Hi Eric!
On 2023-01-20 14:56, Eric Phetteplace wrote:
Hi collective wisdom,
Are there other libraries out there using the fairly new (as of 22.05)
Recalls feature? Our prior ILS had recalls so we were looking forward to
using this but as our circulation staff tested it, we began running into
some problems. I've read the wiki page
<https://wiki.koha-community.org/wiki/Catalyst_IT_Recalls> and the manual
documentation
<https://koha-community.org/manual//22.05/en/html/circulation.html#recalls>
but they either omit some details or there are bugs. Here are our issues:
I don't use recalls (and never worked in a library that used recalls),
but I did test the feature extensively to document it.
There are still bugs, as it is, like you said, a very new feature, and I
know the community is working hard on correcting them. But as far as I
could tell when trying it out, the basic functionalities work well.
There's no indication from a patron's details page if their items have been
recalled.
I just tried in 22.05.06 and I see a mention in both the staff interface
and the OPAC, under the patron's checkout, that it has been recalled.
In the OPAC, it's only in italics, so maybe it's not very visible.
https://snipboard.io/9oml8O.jpg
In the staff interface, it's in bold red https://snipboard.io/rhxkyd.jpg
If you don't see the messages, maybe there is CSS or JS hiding them?
Otherwise, maybe they were added in a later patch between 22.05.00 and
22.05.06 and you don't have it yet, depending on the version you have...
Also, maybe translations might affect this if you use Koha in another
language...
When you check in an item with a recall on it, a pop-up does not appear
like the documentation says and a notification is not sent to the patron
who placed the recall.
Not sure what is going on there... I took the screenshot for the manual,
so it worked for sure then.
I also just tried in 22.05.06 and got the pop-up and my notice was
generated... Note that the patron is only notified if they have an email
address in their file.
Do you have the recall notices in Tools > Notices and slips? If not, it
may be the cause of the lack of notification...
For the pop-up, is there a pop-up blocker or something similar that
could interfere with it popping up? I know I used to have this problem
with holds sometimes (of course, always when demonstrating in front of
people, you know how it is!), I would wait for the pop-up to appear and
sweat a little before noticing the small bar at the top of my browser
telling me to accept the pop-up :)
If the current due date on a checked out item is closer than the recall
period, recalling an item *extends* the due date (e.g. item is due
tomorrow, recall period is one week, recall => item is due in one week).
I noticed this too! If the item is already late, it is suddenly not late
anymore...
I think you should report that one on bugzilla so that it can be corrected.
Question: if the RecallsMaxPickUpDelay setting controls recall expiration,
then what does the "Recall pickup period" circulation rule do?
If I understand correctly, the recall pickup period rule sets the
"expiration" date of the recall, whereas the system preference is the
one that manages the second tab in Circulation > Recalls awaiting
pickup. I imagine it's so that you can manage long awaiting recalls
manually, but I expect that most libraries will set both at the same
number and have them automatically expire.
The developers might be able to answer you with more details on this one...
The *Place recall* action displays even when it's not relevant (e.g. on a
bib with all available items).
This was already reported on bugzilla :
https://bugs.koha-community.org/bugzilla3/show_bug.cgi?id=30942
Finally, if you are not logged in and you select *Place recall*, you are
taken to the login page, then to the patron details page. You have to
re-navigate to the place you were originally to place the recall again. I
have a convoluted OpacUserJS hack to work around this but thought I should
point this out, it doesn't match user expectations.
I am not able to get this behaviour on my 22.05.06. I click Place
recall, log in, and I am brought to the recall confirmation page. Did
you try without your JS hack?
Are we doing something wrong? Or should I file some bug reports for these
issues? If anyone else is using recalls in production, I would love to hear
from you.
Like I said I don't "use" the recalls feature, so I may not be the best
reference on "real life" use, but since I tested it, documented it (in
both English and French), and explained how it worked to my clients, I
know the basics well enough. :)
Regards,
Caroline
<https://inLibro.com/en> Caroline Cyr-La-Rose, M.L.I.S.
Librarian | Product Manager
P 833-INLIBRO (465-4276) <tel:833-465-4276>, poste 221
E caroline.cyr-la-r...@inlibro.com
www.inLibro.com <https://inLibro.com/en>
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