Release Notes for 03/04/2025

Pika Release Notes 2025.01.0

Deployed 3/4/2025

New Functionality

  • Patron reading history logging (Minute 19:45)

    • A database table has been created to log actions in the user reading history table

    • The history can be retrieved from the User Administration section of Pika Administration

    • We should now be able to figure out when the patron opts in/out or deletes reading history

  • Newspaper Subscription Authentication (Minute 21:17)

    • New library administration section to input subscription URLs

  • Direct patrons to a special login page.  Upon authentication, the patron is redirected out to the newspaper subscription URL

    • /MyAccount/NYTimes

    • /MyAccount/WP

    • /MyAccount/WSJ        

  • Note: the subscription URL is connected to the patron’s home library rather than the library site being browsed to  (i.e. only Bemis patrons can access the Bemis WSJ subscription)

        

        

 

  • Creates a list for the chosen year.  Note that the data provides only one ISBN per title to match by so matching may be less robust than NY Times Best Sellers lists.

  • The description/review provided by NPR is set as the list entry note, with links to the NPR article(s)

  • The NPR entries have tags which are set as user tags for the title in Pika. The user tag begins with the prefix: “NPR Books We Love tag”

        

 

  • Materials Request - created a Staff Comments field for internal notes.  (patch deployed) (Minute 31:20)

    • Field is not displayed in the patron’s view of the request.

        

 

  • For the format category facet, displayed above search results, a 6th option has been created for Video Games (Minute 33:44)

    

     

  • Note: due to restrictions for display on narrow width devices (e.g. mobile displays), six is the maximum number of options that can be displayed at once.

  • Sierra Library systems - Record view URLs using Bib numbers without the trailing check digit will automatically redirect to the Record View URL using the full bib number that includes the check digit (the default for Pika) (patch deployed for MLN1 & MLN2) (Minute 36:32)

  • Sierra Home Pickup Items Implementation (Minute 38:27)

    • Requires Sierra 6.3 to work

      • We have configuration switch to disable display in earlier versions of Sierra

    • Within the record’s Status Display will be a new phrase “Has Home Pickup Items”, with a link to a popup to display a table of the Home Pickup Items

  • Within the Place Hold popup, an alert message will display explaining how Home Pickup Items work.

  • The Pickup location options are limited to the items’ home libraries

  • Pika’s Offline Circulation (Minute 42:23)

    

  • Pika Processing of Offline Circs  with Sierra allows for including the stat group for check outs.  (stat group is an optional parameter for the Sierra Rest API checkout call.)

  • Opac Admins will have three additional buttons on the Offline Circ Report page to:

  • To set the Sierra Stat group number for each circ by looking up the sierra login in SierraDNA user table

            

  • Display the Offline Circs in a structured format to be inputted into a .dat file to import the circs into the Sierra Offline Circ App.

  • Mark the Offline CIrcs as processed with a note that the circs were exported 

        

  • When Pika is in offline mode, Self-Registration will be disabled.  (Since presumably the circulation system is not available to process the self registration.)

  • When Pika is in offline mode, Password/PIN Reset will be disabled.  (Since presumably the circulation system is not available to process the password reset.)

  • WCPL - Use newly added item creation date for “Added in the Last” & related facets

  • New sideload driver to allow for access buttons to be labeled as "Campus Use Only" in order to call out the type of access restriction used for the sideload content.(Minute 48:39)

 

  • The Explore More bar that displays Archive material related to the catalog search results now displays a subtitle explaining the material is in the local archive. Likewise, the Explore More bar that displays catalog material related to the archive search results also has a subtitle explaining the material is from the library. (Minute 47:25) 

 

Bug Fixes

  • Genealogy -  the “Save and Add Another” button for Marriages and Obituaries did not preserve the person Id number in the URL so that subsequent Adds could be processed successfully

  • Archive search facet options were not displaying on Library Admin page after PHP 8 upgrade

  • After PHP 8 upgrade, there was an error when placing a hold for a user with linked accounts and the home library for one of the linked user isn’t a valid pickup location

  • Rework recursive array encoding function, update for better handling with PHP8

  • Search suggestion improvements, create disallowed words for suggestions

  • Polaris: Fix AJAX request error caused by logging

  • Polaris: Fix bad birthdate during self registration

  • APA Citations with initial in name were having the first number of the author date-range included as part of the author name

Sideloads

  • Fort Lewis now has a Colorado University Press collection 

  • Comics Plus - Lafayette

  • Removed Loveland Hoopla and Hoopla Flex

Additional Work

  • Steamboat Springs Library new theming to go with their website redesign

  • LION - New East Haddam theming

  • Northern Waters Library Network migrated to hosted Sierra at iii

  • Wake County Public Libraries - update fines page message

  • PHP8 

    • Upgrade PHP major version from 7 to version 8 (8.3)

    • Upgrade PHP modules to version compatible with PHP8

    • Upgrade Composer classes to versions compatible with PHP8

      • Added required PHP extensions to composer file

    • Fix non-functional Pika code to be compatible with PHP8

    • Replace or remove class libraries not compatible with PHP8

      • Replace PHPExcel with PHPSpreadsheet

        • Load class with composer

        • Update code to use new library

    • Created PHP8 configuration files to be used by all servers

      • Configs for test and production servers

      • Added to Pika settings repository

      • Built appropriate links to config files on servers

  • OverDrive support form added to Pika

  • OverDrive purchase request form added to Pika

  • Update SD51 logos

    • Taylor Elementary School logo

    • Mt. Garfield Middle School logo

  • Update Hoopla Flex fetching script to move files to processed folder

  • Marmot staff taking over Kanopy sideload for MLN1

Documentation

VuFind Updates

Configuration Updates

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Sideloads

  • Updated sideload script to include number of files processed for each sideload

Meeting Date: 
Tuesday, 2025, March 4
Documentation Type: 
Release Notes
Link to File: 
Release Notes for Sprint 2025.01.0 (Google Doc)
Committees: 
Discovery Committee