We’re pleased to announce that the next release of Soprano is now available for preview.

This release includes:

• Inter-Library Loans
  • Re-direct an ILL request to a different supplier
• Cataloguing
  • MARC Editor
•  Circulation
  • Borrower types menu constrained by borrower age
  • Borrower phone numbers Outbound Approval indicator

Inter-Library Loans

Redirect an ILL request to a different supplier

Sometimes you need to redirect an ILL request to a different supplier, such as when the previous supplier cannot supply or has put your request on a wait list. Soprano now enables you to do this. In a Requested status request under the Fulfilment tab there is a Change Supplier button against the supplier name.

The button opens a form where you can select from a list of your ILL suppliers.

When you save the change a confirmation banner displays at the top of the page. The status of the request is automatically changed to Pending, so the request will be picked up by the relevant process to send it to the new supplier.

This assumes that the previous supplier will not proceed further with the request, typically because either they have notified you that they cannot supply, or you have cancelled it with them.

Cataloguing

MARC Editor

The MARC page that is accessed by the View MARC button on a Work page now gives you the MARC record in an editable form. This is a first iteration.

Each data element is given within an edit box. Non-editable elements are greyed out, such as the system controlled elements in the Leader, the Control number and its identifier, field indicator position markers and subfield codes.

When you select an element a label is displayed below it giving the name of the element and, for subfields, whether it’s repeatable. On a field indicator you get a list of possible values and their names.

In field 008 you can select from a list of values for the place of publication and the language.

For the variable fields (with tag higher than 009) an arrow on the right hand side gives you a menu of subfields that are valid for the field, omitting any that are not repeatable and have already been used. Selecting a subfield code from the menu adds it to the field with a box ready for you to enter the data.

You can add a new field by selecting from the Add Field panel on the right. That panel remains fixed when you scroll the record up and down. It gives you a list of all valid fields. You can search by typing the beginning of a tag number to limit the list to matching fields. Click the Plus sign button to add your selected field to the record – it is inserted in tag number order. Then you can use the subfield menu on the new field to enter the data.

Circulation

Borrower types menu constrained by borrower age

You can configure your system to specify age ranges to which Borrower Types apply: SetConfig, Parameter Management > Rules > Circulation > Borrower > Borrower type age. Soprano now takes account of this. When creating or editing a borrower, entries in the Type menu that do not apply to the age of the borrower are greyed out and cannot be selected.

In Create Borrower, if you set the Date of Birth so that the default borrower type in the form is not valid, a warning is given.

Borrower phone numbers Outbound Approval indicator

Under the Borrower Contact Details tab the Outbound Approved column is now not displayed by default.

The Outbound Approved data element reflects the code prefixed to phone numbers in Alto (V, T or X for Voice, Text or Do not use)  that was used by the old notifications system. It is not used by the new notifications system. The column can be reinstated in the Admin Console, which has been updated to include a check box in the Interface section of your Soprano tenancy admin to switch this feature on or off .

Release Procedure

To preview this release

You can preview this release by inserting ‘-demo’ into your tenancy URL after the word ‘soprano’: soprano-demo.librarymanagementcloud.co.uk/{your tenancy name}. Please remember that it accesses your live data.

We’re pleased to announce that the version of Soprano that was in preview recently has been released to the live service this morning.

This release includes:

• General
  • Specify collections for search in Soprano
• Circulation
  • Circulation fixes

Details of the inclusions are given in the release notice.

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions please get in touch. You can comment here on the Soprano blog, on the Soprano forum and Soprano Ideas or contact your Account Manager or the Soprano team directly.

We’re pleased to announce that the next release of Soprano is now available for preview.

This release includes:

• General
  • Specify collections for search in Soprano
• Circulation
  • Circulation fixes

General

Specify collections for search in Soprano

Now it is possible to specify collections to define the scope of the bibliographic data that is searched by Soprano.

Please raise a support case if you wish to specify collections for searching bibliographic data in Soprano.

Circulation

Circulation fixes

Scan not on loan items in Return items

When an item which is not on loan is scanned in ‘Return Items’, Soprano displays appropriate actions for the item.
e.g.

1. If the item is in transit to its home site, item will be taken out of transit.
2. If the item is in transit to satisfy a reservation, item will be taken out of transit and ‘Process Reservation’ button is displayed under Actions. 
3. If an item which is not on loan is scanned in at site other than its home site, provided Auto transit is set to True the item will be put into transit to its home site.
4. If an item has come off the reservation shelf it may belong elsewhere, you can scan the items in Return items to check for other reservations or if the item has to go back home.

Scan not on loan items in offline mode

When an item which is not on loan is scanned in during offline mode, Soprano treats it as a non-failure when synchronising after the connection is restored, and simply resumes the next transaction in queue.
Similarly, if an in-transit item is scanned in at its home site during offline mode, item is taken out of transit provided Auto transit is set.

Release Procedure

To preview this release

You can preview this release by inserting ‘-demo’ into your tenancy URL after the word ‘soprano’: soprano-demo.librarymanagementcloud.co.uk/{your tenancy name}. Please remember that it accesses your live data.

We’re pleased to announce that the version of Soprano that was in preview recently has been released to the live service this morning.

This release includes:

• Inter-Library Loans
  • Delivery Options for BLDSS requests
•  Purchasing
  • More information in Receipt Item
• Circulation
  • Circulation fixes

Details of the inclusions are given in the release notice.

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions please get in touch. You can comment here on the Soprano blog, on the Soprano forum and Soprano Ideas or contact your Account Manager or the Soprano team directly.

We’re pleased to announce that the next release of Soprano is now available for preview.

This release includes:

• Inter-Library Loans
  • Delivery Options for BLDSS requests
•  Purchasing
  • More information in Receipt Item

• Circulation
  • Circulation fixes

Inter-Library Loans

Delivery options for BLDSS requests

When verifying a pending request where the supplier is the British Library Document Supply Service (BLDSS) configured with request method BLDSS Web, Soprano now allows you to specify three delivery options: Format, Speed and Quality.

Purchasing

More information in Receipt Item

When you receipt an item that was on order, the information displayed now includes Shelfmark and Item Type.

Circulation

Circulation fixes

Borrower lookup in Issue Items.  We’ve fixed problems with looking up borrowers in Issue Items by Institution ID, Date of Birth and Postcode, and in cases where there are multiple matches.

Return an item that has a message.  Soprano no longer requires you to have permission to set a manual return date in order to return an item from loan when it has a message.

Don’t pay a charge twice on double click.  When paying a charge against a borrower, if you keep clicking the Pay button Soprano will now register the payment only once.

Borrower contact publicity preference.  Under Borrower > Contact Details, in the Contact Preferences section, the check box formerly labelled as relating to marketing messages is now labelled: would like library publicity messages.

Count of reservations on an item.  The alert that displays on the item detail page when the item is reserved now shows the correct number of reservations even when it is greater than 10.

Release Procedure

 To preview this release

You can preview this release by inserting ‘-demo’ into your tenancy URL after the word ‘soprano’: soprano-demo.librarymanagementcloud.co.uk/{your tenancy name}. Please remember that it accesses your live data.