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-rose@inlibro.com www.inLibro.com <https://inLibro.com/en>