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239 results found

  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. It would be useful to have CAS Apero enhanced to either:

    1. re-ingest the metadata automatically once the validUntil date is reached or

    2. have a setting to ignore the vaildUntil date.

    We are currently implementing OpenAthens which has a daily metadata refresh meaning the validUntil parameter is also changing daily.

    As Sierra cannot currently auto re-ingest metadata or be configured to ignore the validUntil parameter, we are currently hosting an edited metadata file on our web server (with a really long validUntil date) as a work around.

    1 vote

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  3. The high demand hold report is a powerful tool that sums system items and system holds.

    Adding a "hold status" and "item status" pre-search limiters would vastly improve the use of this report

    Why add these limits?

    There is no Sierra product (including Decision Center) that allows users to deselect frozen holds from “total holds” count.

    This report counts "system holds" as any hold with any status (including item holds that will be filled by "in transit" item)

    This report counts "system items" as all items (including billed and missing) so there is no way to know how many items…

    20 votes

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  4. It is very easy to accidentally overwrite a review file in create lists. There should be a pop-up that asks if you want to overwrite the file so that you know you're doing it.

    13 votes

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  5. As a consortium, we schedule several monthly jobs/tasks for all 78 library locations. Scheduler does not allow you to copy an existing job/task and apply it to another library. We had to manually add each job, even though the majority of the parameters were the same. (78 lib * 5 tasks each is a lot of manual work.) And/or we should be able to create a template to reuse.

    1 vote

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  6. The Transfer Paged Items function in Sierra will display one of two statuses when the report is run - Eligible or Ineligible. You then check or batch select the requests you want to transfer. But the results might mix eligible items wit ineligible items & there's no way to group them together to make the selection & transfer process easier.

    Adding the ability to sort by the Status column would allow us to select the entire batch of items eligible for transfer much more easily.

    1 vote

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  7. Many libraries have eliminated fines and they would like alternative ways to provide an incentive for patrons to return items. We would like the option to block patron circulation based on a Library determined number of overdue items. This rule could be added to the Patron Block table so that libraries could customize rule as necessary.

    Idea Value: This new setting would provide an incentive for Customers to return their items.

    Idea Value: We don't want to restrict the number of items a Customer can sign out, but want to restrict borrowing after a specific number of overdues.

    Idea Value:…

    26 votes

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  8. Create the ability to extract attached media files in bulk from Sierra.

    1 vote

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  9. Sierra uses a particular Load Table to determine how bibliographic records are overlaid when new records loaded via Remote Search (i.e., downloaded from another library catalogue using Z39.50)

    According to Sierra's documentation the default Load Table is "m2btab.b", but Innovative can configure Sierra to use another one if desired.

    We have found that certain projects call for different Load Tables because different sets of fields should be retained, discarded, or inserted. It is possible to change to a different Load Table for remote search temporarily (or modify the current Load Table), but that would affect all cataloguers for the duration…

    7 votes

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  10. Add the ability to create a template specifically for repeated bills. This would allow us to send a different message for a reminder bill than what we sent in the original bill. This is would be similar to how we are able to create different templates for 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc Overdue Notices.

    23 votes

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  11. Sierras Homebound Patron Report currently excludes items that are checked in via selfcheck (SIP2). Since almost all check-ins in our libraries are done through selfcheck machines, the report provides an incomplete history and is not usable for tracking items checked in for homebound patrons.

    Please update the report logic so that all check-in methods, including selfcheck check-ins, are included. This would ensure accurate reading history and make the module much more useful for libraries that rely on automated check-in workflows.

    4 votes

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  12. It would be great if the logic & momentum that introduced Send To - Rapid or Global Update in Sierra 6.3 & will soon allow the same shortcut to Delete Items could also be applied to Globally Purge Charges.

    The state of Ohio has a statute of limitations on debt collection that has us purging money owed longer than 5 years on a weekly basis. While this is bazonkers IMO, apparently it's also the law of the land, & it would make the process much more quick & convenient if we could select a file in Create List, navigate to…

    10 votes

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  13. Idea: update the expected format requirements for the email variable-length field to account for modern, non-standard email domains.

    Relevance: The prevalence of non-standard email domains is growing. Currently, Sierra accepts some non-standard formats, like .me, but rejects others like .health. This prevents the saving of the patron record and requires that the patron provide another email or change their notice preference.

    6 votes

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  14. Despite the constant threats to our funding & the fact that some seem to treat the notion of DEI as offensive, we continue to want our library to be seen as a welcoming & inclusive environment for our patrons.

    We would like to be able to extend this to how their name is represented in Sierra & on notices/when seen in the catalog. We currently have a sort of crib sheet for staff to use to insert diacritic characters into patron names as needed, but think it would be helpful if they didn't have to navigate away from Sierra when…

    15 votes

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  15. Sierra currently removes any leading apostrophe for example from the normalised author fields on bibs. For example, normAuthor over API. Other diacritics such as ʻokina (ʻ) is not removed from normalised fields. Because of this, any systems that use norm fields over API are not alphabetising the author correctly.

    It would be great if Sierra could remove the ʻokina (ʻ) from the normalised author fields. Specifically normAuthor.

    2 votes

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  16. 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…

    24 votes

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  17. When a hold has been cleared or is defunct, the information Sierra provides integrated systems (IMMS for our example) over API is not consistent. In particular, when clear holds is run in Sierra. During clear holds, the item status either remains at ! On holdshelf or changes to another item status. When it remains as !, IMMS sees the hold is still active and does not instruct staff to clear the item from the hold shelf. Daily and weekly processes are needed to update the item records for IMMS to recognise the changes.

    Can the clear hold function in Sierra…

    8 votes

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  18. Block particular bib records from having their URLs checked by use of a suppression code

    5 votes

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  19. We repeatedly run up against our limit of saved searches in Create Lists. There are probably saved queries created long ago that no one is using/needs. I was hoping to assign staff to review the queries and put their initials in the saved search name, but when you go to Edit, you can only edit the query, not the query name (like you can a review file). Ideally it would work like the review files themselves, when you can see who last ran the list (initials, date and time). And perhaps apply the "Own" option. This would really help to…

    44 votes

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  20. Under the count use function, is it possible to add a location column? Currently, we have Title / Barcode / Count / Status. This way, when staff collects used but not checked out items and counts their usage, they can also see - at a glance - if the item belongs to a different floor/location and can separate it on the spot.

    This added information will save staff time and minimize the chance of something being misplaced.

    9 votes

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