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ILS - Sierra

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  1. 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.

    19 votes

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  2. Circulation staff would like to see "did you mean" logic applied to the SDA keyword search. This is the top complaint from circulation staff who search the database to help customers place holds. Staff are used to a Google (or Discovery Catalogue) keyword search that has some flexibility for human error.

    19 votes

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  3. 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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  4. 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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  5. 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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  6. 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…

    17 votes

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  7. There are 3 options in the "claim return" workflow at checkin.
    1) Checkin items (with no fines) and change status to missing.
    2) Checkin items (with no fines) and change status to claims returned.
    3) Leave items checked out (send overdue notices) and change status to claims returned.

    We always select #2, but we cannot stop staff from accidentally selecting #3. This is troublesome for us because in the #3 workflow customers get an email overdue notice when they have already told the library they have returned the item - and customers can be quite upset about this.

    Is there…

    17 votes

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  8. Our staff have found that when they search the staff catalog for classic titles with lots of adaptations many of the adaptations are ranked higher in the search results than the title they actually searched for. For example, a title search of our catalog for "Moby ****" yields "Ahab's Wife" as the top result, with other derivative works and commentaries all appearing before the first record for the novel itself (in our case, result number 24). We'd like to see the results weight matches on the work's own title (e.g., 245 field) higher than matches in other fields, such as…

    17 votes

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  9. It's great to be able to add a single item to a review file from the item record page. It would be even better if we could add multiple items from the item summary page.

    17 votes

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  10. Sierra patron records should include a patron pronouns field, so that library staff can record customers' stated preferred pronouns and use the correct language in conversations and communications with customers. The field should be able to display in the Brief patron display. This step would help to support inclusion, wellbeing, and belonging in libraries.

    17 votes

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  11. I had first suggested this over a decade ago when at another library that was struggling how to balance its combination of branch & research library users & the sort of requests they might make. While no longer there, I still see it as a potentially useful means for staff to develop their request processes & create limits within limits.

    What I'd like to see is the ability to not only set a hold threshold, but as is the case for the Max Items A-D allowed as applied to checkouts, allow a similar breakdown for holds.

    Optimally, this would allow…

    17 votes

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  12. Similar to the YTDCIRC tracker on item records in Sierra, add a tracker for YTD renewals as well. This would allow collection development staff to quickly assess a more accurate snapshot of an item's usage.

    16 votes

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  13. When exporting from create list the pop-up window can be expanded, but the box displaying the criteria (chosen fields) cannot. We often export more fields than can be displayed within the box. It would be helpful to allow this box to show more of the criteria in a single view so that we can both check what is being exported and easily note what is included when attempting to add the same export to a different list. (We have already maxed out the number of saved exports.) Expanding the window provides an empty space underneath the section displaying the criteria.…

    16 votes

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  14. When a hold has been cleared or is defunct, the information Sierra provides integrated systems (IMMS for our example) over API is not consistent. In particular, when clear holds is run in Sierra. During clear holds, the item status either remains at ! On holdshelf or changes to another item status. When it remains as !, IMMS sees the hold is still active and does not instruct staff to clear the item from the hold shelf. Daily and weekly processes are needed to update the item records for IMMS to recognise the changes.

    Can the clear hold function in Sierra…

    16 votes

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  15. Currently the only hold parameters one can modify via the API are

    PatronHoldPut {
        pickupLocation (string, optional): the hold's pickup location code,
        freeze (boolean, optional): whether the hold should be frozen (suspended)
    }

    It would be very helpful if the Pickup By date – and while you're at it, the Hold Note – were added as modifiable parameters.  There have been many times when unscheduled branch closures or problems in sending hold pickup notices have caused us to want to extend hold Pickup By dates for items on the holdshelf.

    Having this functionality in an API endpoint would permit a…

    16 votes

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  16. In our library, all in-transit items are put into a single bin at the check-in location to be picked up and run through a central sorter which separates them by destination. This workflow doesn't require the use of transit slips, so our staff are trained to choose not to print one when prompted at check-in.

    Having to choose "no" at check-in for each item can become onerous when staff are checking in many items, but currently the only alternative is to have the system automatically print a transit slip for every item — which would simply be a waste of…

    16 votes

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  17. We are a Consortia of 51 libraries with 25 Acquisition's Units. We would like to see how many copies each library has ordered. This was available in Encore.(see screenshot) Vega does not show order records at all so we would like to see more detailed information in Sierra. Currently, you can only see that other libraries have ordered, not number of copies (see screenshot)

    16 votes

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  18. Our library recently started using LX Starter, which includes merge tags for the hold pickup location and expiration date in its template for hold cancellation notices. However, we've been told that Sierra doesn't pass this information to LX Starter and therefore this information can't be included in our cancellation emails. We would like to have this information added so we can provide additional information to our patrons about when and where their holds expired.

    16 votes

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  19. The current cap of 99 invoices downloadable per day can impede & dictate staff workflows.

    Because of this, our Acquisitions staff must also set limits with vendors like Baker & Taylor, as we can receive more than 99 in a day. It would be optimal if they could download at will up to invoice limit.

    Not all shipments are dealt with sequentially, which further complicates matters.

    16 votes

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  20. Our library would like to have pages for item-level holds repeat until they are filled. Currently, the only way to achieve this is by checking the "Do Not Clear" checkbox when running the item paging list each day. However, staff have to remember to toggle this setting every time they run the list, and if they forget, all previous pages will be lost and can't be restored the next time they run the list.

    We'd like a way to have item pages persist by default.

    15 votes

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