Pika Release Notes for 03/03/2016

Pika Release Notes for 3/3/2016 - 2016.02.0 Sprint

New Configuration Options – Search Related Settings

  • Available At facet now shows all the available items from all the available branches

    • Go to Pika Admin>Locations>Searching

    • This will be turned on for Marmot libraries. The Discovery partners should contact Mark.

  • Include All Library Branches in Facets

    • What this does is when you are searching an individual location, then for all other branches within that system will be included in the Available At and the Owning Branch.

  • Include All Records in Shelving Facets & Include All Records in Date Added Facets.

    • These are both available at the Library and Location level

    • This is for libraries in a consortium who want to see items when they are added, regardless of location.

    • This is also for unscoped libraries, so their patrons can see items added from any library.

    • This will only be turned on for the union catalogs. It will default off for everyone else, unless you request it.

    • Items will show up in the Added in the Last & Shelf Location facet.

  • Additional Locations to Include In Available At Facet

    • This is for branches that are not in your system, but are close by your library for your patrons to visit.

    • The other branches will show in the Available At facet.

New Configuration Option – Fines

  • Click to Pay Fines Online button

    • When patrons pay fines online, they are going outside of the catalog. This is a way for them to refresh their page to confirm that their fines are paid.

    • This feature is available from the sidebar, or a button on the fines page.

    • This will take them to a page to pay their fines.

    • Once the fine is paid, there is a pop-up window with a message telling them to click on the Refresh My Fines Information.  Once this button is clicked, their account will be updated.

    • This is located under Fines/e-Commerce.

    • The  Show Refresh Account Button will default to on.

    • There is also the Show E-commerce Link that will need to be checked to show the message.

    • Some libraries will link to a page on their website with instruction on how to pay fines, so you would need to uncheck the Show E-commerce Link.

    • This is only available for Sierra and Millennium.

New Configuration – Patron Setting

  • Libraries can now pick how people’s names will appear in Pika.

    • You can pick First Initial, Last Name or First Name, Last Initial.

    • This is under the ILS/Account/Integration>User Profile>Patron Display Name Style.

    • There is a drop down to pick the way you want people’s names to display.

    • This change will be per library system.

    • This is based off the patron’s home library.

    • This will reset everyone’s information to the new display.

    • If the patron is logged in when the change is made, they will not see it until they logout and back in.

    • This will also include the middle initial or name, if it is listed their account.

    • The default is First Initial, Last Name.

    • Any change to the patron’s name in the ILS will be reflected in Pika automatically.

Fixes

  • Availability in a branch is now showing records properly

    • Do a search within a branch

    • Limit to Available Now

    • The formats will now be shown

  • Maximum Fine Amount to Allow Account Updates

    • This allows libraries to stop patrons from updating their account, if they owe a certain amount of fines.

    • This has been changed to allow libraries to not use this function by setting the amount to zero or any negative number, so it will not block patrons from updating their account information.

  • Editions can now be texted or emailed

    • This was previously not working.  It would just send the last call number, and never sent a location.

    • It will only send the shelf location and call number if your library owns it for your patron.

    • If you do not own it, the call number and shelf location will not be in the email or text message.

    • If patrons do not pick an edition, the URL will be to the entire work.

    • Text messages will be limited to 30 characters, because it was cutting off the title in the message. Before the patron could not see the call number, or the links.

Account Changes

  • Date limits on holds now shows in the patron’s account

    • Now when a patron sets an end date for the time they no longer need a hold, this information will show up for the hold on their account. It will show the information that the item will Cancel on that date.

Linked Data

  • Validating links using the Google Structure Data Testing Tool

    • We are just using Schema.org, because Bibframe does not have the concept that libraries owns things.

    • Your library URL is entered and validated.

    • Right now we just have the URL. In the future, we will put in logos.

    • Libraries with multiple branches will have suborganizations for each branch.  

    • The information that is entered in Pika on the location pages will show up as linked data.

    • Schema defines the library more as the individual branch than the whole system.

    • It will have your libraries branch code, which is the internal ILS code.

    • There is a link to the map showing your library’s location.  As well as the phone number.

    • The parent organization points to the library.  It will also list all of your hours.

    • This gives us power in terms of defining institutions within the digital archives.

    • We can point to permanent URLs for your libraries.

    • The next step will be to start defining offers for individual records, so we can start telling Google which library owns which items. This will also include the hours, so patrons know where when they can get the item.

Other Fixes

  • Publication dates will now properly show complete ranges when available.  Previously was inconsistently showing data from 264, 260, and 008.  Now will show the first entry from those fields in order.  

  • NNA date is set correctly if patron enters a date when placing hold (Millennium/Sierra)

  • Changing notice preference when “treat print notices as telephone notices” was specified in the Library settings was updating preference to mail for Millennium/Sierra systems rather than telephone.  Will now correctly phone as the desired preference.

  • Last Check-in date will only display for available items

  • Sharing options have hover text and sharing in Pinterest will open in a new window

  • In holds page, changed the label for expiration date of available holds to “Pick-Up By”

EBSCO EDS & Digital Archive integration

  • Significant progress has been made integrating search results from EDS as well as displaying digital archive content within Pika.  This functionality is not quite ready to be enabled within Pika, but we hope for it to be ready in April.  To see progress, please review the demo recording and visit the test server.  

Meeting Date: 
Tuesday, 2016, March 1
Documentation Type: 
Release Notes
Committees: 
Discovery Committee