We’re pleased to announce that as part of our ongoing maintenance of our SaaS SSL stack, we have been reviewing the encryption protocols we currently support for our end-user facing web solutions which include Soprano, Admin Console and Partner connections using HTTPS.

In order to comply with industry best practice and encryption standards, we are removing support of a protocol called TLS1.0 from our application stack.

For anyone using a relatively recent web browser, such as Internet Explorer 11, Firefox, Chrome or Safari, you will already be using a more recent and more secure TLS protocol and will be unaffected by this change.

For older browser versions which do not support higher versions than TLS1.0, industry best practice recommends that you upgrade your browsers to latest supported versions available from your vendor. Our analytics data shows there are only a small number of connections from old vendor unsupported web browsers.

To preview this change

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.

Release to the live service

This change will be released to the live service on Monday 10th September, 2018.

Comments and contact

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions please get in touch. You can comment here on the Soprano blog and in the Soprano Forum or contact support or sales admin teams directly.  To suggest and discuss additional features please visit the Soprano Ideas Forum.

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:

•  Purchasing
  • Prediction patterns
  • Filter serial issues to find the next one to check in
  • Edit serial issues
  • Edit open order
  • Default Item data in Create Order
  • Create and view invoice notes
  • Purchasing fixes
• Inter-Library Loans
  • ILL Request Note
  • Add ILL report
  • Edit ILL supplier
• Circulation
  • Hide the Convert to Set button
  • Reservation Pick List Last Seen date
  • Circulation fixes
•  General
  • General 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 and in the Soprano Forum or contact our support or sales admin teams directly.  To suggest and discuss additional features please visit the Soprano Ideas Forum.

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

This release includes:

•  Purchasing
  • Prediction patterns
  • Filter serial issues to find the next one to check in
  • Edit serial issues
  • Edit open order
  • Default Item data in Create Order
  • Create and view invoice notes
  • Purchasing fixes
• Inter-Library Loans
  • ILL Request Note
  • Add ILL report
  • Edit ILL supplier
• Circulation
  • Hide the Convert to Set button
  • Reservation Pick List Last Seen date
  • Circulation fixes
•  General
  • More search facets, more facet terms
  • Search predictions
  • General fixes

Purchasing

For the serials features described here you will need LDS version 2.8.31. To upgrade your LDS, please open a Support case.

Prediction patterns

As the prerequisite to generating predicted issues, you can now view and change the prediction pattern associated with a serial under a new tab labelled Predictions.

You can select a different pattern from the drop-down menu, and create a new pattern to add to the list using the Create new prediction pattern link.

Filter serial issues to find the next one to check in

The set of filters at the top of the serial issues list under the Holdings tab for a serial includes a new filter, Limit Future Issues.

The toggle is set to On by default, which aims to filter out predicted issues beyond the one that should be due next. This is intended to make it easier to find the issue to be checked in, particularly for frequent serials (daily, weekly) where there may be many predicted issues.

Edit serial issues

In the serial issues list under the Holdings tab for a serial, two new buttons on the right allow you to edit and remove serial issues – see the screenshot above. (The Receipt Issues button now has an icon rather than a textual label.)

The Edit button (pencil icon) gives you an inline form where you can change the Year, Volume, Issue and Number of the issue, as well as select an issue Type and add or update the issue note.

Edit Open Order

In an Open order a pencil icon on the right of the Header opens an edit form where you can update Subscription Start Date, Subscription End Date, Cost per annum, Currency, Official Order Number, and Note.

Default Item data in Create Order

The Create Order form now includes fields for setting default item data to be used when adding items to the order. This allows you to create the data once and use it multiple times.

Create and view invoice notes

In the Create Invoice form you can now add a note. Existing notes can be viewed in invoice header of the respective invoice.

Purchasing fixes

Link to open orders from invoice. You can navigate to an open order associated with the invoice by clicking on the open order number in the invoice line.

Create new funds without a start date. The start date field has been removed from Create Fund form.  The date when fund is created is set as the fund start date.

Inter-Library Loans

ILL Request Note

Under the Request tab of an ILL request you can now add, view and edit a note.

Add ILL Report

Under the Fulfilment tab on an ILL request the History section displays reports from targeted suppliers.  In addition to automated reports you can now add reports manually via a new Add Report button. Manually added reports can be deleted using the delete icon displayed next to these reports.

Edit ILL supplier

In an ILL supplier record you can now change the supplier name and contact details and also set the supplier to status to Active/ Closed/ Inactive.

Circulation

Hide the Convert to Set button

When Item Sets (which are typically used for project boxes) are disabled for your tenancy, the Convert to set button is now hidden. You can enable or disable item sets via the Admin Console > {your Soprano tenancy} > Interface > Enable Project Boxes check box.

Reservation Pick List last seen date

For easier readability, the terms Today and Yesterday are displayed as appropriate for the Last Seen date.

Circulation fixes

Set Borrower Type using Borrower Type Age settings. Borower Type is now derived correctly from the borrower’s age using your settings in SetConfig > Parameter Management > Rules > Circulation > Borrower > Borrower Type Age.

Add new item to a work without having Purchasing options enabled. New items can now be added to a work by users without needing to be enabled for Purchasing. This requires LDS version 2.8.31. To upgrade your LDS, please open a Support case.

Improvements to Manage Reservation Shelf display. Manage reservation shelf display has been fixed so that rows without item and borrower information are not displayed.

General

More search facets, more facet terms

We’ve added more search filters/facets. You can now filter results using menus of options by Location, Format, Subject, Collection, Year and Language. Furthermore, in each filter there is now More option at the foot of the list when more than five terms for that filter are represented in your results, which expands the list to all terms for that filter.

Search predictions

When you start typng a search query in the Resources search box either on the Home page or on the Resources page, you now get a list of suggested queries that complete what you have typed. You can select a query from the list to run it without having to finish typing it.

General fixes

Enable/Disable support for Item Sets. You can enable or disable item sets in your Soprano tenancy via the Admin Console > {your Soprano tenancy} > Interface > Enable Project Boxes check box.

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
  • Receipt ILL Request
  • ILL fixes
•  Circulation
  • Circulation fixes

Details of the inclusions are given in the release notice.

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

This release includes:

• Inter-Library Loans
  • Receipt ILL Request
  • ILL Fixes
• Circulation
  • Circulation Fixes

Inter-Library Loans

Receipt ILL Request

ILL Requests that are at status Requested now have a Receipt button in the header and also under the Fulfilment tab.

The button gives you a new page, Receipt Interloan. By default it is set as a loanable item; you can click the alternative radio button to set it as a retainable item.

For a loanable item you can record the date the item is due back to the supplier. It is set one month hence by default. When you specify a retainable item the due date field and the information around it disappears.

When you press the Receipt button the ILL Request is re-displayed with its status updated to Received and a banner confirming that it has been receipted. If the item is loanable then the system automatically creates an item and confirms that in the confirmation banner. The status change event is recorded in the History under the Fulfilment tab.

The item record for a loanable item is created with the ILL request number as the barcode. The Type is set to your Default Item Type for your current site as configured in  SetConfig Parameter Management > Rules > Interloans > General Rules.

When you issue the item to the requester the automatic due date is derived in one of two ways. If the operator (or the global settings) has the the environment variable TAL_ILL_INTERCEPT set to YES then the due date will be some days earlier than the ILL supplier due date. The number of days defaults to seven; this is a setting in your Soprano tenant configuration that we can change for you if you open a support case. Otherwise the due date will be set according to your normal loan rules. You could also set a manual due date if permitted.

When the item is issued the status of the ILL Request is automatically changed to On Loan. When the item is returned by the user the status of the ILL Request is automatically changed to Discharged.

ILL fixes

Create ILL Supplier. We’ve fixed an issue where an error is reported when creating an ILL supplier, and another relating to the placing of the supplier email address.

Circulation

Circulation fixes

Borrower guarantees list. The list of borowers guaranteed by the borrower you’re viewing (i.e. their guarantees) is no longer limited to 50. This is of interest to schools library services.

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
  • 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

Details of the inclusions are given in the release notice.

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.