128 results found
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Allow for Customization of Fields Included in Expanded Display of Patron Records
I recently learned that the fields included in the Expanded Display for patron records (when you rollover/click the i next to the record) are hard coded.
I found this unfortunate, because what's shown in the Expanded Display differs depending on where you're viewing it, which in the case of patron records is either going to be in the Search/Find a Patron view or the Check Out mode view.
Examples of where I see room for improvement here:
1) When I search for a patron by name & come up with dozens of people with the same name, an identifier like…
1 vote -
Send To: Globally Purge Charges
It would be great if the logic & momentum that introduced Send To - Rapid or Global Update in Sierra 6.3 & will soon allow the same shortcut to Delete Items could also be applied to Globally Purge Charges.
The state of Ohio has a statute of limitations on debt collection that has us purging money owed longer than 5 years on a weekly basis. While this is bazonkers IMO, apparently it's also the law of the land, & it would make the process much more quick & convenient if we could select a file in Create List, navigate to…
2 votes -
add location column in Count Use function
Under the count use function, is it possible to add a location column? Currently, we have Title / Barcode / Count / Status. This way, when staff collects used but not checked out items and counts their usage, they can also see - at a glance - if the item belongs to a different floor/location and can separate it on the spot.
This added information will save staff time and minimize the chance of something being misplaced.
3 votes -
Add "mark damaged items" workflow to checkin
Staff need an easy way to make an item "damaged" when performing check-in. The current damaged workflow requires staff to be in the patron account.
All of our libraries have book drops, and every day, damaged items are returned. It doesn't make sense for library staff to stop their process, review the item record, and then review the patron account details in order to mark an item as damaged.
Can the "Mark Damaged Items" button that appears in the checkout function (checked out items) screen be added to the check-in window. I have attached an image where we would like…
8 votes -
4 votes
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Ability to alter the Recommends Approval and Denial emails that go to patrons who submit a purchase request
Problem: The text of emails sent when using the Approval and Denial notifications in Recommends cannot be currently altered. We would like to be able to provide more customer friendly email templates to patrons that allow us to explain why an item was denied or what the process is for items that are approved.
Impact: Being able to communicate with our patrons at the outset of the process will save staff time by not having to have go back and forth with customers over email to explain processes and reasons for purchase requests. Additionally it will improve the customer's experience…
3 votes -
Money Owed Data Point for Billed Notices
Idea: add the money owed fixed field as an option for a data point in the Bills Notice Data Library for print templates.
Value: Some libraries would like to be able to call out to users how much in total they owe on their account, not just the total of the items on that particular bill. Adding this field to the data library would enable them to do so.
2 votes -
Clarify Fines Payment Lock Messaging
The current wording of the fines payment lock messaging implies the presence of fines, which is not always the case and is misleading. To reduce confusion for staff, please change the message wording to indicate that another station has the record open, therefore the fines function in the patron record is locked. This will indicate to staff the reason why it's locked (another station has it open) and what they can't do while it's locked (access the fines function in the patron record).
16 votes -
Include the AA (patron identifier) element in the 10 Checkin Response for SIP2
When users return the materials via self-check machines, we want an email receipt to be automatically sent to them. Unfortunately, Sierra does not currently support the AA element in the 10 Checkin Response. Some libraries purchased the Patron API feature to get it to work but if Sierra include the AA element, it will simplify the process.
1 vote -
Add search functionality to scoping rule function
As a consortium, our system has hundreds of location codes. We appreciate the new functionality to add locations to scopes ourselves, but it is cumbersome to scroll through the list of hundreds of branch entries each time to find the code you need to add. It would be helpful if there was search functionality, where you can type in the code, and it brings up the corresponding entry in the branches list for you to select.
6 votes -
Disallow cancellation of holds by Pickup Location, Loan Rule or Stat Group
It would be helpful to have the ability to prevent a hold from being canceled based on its pickup location.
We have holds pickup lockers installed in three locations and are finding that if the lockers contain an item which has since had its hold canceled, the lockers will send a CheckIn SIP transaction to Sierra for that item, resulting in the item being [logically] used to fulfill someone else's hold [while physically still housed in a locker]. For popular new releases, this is happening more frequently than one might imagine. The ability to disallow the cancellation of holds at…
7 votes -
Improve patron address parser to better map data to the patron_record_address table
Sierra has a mechanism for parsing the free text entered into patron address fields in the client into separate fields for elements such as city/state/postal code that exist in the patronrecordaddress table. Those distinct fields may then be searched in create lists or utilized in SQL queries. However, the algorithm used to parse out those data points is extremely rigid in terms of the data it expects to see and is quite prone to mapping data incorrectly if an address entered into a patron record does not conform to those guidelines.
For one common example in our system…
18 votes -
Add Character Map to Patron Record Creation/Editing Menu
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…
10 votes -
Add "hold status" and "item status" limits to high-demand holds function
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…
13 votes -
Sort ready for pickup holds by expiry date in checkout function
Staff assisting any customers who cannot pickup all their ready holds at once, would benefit from seeing and sorting the expiry date of holds in the patron's holds list. This will assist with preventing their holds from expiring and being placed again.
3 votes -
When placing hold in Search/Holds function, after typing patron's name, include patron i (info) button to help verify account
PROBLEM: When I search for an item via F3 Search/Holds, after finding the desired item and clicking to place the hold, a popup screen appears called "Search for patron." If I don't have the library card number but instead type in a name, and there is only one matching result, there is no way to preview whether that patron account is truly the correct one or not. Plus, for libraries with multiple branches, it is helpful to see the preferred pickup location.
SUGGESTED SOLUTION: in other areas/screens, there is a small i (info) button that one can hover their cursor…
4 votes -
Revamp the Hours Open Parameter
The Situation: Our library's room checkout suddenly shorted to a hard limit of 6:00pm. I discovered that last year's spring break hours were listed in the Hours Open table and last year spring break occurred earlier in March.
The Problem: Entries in the Hours Open table do not include the year. If the year was included, hour checkout issue wouldn't have been an issue.
Solution #1: Add the ability to include the year to Hours Open table. Default to the current year but have the ability to change the year.
Solution #2: Revamp the Hours Open table. Modifying the Hours…
6 votesThe product team will review this idea for consideration for a future release.
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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…8 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.
12 votesThe product team will review this idea for consideration for a future release.
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Batch Shuffle Hold Queue
We would like the ability for authorized/admin level staff to collectively shuffle multiple holds, so those at the bottom of the queue can be selected & moved to the top. Their order at the top wouldn't necessarily matter, as long as the group were all advanced in the queue.
Use cases: item recalls, where tech services staff have to place dozens of holds on items, all of which wind up at the bottom of the queue & need to be shuffled individually/manually.
Book club: we had a situation recently where staff at one branch cancelled holds on book club items…
1 voteThe product team will review this idea for consideration for a future release.
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