Ares Ideas
238 results found
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Disable Import Items Button After Clicking or Adjust Placement of Message
Several times a semester, faculty will duplicate (sometimes 3 or more times) items which they are importing from a prior semester. Depending on the length of their list, you may not see the "Please wait as items are imported into Library Reserves" message once you click the Import Items button; if they don't see the message, they click the button multiple times, resulting in duplication of imported items. One solution would be to grey out the import items button as it was submitted; another option would be to make the placement of the please wait message dynamic, so it appeared…
1 vote -
Allow searching of Course ID in Course Info Item Search
The item Course Information Search criteria should include the Ares Course ID and retrieve the list of items on that course. This would address a common need to batch route a set of items associated with a course. Alternately, allow the batch edit to change a current status.
My current workaround is to visit the queue where the majority of items are held, filter to the course number, and batch route.
1 vote -
Give access to students to view status of requested materials
We wish there was a feature for students to see what's requested for their courses. They can see the status on the web and not just what's available.
1 vote -
Need to have more than one copyright permission template available
There needs to be the option of selecting from multiple copyright permission templates when initiating a permission request to a rightsholder. Currently you have to modify the request template any time you send a request for material in a different format (e.g. audio or video files or images). We need to be able to set up multiple templates for different purposes, then select the appropriate template to use at the point where you are sending the request. This should work in the same way as other Ares email templates, where you can select from a list of possible options/pre-formatted emails,…
2 votes -
Prevent courses and users from being created when match not found in load files.
Wake Forest University has experienced issues with instructors merging courses and passing different unique identifiers through the LTI link. We support the enhancement request to improve how Ares deals with this scenario, but we would also like to see an option that prevents new users and courses from being created when a matching unique identifier is not found in the corresponding load files. This should have a customizable error message that would notify the instructor to contact the library.
1 vote -
Option to remove active "semesters" (like permanent reserves) from the Choose a Semester option from the LTI course creation page.
All active and upcoming semesters are available for instructors to choose, including internal "semesters" like permanent reserves. In other cases we might need to create a semester that's pretty far out into the future, but we don't want to give instructors the choice to use it until a later date. It would be beneficial to be able to choose which semesters display as options when instructors are creating their courses via LTI.
3 votes -
Separate Queues for Workflow - Physical Items vs Digital Items
In ARES, we currently have 3 staff assigned to manage workflow for Book Chapters/Articles and Print Materials. Currently, all items move into the "Awaiting Stacks Searching" tab without a way to control what items are chosen/sent to the printer so all items are printed and moved which can make it difficult to track (if items aren't moved back, or having to manually note/record which item numbers need to be moved away into a different queue then back).
It would be useful if there were separate tabs. One tab for "Awaiting Physical Items - In Stacks Searching" and another tab for…
2 votes -
Make permanent URLs for web links stay consistent after a link breaks.
Currently, if the underlying web link breaks, the permanent link will also break as the link is embeded in the permanent link. This causes extra work for staff, as they have to correct the link in Ares, and also ensure that the permanent link is changed in course shells and/or sylabi. If the permanent urls were tied to something other than the url (like the item number), it would be of significant value to our online courses.
11 votes -
Add tracking and history entries for items edited by instructors that have no supply method change
When items are edited through the web pages there is no reference to the change in the Tracking or History tables. Grinnell College would like this to change, particularly so that when items edited by instructors are re-submitted, they would be subject to checks for routing rule matches. (submitted by Kerry on behalf of customers)
2 votes -
Staff alert for setting upcoming semesters in Customization Manager
Atlas has handled support requests that are the result of loads being run and courses being entered into the courses table for a semester that has not yet been entered into the Customization Manager's Semesters table. This forces the new courses to associate with the most current course that is available and it overwrites the actual dates and semesters of the courses, causing quite a bit of trouble (enhancement request already exists in UV). As courses aren't updated by new loads (another enhancement that exists in UV) the identification and update of these entries is difficult and must be done…
3 votes -
Allow changes to HTML for LoanPeriod on request forms.
The LoanPeriod field in request forms is automatically set to display Choose an Option. There is no way to indicate a default loan period selection in the dropdown list or change the "Choose an Option" verbiage. Hobart and William Smith Colleges would like to be able to designate a preferred loan period as the automatic selection in the dropdown, instead of Choose an Option.
3 votes -
Allow custom defaults for ItemType new item creation settings in the staff client
Grinnell College would like the option to have new items that are created in the staff client to default to SER, instead of the current option, MON, in the ItemType field.
1 vote -
Instructors viewing their own Course Items
Upon login, instructional faculty could be able to see what materials they have used in previous courses and have the ability to pick and choose which materials they wish to use for which course, and possibly search and clone from other instructors
2 votes -
Prevent the Switch to Student Mode and Switch to Instructor links from appearing when not applicable
Instructors and proxies should not see the Switch to Student Mode link on pages that students are eligible to view (eg IRF, Shared Lists, Course Usage, Course Edit, etc).
When a user is set as a general instructor, but not a course instructor for a particular course (ie only a student), the user should not see the option for Switch to Instructor Mode within that course. The link does not do anything and is confusing.
6 votes -
Allow custom web tables to highlight specific request statuses
UMBC has a custom queue called "Awaiting Instructor Response" and would find it helpful for the items included in the default tables to to be customizable OR to be able to create new tables and define which fields and statuses are displayed. Being able to group this status into the Awaiting Supply By table or giving it a separate table that could be displayed on ihome.html would help remind the instructors that they had outstanding communication.
2 votes -
Multiple/Customizable Batch Printing Jobs and/or filters
Princeton assigns courses to particular staff users and that staff user is responsible for pulling items in batches, just for his/her own set of courses. It is an issue for all staff users to place requests in the Awaiting Stacks Searching queue, because printing pull slips would print out slips for other staff members, who might not be ready to print. Using the MSWord filter could potentially remove these slips from the print queue, but the other staff member's requests would still be moved to In Stacks Searching, causing confusion. It would be helpful if there were a way to…
2 votes -
Deadlines for Request Submission
To combat the issue of instructors requesting material up until the start (and sometimes after) of the course, perhaps a deadline restriction can be set for open quarters / semesters to prevent last minute requests.
1 vote -
Email templates in multiple languages
U Ottawa needs to support French and English communication for its patrons. Currently, there is no way to send more than one version of the automatic email templates, like ItemSubcription. To get around this, a single template must include both English and French. It would be preferable to send French emails to French-speaking customers and English emails to English-speaking customers.
2 votes -
Allow Instructor Tags to be a Shared Field on Shared Lists
Our institution currently processes all of the readings for instructors. Thus, the vast majority of our processing happens in the Staff Client.
We're using a shared list to manage readings for a course that has multiple sections. Previously, if a reading changed (or a link broke), we would open each course section (since each section has a different Ares course ID) and fix the problem. Fixing problems that way was time-intensive and inefficient - sometimes we forgot to change the problem in one section, but fixed it in the others. Now with shared lists, we can go to the shared…
3 votes -
Quickly and easily print a list of items from a queue.
Staff would like a quick and easy way to print a list of items in a queue within Ares, without exporting a file to another program like excel. Perhaps first identify (a limited number of) columns desired in the printed list, as there are so many. If this could all be done in the client, with just a few steps, it would be great. Items would not necessarily have to be updated to another status, just printed. Or maybe update would be a toggle on/off option. the most important thing is to print the list. We have staff doing screenshots…
3 votes
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