243 results found
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A "full Payment History file" event should log an error to the Admin App's System Messages log
Today our Payment History file reached 9,999 records which is close enough to the 10k record capacity that the attached error message was displayed. Fortunately the staff member had the presence of mind to screen-capture this error dialog today so I could read its message verbatim, but this isn't always the case. It would be helpful for an error of this severity to be written to the System Messages log viewed using the web-based Sierra admin app.
Given the low variety of error messages written to that log, there must be all kinds of similar messages which are not logged,…
15 votes -
When receiving items, limit search results to orders available for receipt
It would be nice if there was a setting in the Receiving function to limit your search to only items available to be received. We search by PO and have to wade through loads of items already received and billed. This was available years and years ago on the old Horizon system.
15 votesThe product team will review this idea for consideration for a future release.
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PIN limitations in Sierra: PIN_ALPHA_NUM should accept special characters
PINALPHANUM does not accept special characters.
If Vega Discover continues to be limited by wwwoptions for PIN creation, this option should accept special characters.
PIN Best Practice: The strongest defense combines a long length (12+ characters) with a true random mix of letters, numbers, and symbols.
Length vs. Complexity: Recent security guidelines emphasize that making a password longer (like using a multi-word passphrase) is often more effective than adding a single symbol to a short word. That said, library users do use special characters and want them included in their library PIN.
Adding symbols increases the character set…
14 votes -
Make Additional PCODEs Available
Libraries are increasingly looking at ways to gather metrics on patrons without identifying them. Data on age, gender, race, or all manner of characteristics might be collected, depending on the library.
I'd like to see Sierra be more accommodating in what it can collect & store on a patron's record, with the introduction of one or more additional PCODEs that can be used to store a significant amount of fixed field codes.
For example, we partner with schools in our service area & offer not only educator cards, but do an upload of student data. Having schools within our service…
14 votes -
Add Export Options to Sierra
There are various reports/files in Sierra that should be exportable to Excel or CSV for manipulation/analysis purposes, similar to our ability to export fines paid or statistical reports from the Statistics function. Candidates include Circulation Overrides (printable view puts each override on 2 lines) and other System Files (from admin app), Group Call Numbers (from Sierra 6.6), and really any sort of table or parameter that consists of columns/rows (branch table, patron type, etc.). This would save the effort of copying/pasting and attempting to fix in Excel.
14 votes -
Add process to the details logged in item record history
I was hoping to see the login used to receive the items listed in the Item Record History. If possible, it would be great to see both the user and the process.
Event | user | PROCESS
Created | user | MANUAL
Created | user | RECEIVING
Updated | user | GLOBAL UPDATE
Updated | user | MANUAL14 votes -
Expand invoice record fields that can be exported from Create Lists
Create Lists allows staff to create review files of invoices, but a number of useful fields from the invoice cannot be exported from the system. Notably the subtotalamt, shippingamt and totaltaxamt fields, which can all be accessed via both SQL and the RestAPI, are missing from the export options.
We would like to see these added so that fuller invoice data could be exported into something like Excel for further accounts reporting and tracking.
14 votes -
Generate a Hold Cancellation notice when clearing Expired/Defunct Holds
Currently, only when you cancel a hold from either the Hold tab or the Hold queue do you get the option to generate a hold cancellation notice. When a defunct hold is cleared from the holdshelf (clear expired holds), we would like to see a prompt to send a hold cancellation notice(s), just as we do when cancelling holds outside of the clear holdshelf process. All those that get cleared could use the same “drop hold” message in the text of circulation notices (explaining your hold has been cancelled because it’s expired/hold pickup by date has passed). These would be…
14 votes -
Rearchitect iiirecord.record_metadata to provide improved audit trail accountability
It is sometimes helpful to see who created, updated or deleted a record. Catmaint provides a lot of detail but doesn't cover many record types. I propose the following solution, which doesn't have particularly burdensome storage requirements:
- Build a many-to-many table with an id primary key column, a timestamp, a code indicating the C-R-U-Uprevious-D record operation and foreign keys linking to record_metadata.id and to iii_user.id.
- Backfill this new table using the available timestamps in record_metadata, catmaint and any other table like catmaint which might provide record edit history.
- Rename record_metadata and drop its four *_gmt timestamp columns. Yes, this creates…
14 votes -
Create a pop-up when you are about to overwrite a review file in create lists.
It is very easy to accidentally overwrite a review file in create lists. There should be a pop-up that asks if you want to overwrite the file so that you know you're doing it.
14 votes -
Refund Functionality in Sierra
Currently, Sierra does not provide built-in functionality for processing or tracking refunds. While the system records partial payments that result in credits (displayed as negative fines) and waivers applied by staff (visible in Fines Paid), there is no equivalent workflow or tracking for refunds.
We request the addition of a refund tracking feature within the patron record, ensuring that staff can see when a refund has been issued. Specifically, we propose:
A clear refund indicator in the patron record.
A display of refund amounts including payment method in the Fines tab, similar to how fines and waivers are shown.
An…14 votesThe product team will review this idea for consideration for a future release.
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Options Group setting for showing Last Patron
In a consortial setting we have some libraries that would like to avoid showing last patron data for a item in an attempt to avoid retaining data that could be used to breach a patron's privacy.
14 votesThe product team will review this idea for consideration for a future release.
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Lock Commands in Rapid Update
When using the Rapid Update function to update individual item records, you can select a specific field (or fields) and values to update. After setting up your desired fields to update, you then scan the item barcode, hit Enter twice, and return to the point to scan the following barcode. We have had multiple instances where staff accidentally insert an additional field to change after scanning a barcode. One example is if they accidentally hit the space bar instead of the Enter key. It then defaults to the Copy# field. If there were a way to lock the selected Commands…
14 votesThe product team will review this idea for consideration for a future release.
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Allow Patrons to Opt-out of Certain Circulation Notices
Many libraries offer mail delivery services for patrons who are unable to visit in person. Currently, when items become available, these patrons receive a standard "ready for pickup" notification, even though their materials will be mailed to them. This creates unnecessary confusion and may lead patrons to believe they need to come to the library.
Providing the option to customize or opt out of specific notifications, such as "Ready for Pickup" alerts for patrons enrolled in mail delivery, would greatly improve clarity and enhance the user experience.
13 votes -
Add Days Closed Table to SierraDNA
We are interested in being able to tap into the Days closed table programmatically but it is inaccessible to both the APIs and SQL, and doesn't even have a native export feature (though you can copy and paste it easily enough).
Creating a SQL View for it seems the most straightforward solution, just provide access to the existing table, along with row numbers to preserve the ordering.
13 votes -
Add "Send to Batch Check-in" Navigation to Create Lists
Building on the recent navigation enhancements that allow users to send Review Files from Create Lists to Rapid Update, Global Update, and Delete Records, we propose adding a "Send to Batch Check-in" option.
Now that Batch Check-in has been integrated into the Sierra client (as of the 6.5 Release), adding this "Send to" functionality would significantly streamline workflows and reduce the risk of errors associated with file handling.
13 votes -
Data Exchange should automatically identify and fix MARC-8 records.
Data Exchange should determine if a file being loaded is in UTF-8 or MARC-8 format before loading. If it is MARC-8, it should be converted to UTF-8 before loading.
I want to be clear that I'm not talking about using the MARC bit that supposedly identifies if the character set is UTF-8. That cannot be trusted. I want a system like the character detect feature in MarcEdit, that will actually look at the characters in the incoming records and determine what character set they really are.
There are still a lot of MARC-8 records out there, and it is not…
13 votes -
Show pop-up when placing holds on items with special statuses
Sierra SDA allows you to place holds on items with special statuses, and do not show any pop-up window to warn of this circumstance. Currently this is not possible in Sierra for statuses other than 'Library Use Only'.
We would like the system to display a pop-up window when attempting to place a hold on an item with special status, as Sierra SDA does in checkout and checkin procedures.
Thanks.
13 votes -
Auto- Update library card expiration dates
When a new library card is created in a month, Sierra auto-populates the expiration date for the card as next month +3 years, but this has to be manually adjusted every month by the Circ supervisor. It would be nice if Sierra could automatically set the expiration date for library cards created every month.
13 votes -
Add an API endpoint which permits writing to review files
Currently, when a query is beyond the capabilities of Create Lists, it is usually possible to use a SQL query with Python to produce a report. Such a report might list record numbers of bibs/items/orders/patrons/etc which bear further examination and correction by library staff, but staff must copy record numbers or barcodes in the report and paste them into the SDA to pull up the records in question. It would be much easier if an API endpoint permitted those record numbers to be written to a review file so staff can go through them one-by-one in the SDA.
Another use…
13 votes
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