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ILS - Sierra

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  1. The Innovative_Footer token for webopac does not have any CSS styles or identifiers associated with it so that it can be controlled through stylesheets. The footer is inappropriately placed on our website due to this lack of control.

    Propose adding identifiers to the underlying HTML code so that it can be styled properly. Replace its <span> tag with a <div> tag might be appropriate.

    3 votes

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  2. One of our branches uses shielded RFID pads, and the software could hook in to their previous ILS and context switch the current RFID action (tag on, tag off, no change) depending on the active function screen by overlaying a screen over the ILS to track the toggling.

    Can support for this functionality be offered for Sierra? I assume it would involve working with the RFID vendors to get it up and running.

    The current workaround is to use Sierra macros to trigger the RFID function change, but this is reliant on staff remembering to press the keys which may…

    3 votes

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  3. We have implemented SDA Context User functionality so staff will open Sierra using shared library login and then add their own login (permissions). We would hope faster way to change the user. At this time you must first remove previous user (Admin - Clear Permissions) and then add new user (Admin - Set Permissions). Staff suggested one function that would both Clear previous and Set new Permissions. E.g. Set Permission could remove the old user and then ask the new user. We set up macros for both functions so staff can use them instead of drop-down menu. However, I suppose…

    3 votes

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  4. Each week staff go into Create Lists and repopulate a designated review file with current data from a system-generated list. Two examples of system-generated lists include the OVERDUE ITEMS and PURCHASE ALERTS files. It would be great if our site could schedule Sierra to identify a specific list number and replenish or refresh the contents of it with most current system file's data. This would make the task fully automated. It's important to our system to be able to designate which list or review file number to use for each system-generated file job, however. We are a consortium and our…

    3 votes

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  5. Currently Sierra permission 109, update uncataloged records, is tied to whether or not the bib record has a CDATE (no catalog date) field. It would be great if permission 109 could be customized by a library to be controlled by another option outside of just the presence of the CDATE field. For example, we use field 31 to control the level of cataloging of a record (including full MARC) and to suppress the bib. It would be helpful if we could tie the codes from that field to this permission. It's worth mentioning that permission 109 and the presence of…

    3 votes

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  6. When using Create Lists and using Retrieve Saved Query, you are able to sort the list in ascending order. When you go to Save As a query, it goes in and there doesn't appear to be any sort of order (in the past I swear it went in the order it was added/saved). So if you have to tweak your query and need to Save As again, good luck finding it, esp. when you have 100+ saved queries. Ideally you could sort the list of queries, like you can when you initially retrieve them.

    3 votes

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  7. This is two fold. First, we would like to be able to set a default printer option determined by the staff users workflow (circulation workflow/function would default to "email to patron", and cataloging function would default to local printer, etc). So staff log in and select their function area and the system uses a specific printer default accordingly.

    Secondly, we would like to have the "Send to email address" printer option changed somewhat. When selected, it would have a drop down of emails available to send to. These would be set up by the system admin. It would reduce the…

    3 votes

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  8. 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 votes

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  9. Allow patrons to choose one or more notice preferences. A patron would receive the same notice through any and all channels they want, allowing the library to better serve a variety of needs and lifestyles.

    2 votes

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  10. We have had a number of instances recently in which a vendor has requested SQL access in order for us to utilize there services. We are hesitant to allow for that (and have policies against it) due to the quantity of secure data that would also provide access to.

    What we need is a way to provide lesser SQL access to particular users to allow them to tap into only the relevant tables (bibs & items for some. Circ_trans and patrons for others).

    Beyond the vendor scenario it would also be fantastic to provide limited access to more of our…

    2 votes

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  11. This idea is essentially to address a design flaw that goes all the way back to the migration from Millennium to Sierra. The record view property setting was originally designed for the context of Millennium, where there would be entirely separate logins for circ, cataloging, acquisitions, etc...and adjusting the setting would only impact a single search function. But in Sierra when a single user may have multiple workflows available to them that breaks.

    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…

    2 votes

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  12. Our Acquisitions staff does not use List Price when ordering, & is hoping that Estimated Price could be modifiable via Rapid Update. At the moment, this would help them modify 200+ order records, which they now have to do manually.

    2 votes

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  13. 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…

    2 votes

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  14. Scheduler is a powerful tool. Libraries would like to use that tool to schedule SQL scripts. I understand that libraries use 3rd party tools to create SQL statements and then schedule/export/send the results to other 3rd party tools. It would help a lot of libraries that don't have the resources to do this extra setup if a query could be added to scheduler and that query be emailed to one or more individuals in a csv file.

    Why do libraries have use SQL? SQL allows us to query/export/link fields that cannot be queried in create lists. Querying the database is…

    2 votes

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  15. We periodically have customers that have two first names, but not a last name. When hold slips are printed, Sierra interprets the second name as their last name, but this is not the case. We would like to just have their two first names show up on the holds slip, if possible. We have done a workaround for now to ensure that the name they use is the second name listed so that their holds slips show the first name they use, but it would be better to have both names printed.

    2 votes

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  16. The vendor payment address should be accessible at invoice payment function. Currently, the invoicing function needs to be closed & address information accessed at order record, vendor, etc.

    2 votes

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  17. In the Patron View/Edit Record window the group of fields at the top cannot be arranged in any way but the default. It would be nice to be able to arrange these fields in a way that meets the needs and use of our staff. For example, I would like to be able to put all the editable fields in the first 1-2 columns, such as exp date, language, notice preference, patron type. Then all the uneditable fields (total checkouts, total renewals, circ active...) to the right of these columns. It would be nice to have a sort of drag…

    2 votes

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  18. 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.

    2 votes

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  19. The only option in create lists for volumes is to find holds. It would be helpful to be able to search for volumes that 'match' or 'has' variable fields. Then we could search for volumes that say 2024, for example. It would also be helpful to have this in Global Update as well when toggling to variable fields.

    2 votes

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  20. 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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