[iBorrow] New iBorrow build--the good, the bad, and the silly

[Al Carlson]

iBorrow Users

I will be sending this to several mailing lists, so you may see it more
than once.  Sorry.

We got our new build this morning, and it has some 'interesting'
features.  Let me run through what we know now.

1.  Pending response from ISO lender.
In our last build, all the requests you wanted to send to OCLC got stuck
and you had to send Ken Adams a list of requests, so he could push them
through.
That is fixed in the new build for all NEW OCLC requests.  But there
will be a slight delay on the existing ones.  Ken has to go into every
Mediated borrowing work space at every library and erase the message
that says "pending response from ISO lender".  He will work on that
today.  So, don't try to send anything to OCLC this morning.  When he
erases that message, you can go back to those requests and-if you want
to-send them to OCLC.  From your point of view, you are sending them
'again'.  But, from OCLC's point of view, this will be the first time.

Now sit up straight and pay attention here.  Important stuff coming.

   a.  Wait until the current message goes away before you 're-send'
   b.  Send them only one at a time and wait for the 'success' message.
Don't highlight several and send them all at once.
   c.  Expect to see the "Pending at ISO Lender" message again.  It's
legitimate this time.  The journey from URSA to OCLC and back goes
through several servers and can take anywhere from five minutes to half
an hour.  So, after you have sent your last one, go away for half an
hour, then come back and look.  Call me if any still say "Pending..."
   d.  But they should now be in your Receive Loan work space with a
status of "External".  That is, they are "being filled by an 'external'
lender called OCLC.

(Boring Technical Note:  URSA used to be willing to send requests to
OCLC multiple times.  We hated that.  So, SirsiDynix fixed that in the
last build by telling the software, "Don't send OCLC anything that has
the text "Pending at ISO lender" on the request line.".  Unfortunately,
that order got put into the code at the wrong place, and it stopped ALL
requests from going to OCLC.  That is still the 'stopper' message, but
it takes effect AFTER the request has 'left the building'.  Ken is
cleaning those old stopper messages out, so you can start fresh.)

2.  Fill Loan Safety Net.
URSA/iBorrow is picky.  Very, very picky.  It is deathly afraid that you
might fill a request with the wrong book.  (There's probably already a
named phobia for that.  And, if there isn't, we should make one up.
Biblio-ursa-phobia?)  When a patron makes a request in the portal, URSA
associates the request with an ISBN (if it can) and tries to fill the
request with an item that has that exact ISBN.  Nobody ever told URSA
that many public libraries shelf hardcovers and paperbacks side-by-side
on the shelves and that we don't generally care which one we grab to
fill a Title level hold.  So, if the patron requested a title that URSA
associates with a hardcover ISBN and you try to fill it with the
paperback, URSA freaks out.  Prior to this build, all you got was the
error message.  This new build gives you a choice.  But you have to know
the secret code.  Here's what happens.  Pay attention again.

  a.  You open Fill Loan at your local level or at the "catalog" level.
(e.g. Sunline or PCLC or whatever).  You enter the barcode.  URSA looks
it up, discovers a discrepancy of some sort and says to you:  "The
bibliographic information associated with the barcode used to fill this
item does not match that of the requested item.  Please review the
following information and choose YES if you wish to fill the request
with the selected item."  It says this in red letters with a warning
sign next to them.  Not real subtle.
  b.  You look at the Fill Item Information (the barcode you scanned)
and the Requested Item Information (the title of the requested item)
  c.   If the item you have in hand, whose barcode you just scanned,
matches the requested title, you can click on YES.
  d.  Except that YES is grayed out.  Nothing happens when you click on
it.  This is where the "secret code" comes in.
  e.  You tap the left arrow key on your keyboard.  The YES is no longer
grayed out.  You click on it.  The Request is filled.  Life is good.

You're now asking the same thing I asked a few minutes ago:  Did they do
this left-arrow-key thing on purpose?
No, they didn't.  And they are embarrassed.  And they will fix it in
(Say it with me now) the next build.
But, despite the clunky secret code thing, this is an improvement.  It
lets you tell URSA/iBorrow, "Don't argue with me.  Shut up and process
this thing!"  (And if URSA is right, and you have grabbed the wrong book
for the request, you can quickly correct your error before anyone
catches you.)  I used hard-cover/paperback as one example.  It may
happen for other reasons.

I'll be sending out more, but this is long enough for one message.
Please tell me if any part of it is not clear, and please continue to
tell us about any new, ahem, 'features' you discover in this build.

Al Carlson
System Administrator
Tampa Bay Library Consortium
1202 Tech Blvd. Suite 202
Tampa, FL  33619
813-622-8252 ext. 223

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