245 results found
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Add "Back" option vs. just "Next" or "Cancel" in Record Creation screen
When you create (a) new item(s) while cataloging -- or create any records actually! -- the pop-up that guides you to enter the data step-by-step should have a back button. Currently, if you make a mistake and click Next you either have to cancel and start over or keep going and fix the mistake on each item record individually after saved/completed. It can be quite tedious when you are adding multiple items at once.
Idea Value
Save time! What would just take a few clicks/seconds to fix can sometimes mean a lot more time, especially if you Cancel and have…
54 votesThis idea has been selected to include in Sierra 6.4
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Increase Character Limits for Data Fields
The Notice Type data field in the Text of Circulation Notices table is a mere 20 characters long. As we've had to create a number of new notices for temporary changes in operating hours, policies, etc., due to COVID, we'd like to make the description a bit more descriptive than 20 characters allows.
Also, because you cannot delete any of the old/test notice types, you already have to use up some of the characters to note that it's old/test/not used.
This runs along the same lines as Loan rules: increase the limit beyond 20 characters to loan rule names. This…
8 votes -
Waive part of a fine
Circulation staff would like the ability to waive portions of individual fines/fees on a patron record.
Sometimes staff forgets to backdate items in our book drop or the library is closed for some reason (weather, etc.). Staff wants to waive part of the late fee, but are forced to waive the full amount for the item, then go back and enter in a manual fee (or just waive completely).
Idea Value
Save staff time (no need to waive and then add a fine back in)
Accuracy re: fines paid data (will be properly noted as fine vs. manual)
Increase customer…
24 votes -
Patron Record Display - Increase Height and/or Allow Column Adjustments w/Custom Display
When you retrieve a patron record, the system displays information from that record in the top half of the window. See https://csdirect.iii.com/sierrahelp/Default.php#sril/sril_disp_patron.html for details.
This height of this area of the patron record display is quite short.
While you can make adjustments with WHAT is displayed, the number of columns used in each display is not configurable. (I.e., the Custom Display option always displays the specified record fields in a single column.).Yes, to view more fields in the patron’s record, you can hover your cursor over the i icon (which no one pays attention to/misses completely), and an expanded…
17 votesA nearly identical idea was previously submitted through Idea Lab and is under review.
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Browse Display in SDA - Allow Ability to Customize or Expand
We would like the ability to customize the "browse display" where the result of records show up after the indexed search. Specifically, we'd like the option to show fields that are only available if you make the effort to expand the display.
Currently, the description column shows the indexed entry, title, author, ISBN, Call Number and location. The pub year would be helpful (as would the 490) for when staff is asked for an author's next book in a series, and they don't know the series title, just the author's name. Especially authors who have multiple series. So for our…9 votes -
provide indication when there are new/cancelled orders to be posted
Staff are often confused by the need to post in order for new/cancelled orders to be reflected in their funds, particularly as the system does not provide an indication that those changes need to be committed. These are included when you select post all within the pay an invoice function (which staff won't look at if they aren't actively paying an invoice) but they do not appear listed within any of the 10 payment sessions or under funds adjustments.
Adding an entry for perhaps some more prominent indicator that funds may not reflect current totals will help greatly to remind…
11 votes -
Upgrade OpenSSH version
Currently INN-Reach and Sierra servers are bundled with OpenSSH 7.1, which is over 7 years old as of this writing. There is a sorting bug (https://bugzilla.mindrot.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2694) that impacts the Scheduler functionality that would be fixed by upgrading to at least OpenSSH 7.6. Also assume that multiple security vulnerabilities exist in 7.1.
12 votes -
Retain SDA Search Terms Within Patron Session
Prior to Sierra 5.3, when placing a series of holds for a patron in the Sierra Desktop App, the search terms would be retained from one title to the next. For example, if a patron wants holds placed for all seasons of the TV show How I Met Your Mother, a staff member with the patron's record open will click Add Holds, type the search terms "how i met your mother" in the Browse dialog and click Search. A suitable title is located and a hold is placed on it. All good so far.
The undesirable behavior is observed when…
18 votes -
Manage Holds (view outstanding holds reports) should include INN-Reach items.
Currently to find a list of all INN-Reach items located on a branches holdshelf, not just expired ones is a difficult task. The Received Too Long report only allows you to sort by Patron Home Library which may not correspond to their hold pickup location. A person would need to run this report and look up each INN-Reach item to see if they are actually at the patrons home library, or a different branch. For library systems with multiple branches this is a time consuming process.
The Clear Expired Holds and Holdshelf Function only allows you to view expired INN-Reach…
25 votes -
New material type icons
The current icons available for the OPAC for material types are woefully lacking. There's no icon for audiobooks (the modern digital type), but you have icons for cd-rom books and books on cassette. The icon I'd most like to see added is a streaming video icon. This is a very common collection item in the 21st century, but our only option is a film (reel-to-reel), dvd, or internet resource (which isn't helpful at all). Any chance we could get more modern material type icons? For ideas, simply google "streaming video icon" and look at all the options!
Idea Value
Users…58 votes -
FTS File Saving Printing - Include Login
As it's recommended to regularly delete old files after printing to FTS File Save, it would help to know who the owner is of the files that need to be deleted, much like you know the login/owner of old Statistics result files and Create List review files. While the system administrator may have an idea of who owns what files, staff may ignore naming conventions, etc., making it difficult to determine whether it's okay to delete an old file or if it it's something that should be kept for record keeping purposes. If this could be expanded to all files…
19 votes -
Make Sierra User Profile Imports Additive, at least Optionally
In the Sierra web-based admin utility, in Authorizations and Authentication Admin, when importing permissions from one Sierra user to another, the "donor" settings overwrite those of the recipient user. I propose adding a checkbox to allow these to be imported in an additive manner.
Idea Value
Recently two of my coworkers in Technical Services and Collection Development received promotions and shifted into different roles. When using the feature to assign the permissions of users similar to the new roles, old but still valid permissions were lost due to the way the feature overwrites the recipient permissions with those of the…35 votes -
Allow for automatic renewals when a hold is frozen
Allow for automatic renewals on items where the only holds on that item are frozen.
Idea Value
Currently if a hold is frozen, automatic renewals do not work because the hold on the item blocks renewal. This presents a problem because the hold is frozen and the patron does not want the item yet, forcing patrons to return items just to have them sit on the shelf. Allowing for automatic renewals when a hold is frozen will allow patrons to keep their items until the other patron wants them.71 votesThis idea has been selected to include in Sierra 6.4
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Alert or automatically unfreeze holds
Customers have the ability to freeze holds currently, but after the time has elapsed from them to be frozen, there is no message or alert, or automatic way for the holds to be "unfrozen".
Make a way for the holds to automatically unfreeze, or at the least for the customer to get a notice that the time has expired, so that they can unfreeze the hold themselves.
Idea Value
Our staff look at holds and how they are progressing as an indicator for purchasing additional items. the frozen holds show up in this list as well, and it is challenging…53 votes -
Expose more fields via circ_loan_rule table
In Sierra 5.5 the circloanrule view was added to SierraDNA, providing SQL access to an abridged form of the loan rule table. A few of the fields missing from this view are particularly notable and their addition would greatly expand on the opportunities to utilize this view in queries:nameis_bookablemax number of auto renewalsamount of fine
Idea Value
SQL access to this fields would enable the construction of more detailed loan rule based queries. In particular being able to look at fine rates and their impact on checkouts would be of great value.24 votes -
Globally Update Loan Rules
When there is a change to Loan Rules such as an increase to number of renewals, etc., it would be beneficial to globally update the field instead of changing each independently.
During Covid we increased the renewals and then decreased them a year later. I was told there was not a way to globally update the field and had to go into each Loan Rule to make the change.
Idea Value
This would save staff time and possible errors. Freeing staff to be more productive in other areas.51 votes -
prompt to clear item status at CHECKOUT : option for libraries to determine these statuses
When you checkout an item whose item status is not '-' (AVAILABLE), the system takes special action depending on the item's STATUS value. For those item statuses that generate a system prompt, the library would like the option to determine whether there is a prompt. This would have a significant positive impact on checkout workflows.
[I could place another "idea" for check-in prompts as well]
Idea Value
Our library assigns item statuses to items that generate a system prompt to clear the item's status at checkout (eg. missing, in processing, trace, and unavailable").I appreciate that libraries may have different…
22 votes -
Make variable fields in a template available for loading via data exchange
Currently you can define fixed field data in a record template and have that data loaded into records via a load profile when using data exchange. Variable fields, however, are not available in this process. Make variable fields in a template available for inserting into records via the load profile and data exchange process.
Idea Value
Currently when we have a note or message that needs to be inserted into every record in a load we do it through global update after the load. If we could add this note or message to the template being used with the @dflt…25 votes -
Mixed Use of Keyboard and Mouse in Value Selection of Rapid Update
In Rapid Update, if a value is selected by first typing in the value field and then clicking on a result in the dropdown menu, the wrong value shows up in the Current Command list. According to Innovative, this is because the expected workflow is to use either just the keyboard or just the mouse. The functionality should be adjusted to allow the mixed use of keyboard and mouse.
Idea Value
Library staff don't always notice when they follow this workflow and then end up with the wrong value selected. In our consortium, this sometimes happens with location codes, and…16 votes -
Increase the Max Item Categories in the Patron Block Table
Increase the Patron Block Table to allow more than 4 block categories for groups of items by item type/location.
We would like to see Innovative add at least 6 additional categories, bringing the total categories up to 10.
Idea Value
Libraries are lending an increasing array of non-traditional materials. More categories in the patron block table are necessary to facilitate limited lending on these materials.This would allow libraries to limit lending more granularly. For example, allowing a set number of items in each of the following categories:
Books -100
CDs - 25
DVDs - 5
Videogames - 1
Games/Puzzles…47 votes
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