286 results found
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Provide full Branches table and full Location code list via Sierra REST API
Today, Sierra’s REST API does not provide a reliable way to retrieve a complete list of location codes (and their names/labels) as defined in Sierra’s Branches table (SDA: Admin > Parameters > General > Branches). This creates friction for discovery-layer implementations and other third-party integrations that require an authoritative, up-to-date list of locations.
Innovative Support shared that “it’s not possible to get a list of all locations using the REST API,” and that the closest option is the branches endpoint, which only returns locations that are linked to entries in the Branch Address table, not a full representation of the…
35 votes -
Automatically add date/timestamp to Notes and Messages
It would be helpful if the system automatically added a date/timestamp to Notes and Messages added to Patron and Item records by staff. Currently, we ask our staff to always add thier initials and date to notes and messages when adding them but it doesn't always happen. There are also inconsistnecies in how these are added and no easy way to search for them. We also find that notes/messages are not always removed after they are addressed.
If we had an accurate way to determine the date a note/message was added, it would be possible to develop a retention policy…
54 votes -
Recycling Bin Feature for Clear Expired Holds & Holdshelf & Notices
We will periodically have situations, as we did this morning, where staff move to print their holdshelf report & for one reason or another (today's was some manner of technical issues with their printer), the content of the report is lost.
We can sometimes salvage this data from the back end by looking for holds cleared on the day by the login responsible, but it would be much easier if there were some sort of Recycling Bin style feature, where "cleared" files like the holdshelf report or paging lists were stored until the user logs out, giving them another chance…
22 votes -
Ability to Transfer Bib-Level Holds to Volume-Level Holds
Our consortium would like to request a feature enhancement in Sierra that allows ability to transfer volume-level holds to bib-level holds.
Currently, when we need to move records from a multi-volume bibliographic record (with volume records) to a monographic bibliographic record (without volume records), we must manually add or copy each volume-level hold to the bib-level record and then remove the original volume-level hold. This is a very tedious and time-consuming process, especially within a consortium of more than 100 libraries.
A streamlined method to transfer holds between volume and bibliographic levels would save staff time, reduce errors, and improve…
18 votes -
Allow Pickup Location Changes After Hold Is Activated (with Optional Patron Notification)
In Sierra, once a hold is activated, the pickup location becomes locked. This occurs even if an error happens or the original location becomes unavailable. The limitation creates workflow issues for libraries that use lockers, shared delivery systems, or multiple branches.
We are requesting a system enhancement that allows authorized staff to edit the pickup location of a hold after it has been activated, but before it is checked out or expires.
-Why This Is Needed:
Locker and space-based workflows: Staff may discover after trapping a hold that a locker is full or not functioning. At that point, there is…
29 votes -
Clarify Fines Payment Lock Messaging
The current wording of the fines payment lock messaging implies the presence of fines, which is not always the case and is misleading. To reduce confusion for staff, please change the message wording to indicate that another station has the record open, therefore the fines function in the patron record is locked. This will indicate to staff the reason why it's locked (another station has it open) and what they can't do while it's locked (access the fines function in the patron record).
42 votes -
Add Days Closed Table to SierraDNA
We are interested in being able to tap into the Days closed table programmatically but it is inaccessible to both the APIs and SQL, and doesn't even have a native export feature (though you can copy and paste it easily enough).
Creating a SQL View for it seems the most straightforward solution, just provide access to the existing table, along with row numbers to preserve the ordering.
7 votes -
Restart a Range of Terminals
Sierra 6.5 saw the move of the process for restarting terminal sessions from our text-based management tool to the Sierra Admin App. While I'm chuffed enough about that to be writing this enhancement idea on Thanksgiving Day (and to be using the word chuffed), I'm hoping further development can make it even better & restore some of the functionality from the admin app that isn't available in this updated interface.
Specifically, I'd like to be able to restart a range of terminals (for example, all staff sessions), mirroring the Restart Multiple Terminals option in text-based. Yes, we can check a…
13 votes -
Add "Send to Batch Check-in" Navigation to Create Lists
Building on the recent navigation enhancements that allow users to send Review Files from Create Lists to Rapid Update, Global Update, and Delete Records, we propose adding a "Send to Batch Check-in" option.
Now that Batch Check-in has been integrated into the Sierra client (as of the 6.5 Release), adding this "Send to" functionality would significantly streamline workflows and reduce the risk of errors associated with file handling.
8 votes -
Permit due date extension via the API
Currently the only way to extend item due dates is to run Rapid Update on a review file of those items. I would like to be able to programmatically update due dates via the API. I see two potential benefits of this feature:
Benefit 1: Rapid Update prompts for a single absolute date to apply to a group of items in a review file. There have been many times when we have wanted to extend the due dates of a group of items by "n days", regardless of their current due date. It would be straightforward to write a Python…
6 votes -
allow libraries to customize options for "claim return" workflow
There are 3 options in the "claim return" workflow at checkin.
1) Checkin items (with no fines) and change status to missing.
2) Checkin items (with no fines) and change status to claims returned.
3) Leave items checked out (send overdue notices) and change status to claims returned.We always select #2, but we cannot stop staff from accidentally selecting #3. This is troublesome for us because in the #3 workflow customers get an email overdue notice when they have already told the library they have returned the item - and customers can be quite upset about this.
Is there…
8 votes -
Show item status at check-in
When checking in an item over Sierra, it would be helpful to have an extra column added for item status. e.g. Available, In Transit or On Holdshelf. This would add more transparency when processing items (especially if we are interrupted mid-scan), allow for double checking items are placed in the right pile, and help with training new staff who may want to have more visibility around the different journeys an item can take once returned. Added bonus: If it can show the additional sorting groups available in IMMS, this will assist staff even more.
21 votes -
Data Exchange should automatically identify and fix MARC-8 records.
Data Exchange should determine if a file being loaded is in UTF-8 or MARC-8 format before loading. If it is MARC-8, it should be converted to UTF-8 before loading.
I want to be clear that I'm not talking about using the MARC bit that supposedly identifies if the character set is UTF-8. That cannot be trusted. I want a system like the character detect feature in MarcEdit, that will actually look at the characters in the incoming records and determine what character set they really are.
There are still a lot of MARC-8 records out there, and it is not…
7 votes -
Improving Hold Shelf Management in Sierra and IMMS
We at the Libraries of Malmö would like to suggest that Innovative and Lyngsoe develop an interaction between Sierra and IMMS to help clear hold shelves.
The issue: Currently, we have hold shelves at our libraries that are numbered between, for example 100 and 120. Each day we clear the holds that have expired the previous day. When we first implemented IMMS, we noted the shelf to clear down on a paper almanac and then wrote them off a week later.
However, we have since then coded a very simple application to keep track of this for us. The application…
13 votes -
Add "permanent location" field in item record and function to change to it
We have shelves for new materials, and item location codes for these ("new mysteries," "new fiction," "new DVDs," and lots more). Moving items from the new shelves to the regular shelves is a chore, both in handling materials and in knowing (and selecting) what location to change them to. It would be great if you could just get into a function in Sierra that would change the current item location (the "new" one in my example) to the permanent item location (a new field that would be added with this idea, which would catalogers would populate when the item was…
21 votes -
Decision Center - physical format/collection sorting
In the settings for code categories (Physical Format and Collection), you can change the display order, but it only applies to that page, not to the option menu users see when building a report.
When creating a report, the list of categories is always alphabetical. There is also a "Sort A-Z" button, which is currently unnecessary (and caused confusion as its existence implies that there could be another way).
I suggest applying the manual display order set in Admin Tools to the "edit" pop-ups in the initial filters of a report.
This would allow us to put more commonly-used categories…
10 votes -
Allow holds on multiple bibs at the same time from a review file
There are times staff need to place holds on multiple items that are in a review file (we are working on a collection and need to change something about a group of items) and it's time consuming to go item by item. It would be nice to place bulk item holds on items in a review file.
8 votes -
Show pop-up when placing holds on items with special statuses
Sierra SDA allows you to place holds on items with special statuses, and do not show any pop-up window to warn of this circumstance. Currently this is not possible in Sierra for statuses other than 'Library Use Only'.
We would like the system to display a pop-up window when attempting to place a hold on an item with special status, as Sierra SDA does in checkout and checkin procedures.
Thanks.
8 votes -
Limit duplicate invoice warning by vendor
When using import invoices, Sierra will warn staff if they are about to process an electronic invoice that shares an invoice number with one already in the system. This can be quite helpful as it's very easy to accidentally download an invoice multiple times if you're not careful.
However, recently one of our libraries has found that two different vendors have been producing invoices for them using the same numerical range and these are leading to false duplicate warnings.
It would be helpful if the duplicate check compared both the invoice number and the vendor code, instead of just the…
8 votes -
Include Individual Item Costs in Overdue Notices
Make it an option to also include the item cost in the overdue notice as well (incentive to return!).
In our date due slips (JasperSoft) we include the cost of each item and a total cost to show what the patron saved by using the library vs. buying.
60 votesThe product team will review this idea for consideration for a future release.
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