Latest iBorrow Build. What’s in it for you?
When you launch the SirsiDynix URSA client on Thursday, April 12, your PC should download the latest iBorrow build. I just got a list of the fixes and new features. Some of them seem to have accidentally been written in Martian, so I’ll need to get those translated. But, here is what I know now.
- LOLR. If we forced a Lender Of Last Resort on you (as a borrower) so that other participants could decline your requests when they lacked the needed item, we can now take that away. But, there is a new “Last Resort” feature below, so read on.
- Availability Rules. Not perfect, but better. The SirsiDynix programmers found several circumstances that cause iBorrow to think you have an ‘available’ copy when you really don’t. And they fixed those. But they say, “We think there are more lurking out there!” (Cue the theme from “Jaws”) So, I’ll be asking you to continue to tell me when iBorrow asks you to lend that Reference DVD you have.
- Horizon Holds. If you are on a Horizon system, and you do Receive Loan, iBorrow should now always–always, always, always–place a Hold on that item.
- Mediated Borrowing. When you use Search Items in Mediated Borrowing to find a lender and actually get lucky, the request WILL go to a status of Pending at Lender. (That doesn’t guarantee the lender will send it to you, of course. They may not trust you with their Reference DVD.)
- Patron Portal. The requestor’s name and email address WILL appear in the portal when his request is confirmed. (Unless, of course, his email address is not on file in the local server.)
- Not Filled. This is the new one. Some requests just never get filled, and this new set of features is designed to deal with that sad fact of life. I have not seen it yet, but here is how SirsiDynx describes it. “Libraries can configure the Borrowing Sequences to send requests that cannot be filled by any library on any tier (1) to be sent to a Lender Of Last Resort, (2) to go to staff at the borrowing library to identify new lenders, or (3) to be marked “unfilled”. If marked “unfilled” a new event allows email to be automatically generated to notify patrons that they request cannot be filled. The library’s designated contact can also be sent notification when a request is marked “unfilled”. Patrons will not see unfilled requests in My Account, since the request is no longer active.” [I think that the choice among 1, 2, or 3 will depend on whether your lender of last resort is OCLC, blank, or yourself. But I need some confirmation on that.]
That’s not ALL that’s in the new build, but it covers the highlights. I’ll add more when I have the translations from Martian and/or when I get to see it myself.