[OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Seeking opinions on client "Transfer All Title Holds" option

[Rogan Hamby]

Frankly, I worry this is starting to get into the territory of "let's add
another permission (or YAOUS) for every eventuality no matter how obscure."

Some features I think in the long run complicate our lives (documentation,
testing, development) more than they improve functionality.


On Mon, Aug 4, 2014 at 5:09 PM, Kathy Lussier <klussier at masslnc.org> wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> I wanted to seek some feedback on Launchpad bug 1350377
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/evergreen/+bug/1350377.
>
> The bug seeks an additional permission to be used with the "Transfer All
> Title Holds" option in the client. However, I was wondering if there would
> be any support from removing that option from the client altogether.
>
> Here's the issue:
>
> When you are in a bib record in the staff client, you have the option to
> transfer *all* title holds to another bib record. You first need to mark
> the other bib record as a holds transfer destination.
>
> However, you also have the option to transfer one or any number of
> selected holds to the marked bib record from the holds view of the bib
> record. You could transfer just one hold here or you could select them all
> if you really needed to transfer all holds. The benefit of using this
> option is that the user must actively select the holds that will be
> transferred.
>
> I personally think providing a blanket "Transfer All Title Holds" option
> in the client is dangerous, even if there were a separate permission for
> it, and unnecessary since there are other methods available in the staff
> client to accomplish the same task. Making it even more dangerous is the
> fact that the "Actions for this Record" menu that contains this option to
> transfer all holds is still available in the holds view of the bib record,
> which is where you go to transfer selected holds (see the screencast at
> http://www.screencast.com/t/ifHhJHNqq). It is very easy to mistakenly
> select this option when you are trying just to transfer just one hold. In
> fact, I accidentally selected it when I was just testing out the transfer
> holds scenario a few minutes ago.
>
> During a brief discussion in IRC on this issue, it was mentioned that
> possible use cases for the "transfer all title holds" option are:
>
> 1. When staff are manually merging bib records. The client bib merge
> option automatically merges holds, but there may be reasons staff merge the
> records without using that option.
> 2. In cases where there are orphaned holds on a record that no longer has
> copies to fill the hold.
>
> Since I think both of these use cases could be accommodated by using the
> option where you transfer selected holds, I wanted to see if others would
> support removing the "Transfer All Title Holds" option. Is there anyone who
> uses this option with some frequency who thinks it should continue to be
> available?
>
> Thanks!
> Kathy
>
> --
> Kathy Lussier
> Project Coordinator
> Massachusetts Library Network Cooperative
> (508) 343-0128
> klussier at masslnc.org
> Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kmlussier
>
>


-- 

Rogan Hamby, MLS, CCNP, MIA
Managers Headquarters Library and Reference Services,
York County Library System

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit
me.”
― C.S. Lewis <http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1069006.C_S_Lewis>
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