259 results found
-
Fix truncated Z39.50 server names in SDA
Z39.50 database display names are limited to 50 characters in Admin Corner, but the contents of this field is truncated (at some length < 50) when displayed in the "Selected Databases" dialog in Sierra.
The 50 char limit may seem generous, but for multilingual organizations (and/or multilingual databases or those that just have long names!) it can already be a challenge to abbreviate the database name in each language to fit while still retaining sufficient information. Truncation of this field further reduces the functional length of the database name.
As-is, the "Selected Databases" dialog can be dragged wider by the…
3 votes -
Save title and author info in reading history after title is deleted
Customers want to know what titles they've checked out even if the library no longer has it. It would be ideal if Sierra (and subsequent discovery layers can pull the info) could save the title and author in the record metadata so that even if the bib record is deleted, the customer can see it.
20 votes -
Allow self-check out of virtual items using Sierra API
Update the Sierra API to allow self-check out of virtual items. We use Bibliocommons app and our customers cannot use the self-checkout feature to check out INN-Reach items.
5 votesThis idea will be reviewed by the product management team for possible inclusion in a future release.
-
Enable API update of patron records to blank out expiry date
Sometimes we want to update a patron record and blank out a date in the expiry date field for a continuing staff member.
The patron API cannot do this - blank values are rejected as invalid JSON e.g.
{"expirationDate": " - - "}
{"expirationDate": ""}
{"expirationDate": "--"}
{"expirationDate": "null"}All we can do is add a date, and for continuing staff we can only use the maximum possible date of 18 Jan 2038.
Enhance the API to accept a blank value in expiry date.
6 votesThis idea will be reviewed by the Innovative product team for consideration in planning the upcoming product roadmap.
-
It's about time to make Holds APIs first-class citizens
Idea Description
It would be far nicer to have the ability to work with hold data directly--in contrast to having to retrieve hold data via the patron APIs. For example: currently, in order to (reasonably) find the "pickupByDate" values for holds with status "(Bib, Volume, Item) hold ready for pickup" you would have to use a combination of the Sierra SQL feature (to first find all the patron record numbers possessing such a hold) and then filter all the holds for the list of patrons (from the previous step) having the "pickupByDate" key in the response object. Once you have the holds,…12 votes -
Cascading Holds
Over a decade ago, III mentioned work being underway on "cascading holds" functionality. Meant for Millennium at the time, the feature seemed to disappear from their development plan due to staff transitions or some other reason, but I'd love to see it brought to fruition.
The feature would give patrons the ability to place a hold on a series (of books or a multi-disc DVD set) & receive the items sequentially), making the request process much more convenient for them & giving libraries the ability to more effectively manage hold fulfillment.
At the time, I was working in an environment…
20 votesThe product manager will review this idea for possible inclusion in a future release.
-
Add the ability to require fixed-length fields, not just variable length fields
We require certain information to create a library card, however Sierra does not enforce this requirement at the system level. Since it isn't mandatory, some data simply never gets captured and creates more work on the backend.
Beyond that, having certain information in the record would allow us to build a better understanding of our usership so that we can make better decisions as an organization.
I especially would love the ability to require any and all of the fixed-length fields; especially patron category, birthdate, home library, and notice preference.
16 votes -
Sorting Searches in Patron Indexes
When creating a new customer record from scratch, or when updating & finalizing those submitted through our online application, we have staff perform some checks to prevent duplicate records.
They'll begin by searching the Name index to make sure that there's no pre-existing record for the same name. Then as backup, they'll try searching by birth date or phone number.
However, when you search by birth date or phone number, the results do not come back in alphabetical order, making things a bit harder than they should be for frontline staff. See example image where the search for the DOB…
6 votesThis idea will be reviewed by the product management team for possible inclusion in a future release.
-
More name fields in get patron API
At present, we can only see the full name field in get patron endpoints. For some systems that connect via api, it would be highly beneficial to have other fields available relating to patron information. For example, separated first and last names.
This is due the some systems relying on the information it can read from Sierra and not process further to define a first name.
4 votesThis idea will be reviewed for consideration as an enhancement in an upcoming release.
-
Include zero results for selected locations in all reports in Decision Center
Currently Decision Center only returns data for a location parameter if there was activity for the selected time period and does not return a zero placeholder for locations without activity. This creates extra work for staff when working with the resulting Excel files. They can't easily reference the cells in Excel consistently.
13 votes -
View Public Display - Allow for Multiple Choices
https://ideas.iii.com/forums/951745-ils-sierra/suggestions/46670854-sierra-5-5-direct-view-public-display-to-disco is closed/says it's already supported, but the part for being configured to more than one display option is not addressed. We would like to be able to have more than one option to display - Vega, Classic, Encore and even III Mobile if possible - so we can see how all iterations look right from the SDA. So in the menu it would be View | Public Display | array of choices
15 votes -
Penalty points for patrons who reserve books and then don't pick them up at the library
Currently, on Sierra it is possible to block patrons based on overdue penalty points (OD PENALTY) when they check in or renew overdue items. This is done with the patron fixed field OD PENALTY. The system calculates the penalty points that have to be added to the patron record and when a patron exceeds the maximum number of penalty points allowed by the library, the patron is blocked. More info at https://documentation.iii.com/sierrahelp/Default.htm#sgcir/sgcir_fine_penaltypoints.html
THis feature is very useful. Wouldn't it be a good idea to be able to apply a similar strategy for patrons that request a hold on a bib/item…
9 votesThis idea will be reviewed by the Innovative product team for consideration in planning the upcoming product roadmap.
-
Edit Username in Admin App
Once a user is created in the admin app, you are not able to update the username. You may update the password, permissions, etc., but not the username itself.
All of our clerk-level positions are part-time, so there is a lot of turnover. Each time an employee leaves, his/her account must be deleted and a new one created for the replacement. When the new account is created, you then must import all of the permissions, options, locations served, etc., of a comparable employee for the same location.
Ideally, we would simply be able to edit the username and password and…
62 votes -
Eliminate the two-tiered (context) logins that identify branch locations and personalized user
Several years ago we adopted context logins. We have established that a 1 tier login will not work for us.
CURRENT STATE : Our Regional Library consists of 39 branches in almost as many cities. To distinguish the branch of our Sierra users we currently use a two-tiered login. This login process allows us to continue to use generic branch accounts while meeting our obligations to protect customer information. The two-tiered login allows us to collect branch-specific data and apply unique user settings, options, and settings.
The drawback is that our staff must login twice and it may pose an…
6 votesThis idea will be reviewed by the Innovative product team for consideration in planning the upcoming product roadmap.
-
Customize default item view based on function
It is currently an option to be able to set the default view of an item record across Sierra. However, it would be nice to be able to have a different default view set for the different functions in Sierra.
For example:
When in the Circulation function - I'd prefer the default view to be Hold.
When in the Cataloging function - I'd prefer the default view to be Item.
When in the Acquisitions function - I'd prefer the default view to be Order.I understand that I could just have multiple windows open and set the default view differently…
21 votesThe product manager will review this idea for possible inclusion in a future release.
-
Separate summary view property for each of the search functions
When a Sierra SDA login is first created the system utilizes individual summary view properties for the various search functions. By default in cataloging if you open up the summary view of a record you see item records, in search/holds you see holds, in place orders you see orders and in serials checkin you see checkin records.
If you opt to change that setting however from the record view properties menu (say to change this to view all) it can impact all 4 search functions. It would be better to split this menu out, so that the setting for each…
8 votesThis idea will be reviewed by the Innovative product team for consideration in planning the upcoming product roadmap.
-
Disable Reprint bills button In Sierra
We can’t use this button because we don’t use print templates for our bills.
We would prefer them to look pretty with Print Templates instead of the plain text we currently have. To avoid staff confusion, it would be great if this we had the ability to disable/grey out this button.3 votesThis idea will be reviewed for consideration as an enhancement in an upcoming release.
-
Protect local-only MARC fields that have a specific subfield coding
There are instances where its appropriate to put in a MARC field in the bibliographic record that only pertains to your local institution and you wouldn't want that field erased if the record was overlaid. If that MARC field was designated a local-note, using a $5 then that field would be "protected".
8 votesThis idea will be reviewed by the Innovative product team for consideration in planning the upcoming product roadmap.
-
NCIP Authentication - Add support for optional blocking
We recently started using NCIP authentication for our new ILL service. We learned after implementation that NCIP login is blocked for any of the reasons in the Patron Block Table. This makes sense when the block is for an expired card, or for fees over the threshold. This makes less sense when they have reached their maximum holds in Sierra.
What we're seeing is that patrons cannot log into the system at all when any of the block parameters are true. We would like to be able to enforce certain blocks but not others for account login.
We can increase…
4 votesThis idea will be reviewed for consideration as an enhancement in an upcoming release.
-
New "Booked" status for items scheduled in the Booking Module
Idea: create a new status that references a scheduled booking for an item.
Value: Currently, Sierra does not change the status of an item that has a scheduled booking. When using the API to reflect the status of an item on a catalog, the item will show as status - (On Shelf) even though the item is not available because it has a scheduled booking for that time. This makes it seem as if the item can be scheduled for a specific time when it is already booked. When an item has a booking, changing the status to "Booked" when…
2 votes
- Don't see your idea?