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  1. 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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  2. We require certain information to create a library card, however Sierra does not enforce this requirement at the system level. Since it isn't mandatory, some data simply never gets captured and creates more work on the backend.

    Beyond that, having certain information in the record would allow us to build a better understanding of our usership so that we can make better decisions as an organization.

    I especially would love the ability to require any and all of the fixed-length fields; especially patron category, birthdate, home library, and notice preference.

    16 votes

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  3. It would be very helpful to be able to print a Statement of Charges directly from a patron record (and have it formatted for 8-1/2 x 11 paper and mail-ready).

    For context, we are a 138-library consortium, all notices are Auto Notices, and we do not run Statement of Charges for the consortium. Yes, you can run a statement for 1 patron in the Notices function, but this requires consortium staff intervention since that permission is locked down to consortium staff. It would be much simpler for our member libraries to be able to print such a statement on an…

    16 votes

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  4. When working in a Sierra bib record, I would like to click on the author, series and subject fields so I can see a list of records that have those same authors, series, and subjects. Encore has this capability. I would like to see it in Sierra.

    16 votes

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  5. 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

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  6. 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…

    15 votes

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  7. 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)

    15 votes

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  8. As ILS administrators of a large consortium, we would like the RFID Server Options Table to have an additional field/column to add notes (library name, dates, staff initials). When one of our member libraries needs to change RFID entries, we sort through nearly 200 lines to determine which one needs updating. Many entries use IPs without identifying library information. We must read through old library correspondence to discern which IPs belong to the library. This task takes up valuable time when we are trying to assist a library with troubleshooting or adding and removing entries.

    An additional free-text field to…

    15 votes

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  9. We would like to see more specific permissions on items records to allow staff who don't have access to edit entire item records to be able to do basic things like add and delete item messages or change the status of the item.

    Frontline staff are discovering outdated item messages or finding that items are missing, and it's inefficient for them to have to contact someone else to change the status of the item, or delete an item message attached to it.

    15 votes

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  10. Have the results of Manage Holds automatically emailed each morning.

    This would let staff pick holds even if they don't have Sierra open or available. The automated emails could be set up within the Manage Holds function itself, or could be accomplished if Scheduler worked with Manage Holds (right now Scheduler only works with Create Lists and Data Exchange).

    15 votes

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  11. Staff want to limit their search in Search/Holds to items that are on the shelf at their branch. These would be items with a status of "available" and a loan rule equal to zero.

    Circulation workflows are severely impacted when staff have to use the SDA and the Discovery Catalogue to determine if items are in the branch.

    Libraries with floating collections or multi-branch libraries do not always know what is on their shelves.

    Customers that visit the circulation desk want to know if an item is in the branch. Staff want to know if items on a particular subject…

    15 votes

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  12. Despite the constant threats to our funding & the fact that some seem to treat the notion of DEI as offensive, we continue to want our library to be seen as a welcoming & inclusive environment for our patrons.

    We would like to be able to extend this to how their name is represented in Sierra & on notices/when seen in the catalog. We currently have a sort of crib sheet for staff to use to insert diacritic characters into patron names as needed, but think it would be helpful if they didn't have to navigate away from Sierra when…

    14 votes

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  13. 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…

    14 votes

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  14. When an item lacks an ISBN in the 020 field (DVDs and CDs only generally have UPCs in the 024 field) the cover image is very much hit or miss. Syndetics has been contacted, however, it appears that Sierra needs to "pass the UPC code” in order for this to work. This addition would be helpful.

    14 votes

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  15. 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.

    14 votes

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  16. Libraries should have the option to exclude frozen holds from the total holds queue that appears in any catalogue.

    Benefits:

    1) Customers will have a better idea of where they are in the hold queue.
    We encourage customer-driven hold management, and customers have told us that they want an estimate of when their holds will be filled.
    This is especially true when customers place multiple hold on titles within a series.

    2) Customers will not see inflated hold queues and provide feedback to the Library that they should purchase more copies.

    3) Customers could make an education decision on whether…

    14 votes

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  17. Idea Description

    It would be far nicer to have the ability to work with hold data directly--in contrast to having to retrieve hold data via the patron APIs. For example: currently, in order to (reasonably) find the "pickupByDate" values for holds with status "(Bib, Volume, Item) hold ready for pickup" you would have to use a combination of the Sierra SQL feature (to first find all the patron record numbers possessing such a hold) and then filter all the holds for the list of patrons (from the previous step) having the "pickupByDate" key in the response object. Once you have the holds,…

    14 votes

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  18. Currently Decision Center only returns data for a location parameter if there was activity for the selected time period and does not return a zero placeholder for locations without activity. This creates extra work for staff when working with the resulting Excel files. They can't easily reference the cells in Excel consistently.

    14 votes

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  19. We see the Sierra 6.0 Release Notes features new Accessibility improvements in the SDA. It is unclear if this includes a high contrast display option which staff recommend to support use of the software by many different types of staff.

    14 votes

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  20. https://ideas.iii.com/forums/951745-ils-sierra/suggestions/46670854-sierra-5-5-direct-view-public-display-to-disco is closed/says it's already supported, but the part for being configured to more than one display option is not addressed. We would like to be able to have more than one option to display - Vega, Classic, Encore and even III Mobile if possible - so we can see how all iterations look right from the SDA. So in the menu it would be View | Public Display | array of choices

    14 votes

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