7 votes

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  11. Keeping our systems secure with SSL certificates is essential. Certificates need to be renewed and there is a service commitment to handle this process. But there is a better way. SSL providers can be setup to automatically renew and deliver an updated SSL certificate to our systems when their expiration time approaches.

    This idea is for Innovative to support software-only site with setting up an automatic SSL renewal process thereby keeping our systems safe from expiring certificates and making the process worry-free.

    11 votes

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  12. Right now NCIP for Symphony, Voyager, Polaris, Koha and Evergreen all accept ISBNs, but Sierra's does not.

    3 votes

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  13. There SHOULD be an OpenAPI definition document available for Sierra's APIs via Swagger, but currently, there is not.

    The OpenAPI definition document (https://swagger.io/specification/) is a standardized format for describing the structure and behavior of an API. It is a machine-readable document, usually written in JSON or YAML, that provides a comprehensive blueprint of an API's endpoints, operations, input/output parameters, response formats, authentication methods, and other essential details.

    For comparison, here is an example for the Polaris API / Swagger install (on an iii training server):
    https://polaris-training.polarislibrary.com/PAPIService/swagger/v1/swagger.json

    Benefits of an OpenAPI Definition Document:

    * Standardization: Provides a consistent format
    30 votes

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  14. The form endpoint is used to identify cases in which a patron must place a volume level hold or is restricted to an item's home library as a pickup location. Both of those involve item level specifics and yet the endpoint only works with bib records. This is an issue in particular with multi-location libraries/consortia who use the home pickup feature.

    As an example, a sample bib record has two attached items, one which uses the home pickup feature such that it may only be picked up at library A, and one that does not restrict pickup locations so may…

    4 votes

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  15. We'd like to see a date/time stamp on the "Restart a process/terminal" display in the Admin Corner and be able to sort by it. We sometimes run out of licenses because staff don't sign out of their SDA sessions at the end of their shifts, and we have to contact Innovative and request that connections older than the current day be closed. It would be helpful to be able to do this ourselves. Currently, we can preemptively reset all connections early in the morning before staff arrive, but if a problem arises during the day we don't want to cause…

    7 votes

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  16. We'd like to be able to limit access to the Login Names & Parameters section of the Admin Corner (especially the Limit Network Access tables) via permissions. Certain functions, such as load tables, require certain staff members to have access to the Admin app, but having the login names and parameters unrestricted leaves an unnecessary hole in security. There are other functions in Admin Corner that require separate permissions and prompt users to enter their credentials, but not this one.

    7 votes

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  17. I currently have a need for a Locations Served group which can accommodate 1,245 location codes. The limit imposed by Admin Corner is 1,000 location codes, and per case #08077395, Support asserts that Sierra will not support more than 1,000 location codes per Locations Served (so it's not simply a limit of the Admin Corner interface).

    Increasing this limit will potentially lead to a modest increase in memory consumption by any and all circulation processes which hold these Locations Served tables in memory, but do we really need to be concerned about Kilobytes of RAM in 2025? Other Sierra configuration…

    2 votes

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  18. I would like to add an optional parameter to the Sierra API endpoint for checking in items to allow for backdating those transactions as you can within in the client as it may help with automating some projects.

    For an immediate example, I have identified a number of items that were not removed from the checkout table correctly due to locked patron records, where the were placed in transit and I can see a time the checkout ought to have occurred via the in transit message. I would like to write a script to correct these failed checkins once they…

    4 votes

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  19. Our consortium would like an automated way to update the encoding level to help with managing load profiles that use the encoding level priority function. It would be very helpful to add an API endpoint for updating all the MARC Leader fields. The 008 MARC field can only be used for updating some of the Leader fields.

    3 votes

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  20. Can we get some new skins to choose from for the SDA/Sierra Web?

    There are currently two: Half Dome & Glacier Point.

    We currently use colors to differentiate between our Production instance of Sierra & our Test version. However, we also have a Training database.

    Variety is the spice of life! How about a rose-colored skin, a powder blue, or a "Millennium Green" as an homage to the Millennium database?

    22 votes

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