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  1. 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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  2. Ability for patron to add money to their Sierra patron account (via self-check) to pay for future fines, fees, and printing. We are looking to go mostly cashless, but some patrons aren't able to get credit cards (like our young patrons here after school). Our self-check machine takes cash, which would allow patrons to print and pay fees/fines with cash, even if the staff doesn't have a cash register.

    7 votes

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  3. When matching on an ISBN for record loading, it should be possible to limit the match to the first 13 (or 10) digits. There are often extraneous data in 020 subfield |a. There are now other subfields where that is supposed to go, but it frequently ends up in |a anyway, and then your record loading won't match.

    7 votes

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  4. We're currently dealing with a known issue in Sierra 6.2, where volume holds aren't being added to paging lists. Having discovered it on our end fairly recently, we've asked staff to continue running their paging lists for other items, but use the Manage Holds function to find & fill volume requests.

    The problem is that the current search retrieves such a high number of items. And while the search results display counts of the title number of holds, & the total number of bib, volume, & item level holds, you cannot currently limit them & make the Manage Holds report…

    7 votes

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  5. Currently, the ability to override a hold block is governed by permission 92.

    A hold might be blocked for a number of reasons. Staff might attempt to place more than the max number of holds allowed for a customer. They might place a hold for a customer on an item they already have checked out, etc.

    One scenario especially has been problematic for as long as I can remember:

    A patron finds an item on the shelf & takes it to a service point to check out. It turns out that this item can satisfy a hold placed by another…

    7 votes

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  6. By default in the SDA, items are blocked from renewal if a hold is placed on the associated title or volume.

    If the Renew Title Holds feature is enabled, the system gives you the option to OVERRIDE the block on renewing held titles and volumes. The system does not consider frozen holds when blocking items from renewal.

    Staff will always select "yes" to a renewal if there is an available item. They do not want to continually select "override" when they are renewing multiple holds.

    Can there be an option to always renew if there is an available item (without…

    7 votes

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  7. Our patrons are curious about their loan history. They would like to sort it by author or title in addition to the checkout date. We have told them to export it. But exporting the checkout history loses the checkout date! Could more sorting possibilities be added to the catalogue and checkout date added when exporting?

    7 votes

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  8. Currently, in order to maintain the out loc field in an item record while it is checked out for libraries with auto-renewal, the actual renewal location statistic group number must be zero. This is frustrating as the zero stat group number does not display in reports and we need all renewals to appear in reports. There needs to be a way to retain the out loc in an item record when the renewal stat group number is not zero.

    6 votes

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  9. Description:
    Sierra’s “Check Reading History During Homebound Checkout” feature is very helpful, but many homebound materials in our workflow are supplied through holds from other branches. At the hold placement stage, no warning is shown if the patron has previously borrowed the same title, which leads to unnecessary requests and inter-branch transfers.

    Requested enhancement:
    Add an option to display a warning when a hold is placed for a homebound patron if their Reading History shows a previous checkout of the same item or another item attached to the same bibliographic record.

    Benefits:
    - Avoids unnecessary item movement
    - Saves staff…

    6 votes

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  10. Additional options for patron blocks would be amazing and allow additional control for libraries to select what integrated systems or circulation services are available. e.g. Block self-service options in the library (SIP2 or API), however, allow holds to be placed through discovery layers.

    The controls don't have to be limited to this. Adding the functions and options to select how these are applied from Sierra, rather than relying on integrated systems to control this would be great.

    6 votes

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  11. Problem:

    Currently, the "Prioritize Paging Open Locations First" feature and the "Prioritize Hold Fulfillment at the Pickup Location" feature for Title Priority Paging are incompatible. When you have both turned on, pages will skip closed locations and page at an open location, but will not allow the hold to be filled because there is a copy available at the hold pickup location. However, the hold pickup location is not paged for that item since paging skipped that location, so they don't see that patrons are waiting. This causes staff confusion and also impacts how quickly a patron can receive their…

    6 votes

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  12. 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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  13. 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 the Notices function.

    I had submitted a similar request that the shortcut be added to Globally Purge Charges & am wondering if this might be combined into one request or if it's easier to introduce them one at a time?

    Use case: each week, Cincinnati generates a list of customers sent a statement of charges (bill notice) via Create Lists. This list is then…

    6 votes

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  14. I recently learned that the fields included in the Expanded Display for patron records (when you rollover/click the i next to the record) are hard coded.

    I found this unfortunate, because what's shown in the Expanded Display differs depending on where you're viewing it, which in the case of patron records is either going to be in the Search/Find a Patron view or the Check Out mode view.

    Examples of where I see room for improvement here:

    1) When I search for a patron by name & come up with dozens of people with the same name, an identifier like…

    6 votes

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

    6 votes

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  16. 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…

    6 votes

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  17. Problem: The text of emails sent when using the Approval and Denial notifications in Recommends cannot be currently altered. We would like to be able to provide more customer friendly email templates to patrons that allow us to explain why an item was denied or what the process is for items that are approved.

    Impact: Being able to communicate with our patrons at the outset of the process will save staff time by not having to have go back and forth with customers over email to explain processes and reasons for purchase requests. Additionally it will improve the customer's experience…

    6 votes

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  18. Currently the Record History report for Bib Records in Sierra contains a list of record changes, the login that made a change, and when it was changed.

    However, if the change to a bib record was attempted with a login without the required permissions, Sierra will ask for a login with elevated permissions and allow the user make a change once logged in. In this case, the Record history will record the first login (without required permissions), instead of the elevated login needed to make the change.

    Problem: Record History report for Bib Records Record History report for Bib Records…

    6 votes

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  19. Support team told us Sierra isn't designed to supply hold request date for cancellation notices. Please consider add it. thanks

    6 votes

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  20. The Item Code 1 field was going to solve all my statistical issues. I thought it had 5 characters and each character could be 0-9 which meant I could assign a meaning to each character. For example, the first character indicates agency (1 for CPL, 2 for ADL, 3 for BKM) and the second character indicates audience (1 for adult, 2 for young adult, 3 for juvenile, 4 for other) and the third character, format, etc. HOWEVER it turns out that the largest number this field can hold is 32767 which is weirdly random and very limiting when you want…

    6 votes

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