Sierra Upgraded to Version 6.4 on 11/19

Due to a miscommunication, Sierra was upgraded to version 6.4 this morning 11/19 and that upgrade interfered with the running of the notices. Afternoon paging lists have run and have been distributed to your PrairieCat ILL email accounts.

Overdue notices will not be run, they will catch up with tomorrow morning’s regularly scheduled runs.

We are currently working on running the courtesy notices.

There are only a few relatively minor changes to the Sierra 6.4 software (as was discussed at the October Circulation Committee Meeting) that affect circulation and those are described below.

Thank you all for your patience and I apologize for the inconvenience.

SIERRA 6.4 SOFTWARE UPGRADE (OCCURRED 11/19/2025)

"Previous" button added to record creation wizard

To help correct errors when creating new records in Sierra, a “Previous” button has been added to the record creation wizard. This lets staff go back to the previous screen to change or add data. Data entered in each field is saved as you move to the next one, and it will be shown again if you go back.

If a field is expanded during the process, it will stay expanded when you return to it. Any fields skipped during data entry will be removed when the record is saved at the end.

Patron barcode on the Clear Holdshelf report

The patron barcode is now included in the Clear Holdshelf report and the hold detail window. This helps identify patrons whose holdshelf items have expired or been cancelled. The barcode is visible both online and on printed “Expired holds” and “Expired holds and holdshelf” reports.

Libraries using lockers will find this especially useful for clearing items from lockers.

Item return date in patron's reading history

As of Sierra 6.4, the date/time an item was returned is stored in the patron's reading history and will be included in the GET /v6/patrons/{id}/checkouts/history API response when the reading history is requested through the Sierra API endpoint.

New user-controlled option for "Enter" key behavior in select pop-ups

A new checkbox was added to the Edit tab of the Admin | Options dialog: "Enter key activates selected button".

When the "Enter key activates selected button" option is enabled, pressing the <Enter> key will "activate" (i.e., act as if the user had clicked on the button, or pressed <Space>) the button that currently has focus.

When the "Enter key activates selected button" option is not enabled, pressing the <Enter> key is not expected to "activate" the currently focused button, although some buttons are controlled independently of this option.