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  1. There SHOULD be an OpenAPI definition document available for Sierra's APIs via Swagger, but currently, there is not.

    The OpenAPI definition document (https://swagger.io/specification/) is a standardized format for describing the structure and behavior of an API. It is a machine-readable document, usually written in JSON or YAML, that provides a comprehensive blueprint of an API's endpoints, operations, input/output parameters, response formats, authentication methods, and other essential details.

    For comparison, here is an example for the Polaris API / Swagger install (on an iii training server):
    https://polaris-training.polarislibrary.com/PAPIService/swagger/v1/swagger.json

    Benefits of an OpenAPI Definition Document:

    * Standardization: Provides a consistent format
    30 votes

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  2. 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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  3. 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.

    15 votes

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  4. We can’t use this button because we don’t use print templates for our bills.
    We would prefer them to look pretty with Print Templates instead of the plain text we currently have. To avoid staff confusion, it would be great if this we had the ability to disable/grey out this button.

    3 votes

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  5. The Sierra REST API does not return the order record for the bib if the order status is "a" (fully paid). It will only return information if it's "on order".

    Patrons are unable to place holds on new materials using Innovative Mobile for bibs with paid order records that do not yet have items attached.

    5 votes

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  6. Update the "last checkin" field every time an item is checked in. Now, when you check in an item, the "last checkin" field is not updated if the item is not checked out. I don't know of any reason to not update it. When I look at an item record, I want to know the last date that the item was seen; this can be useful in tracking down items that seem to be missing, or coming up with a list of items that might be missing.

    8 votes

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  7. Rapid or global update to update all Order Status at once.

    9 votes

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  8. 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…

    17 votes

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  9. Since becoming a III customer in 2008/2009, it's baffled me that we don't see a representation of the total number of notices sent daily via autonotices, but instead see the Notice History feature, which shows the number of items for which notices are sent.

    I think it would be far more useful for statistical purposes if the number of notices sent for each notice type was what's recorded & shared by Sierra.

    11 votes

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  10. In the print/send orders function, it can be easy to accidentally upload an order to a vendor multiple times. As a means to mitigate this error I propose a two part feature.

    As a first step, the system should provide some indication when viewing the orders to ftp queue if an order has already been ftp'd once. I could see two methods for accomplishing this. 1) Add a column to the queue display for sent date, taking the most recent date present that has been appended to the ISBN pick field in a record from having been previously sent. 2)…

    26 votes

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  11. At this time it is apparently possible to retrieve the patrons Reading History via REST API sorted by date (oldest first or newest first). The most requested API enhancement request for us is to be able to retrieve the patrons Reading History via REST API sorted by Title. Another enhancement request is to be able to retrieve the patrons Reading History via REST API sorted by Author. This would be useful since users may have hundreds of items in the reading history.

    6 votes

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  12. We need to increase the number of characters allowed for the username - currently a maximum of 12. We prefer to keep our Sierra usernames the same as a user's network login name (one less thing to remember). Anything over 12 characters forces us to make a different Sierra username that fits within the Sierra parameters.

    11 votes

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  13. We recently started using NCIP authentication for our new ILL service. We learned after implementation that NCIP login is blocked for any of the reasons in the Patron Block Table. This makes sense when the block is for an expired card, or for fees over the threshold. This makes less sense when they have reached their maximum holds in Sierra.

    What we're seeing is that patrons cannot log into the system at all when any of the block parameters are true. We would like to be able to enforce certain blocks but not others for account login.

    We can increase…

    3 votes

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  14. 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.

    17 votes

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  15. At present, we can only see the full name field in get patron endpoints. For some systems that connect via api, it would be highly beneficial to have other fields available relating to patron information. For example, separated first and last names.

    This is due the some systems relying on the information it can read from Sierra and not process further to define a first name.

    4 votes

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  16. Why is it important to link patrons?

    • Without linked patron functionality someone that is authorized to pick up a hold on another account is complicated. This is manually done by staff using patron notes, and the authorized patron signs out the book leaving the original hold on the other patron record.
    • Parents visiting the library with children would like to jump to the record of each child rather than using the child’s cards.

    Current privacy and circulation workflow issues:

    • Someone could link to the child record without authorization. If a patron is sharing their circulation details with someone, they should…
    7 votes

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  17. I understand that III is planning to incorporate AI functionality into the Vega platform (newsletter text, website content, etc...). I think it would be really useful to have AI data cleanup functionality developed for Sierra.

    I'm not sure exactly what this would look like but here are some potential ways this could improve catalog metadata:
    - catalog record cleanup (bad codes, incorrect codes, codes inconsistent with local practices for similar records, etc...)
    - patron record cleanup (bad codes, codes inconsistent with similar-type accounts, etc...)
    - automatic tagging of demographic (we use one of the patron codes to indicate reciprocal library…

    9 votes

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  18. That way other devices such as self checks can show that warning to the patron in the case of them checking out items and having the due date shortened to their expiration date instead of the full borrowing period for the item. If they were alerted they could contact staff to update their account and any item due dates that were shortened to their prior expiration date.

    7 votes

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  19. 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…

    13 votes

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  20. As the system administrator overseeing a 54-member library consortium, managing Offline File Processing is a routine responsibility. However, we often encounter delays in processing files because libraries don't consistently notify us when they upload offline files. This results in files remaining unprocessed until the next library contacts us, potentially causing unnecessary checkout delays. If we process the files too many days after uploading, additional errors may occur, making it challenging to track items adequately.

    An email notification for Offline File Processing would ensure timely handling of uploaded files. We could proactively monitor file uploads, swiftly process them, and promptly address…

    18 votes

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