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ILS - Sierra

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  1. 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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  2. In Sierra's invoicing function, when selecting an order record already paid, a pop-up box appears with a warning message stating, "ITEM ALREADY PAID FOR." Currently, the only option available is to click "OK," which immediately proceeds to the next step of entering the item's price on that paid order record. However, adding a button labeled "CANCEL" in the warning pop-up box would be beneficial to prevent staff from inadvertently continuing to pay for the item on the wrong record. Clicking "CANCEL" should close the warning pop-up without proceeding further, returning the user to the search results list. The "CANCEL" option…

    23 votes

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  3. Currently, when a staffer goes into Create Lists and sorts the lists using one of the column headers, while scrolling down to locate the appropriate list, Sierra jumps or hops upward thereby losing the staffers place in Create Lists. This idea is to prevent that from happening and to make the default or custom sort in Create Lists stick. This would save staff time and reduce errors as well.

    22 votes

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  4. 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…

    22 votes

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  5. Add the ability to suppress subfield 1 in the 1xx field so it will not show in Sierra. This way it can be unsuppressed when the library starts using linked data.

    22 votes

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  6. Our consortium would like to request a feature enhancement in Sierra that allows ability to transfer volume-level holds to bib-level holds.

    Currently, when we need to move records from a multi-volume bibliographic record (with volume records) to a monographic bibliographic record (without volume records), we must manually add or copy each volume-level hold to the bib-level record and then remove the original volume-level hold. This is a very tedious and time-consuming process, especially within a consortium of more than 100 libraries.

    A streamlined method to transfer holds between volume and bibliographic levels would save staff time, reduce errors, and improve…

    21 votes

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  7. Spine Label Queues are only available in the current session and do not save. We are able to print spine labels (sheet or continuous) from Create Lists, but cannot apply print templates with this function. Can we either have the option to apply print templates when wanting to print batches of labels via Create Lists and/or have the option to hold on to our spine label queues for more than just the current session?

    21 votes

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  8. With the new Patron Checkout Limits table, we have lost the ability to group patron types (ptypes) into a category when configuring checkout limits that also use criteria such as Library Location or Item Location.

    Currently, a separate row must be created for every individual ptype, which significantly increases setup and maintenance effort. In environments with many patron types that share the same checkout limits, this results in a large number of duplicate entries.

    We would like the ability to define and use Patron Type Categories/Groups within the new Patron Checkout Limits table, similar to the functionality available in previous…

    20 votes

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  9. Currently in Create Lists it is very difficult to specify criteria for special fields like the leader, 006, 007 and 008. Many of these have the exact same label, like Audience, which appears four different times. Each of them is for audience as it appears in different versions of the 008 for different record types. Then it appears four more times in the 006.

    It would be helpful if each of these different audience codes were labeled in Create Lists, such as "Audience for Books," and "Audience for Music," etc. This would make it much easier to use this function.…

    20 votes

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  10. It'd be great if authority records and cross references were included under the Search/Holds module and be the same as what staff encounter with the Catalog module. Right now it is different. In our system, staff often use Sierra to place holds with the public on their behalf. It would be great if authorities were available in the Search/Holds module results display so that staff could benefit from the information.
    If a staffer did an author search and they had a pen name (Robb, J.D.) then they'd be redirected to see the other author's name (Roberts, Nora).... Or they may…

    20 votes

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  11. 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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  12. The current documentation on loan rules, loan rule determiner, and float determiner table is very limited, and training on these important functions do not exist within Innovative's training & learning center. More comprehensive documentation with examples would help libraries better manage loan rules, and perhaps simplify how libraries' existing rules are setup.

    20 votes

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  13. We've had patrons requesting to be allowed to choose both notification methods- phone and email, not only one. This would be very useful for patrons whose phones get shut off frequently, or who have another person helping them by picking up their holds for them. Two contact methods would be helpful.

    18 votes

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  14. In Sierra, on Windows 11, when you click "Tile Vertically" so you can see multiple records at the same time, it makes the windows too long, so that the bottom of the windows get hidden behind the taskbar if it is locked. It does not do this if you maximize a record window, or if you use snap. It only seems to be the "Tile Vertically" function.

    We use this function a lot to compare records for deduplication, and it is really annoying to have to manually resize windows so you can see the whole thing.

    18 votes

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  15. The Invoice Summary that is sent after posting invoices only lists the voucher number. Our Finance department has to go through the Invoice Register and match the invoice number to the voucher number to know what invoices should be paid. This is very time consuming, and susceptible to human error. Please consider adding the invoice number to the Invoice Summary.

    18 votes

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  16. The ability to log into admin corner, view all users and with one click disable them (not delete, but deny them log in access) would be helpful for those with revolving part time employees.

    We have student employees that change out regularly, but sometimes they come back as graduate student help, etc within a short time.

    Being able to simply turn off an employees access and review it within a year or less to determine if it should be deleted or held would be helpful for keeping our staff accounts cleaned up.

    18 votes

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  17. The problem that's prompting this suggestion:
    I work at Gondor Library. An item arrives from Rohan Library (outside of scope) to fulfill a hold for my Gondor patron. But staff notices it has damage that has NOT been noted in the record (or on the physical object).

    Gondor staff have two choices.
    a) the damage is extensive enough that we decide to not fulfill the hold and send it back to the owning library, Rohan.
    b) we use our judgement to decide whether the Rohan book's damage is minor enough to fulfill the hold.
    For example, only light stains on…

    18 votes

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  18. There are times staff need to place holds on multiple items that are in a review file (we are working on a collection and need to change something about a group of items) and it's time consuming to go item by item. It would be nice to place bulk item holds on items in a review file.

    17 votes

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  19. Please add the ability to transfer an item-level hold to the bib level. In our system, holds automatically attach to an available item. When the item that has captured the hold is unavailable for some reason (ie. the item has gone missing), there is no easy way to deal with the hold if there isn't another available item. You only see the option to transfer the hold to another specific item. If these are all circulating or unavailable and there is a list of holds at the bib level, you cannot currently transfer that item hold back to the bib…

    17 votes

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  20. When creating a new bib record and using the insert drop-down box, the windows always open in the same place and the same size. If I change the location or size of the window, I have to do it EVERY TIME. This is very annoying. Let me set those parameters and make them permanent for my login.

    17 votes

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