LRS Request Update

As you all know there have been some problems with requests for items stored in the LRS which Innovative has not been able to help us resolve. This is an update of where things stand Thursday afternoon.

When patrons currently request an item stored in the LRS they are redirected to a page that asks for only the first 9 characters of their last name, rather than requiring them to authenticate with their name, patron ID and PIN. If the request is successful, then a pick request is generated at the LRS, and the item is taken to HSS 102 for pickup. While this technically “works” it is confusing both for the patron and for the Circ staff. Patrons can’t see the request in their patron record and consequently are unsure that the request was successful. They also do not get an email telling them when the item is ready to pickup. And, to make things even more confusing, they are required to authenticate when requesting items from the stacks on the 3rd and 4th floors. It would also be much easier for Circ to shelve and deliver requested items to patrons if they had an accurate record of who requested them.

We’ve asked Innovative to turn on patron authentication from the beginning. But at this point Innovative isn’t able to determine why it isn’t working. Hopefully this will be resolved soon! I’ll keep you posted.