Koha Upgrades
Koha 23.05 Upgrade Notes
by Kelly McElligott on Nov 27, 2023
In this blog post, we break down upcoming Koha 23.05 features and enhancements. We will be hosting two "What's New Webinars" in December, please see our Koha 23.05 Upgrade Hub for details and to register:
Click for each module specific notes:
Koha 23.05: Acquisitions Features & Enhancements
New Features in Acquisitions
- Receiving multiple order lines at once (8179)
Sponsored by Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
This development changes the order receive page so multiple orders can be selected and processed at once.
Monday Minutes: Receiving Multiple Orders in Acquisitions
Additional fields for order lines (11844)
This adds the option to add additional fields to the order lines in the acquisition module. The fields can be set up as free text fields or pull-down lists driven by authorized values. They can also pull information from the MARC record or allow you to create and edit a field in the MARC record.
Add vendor aliases (33103)
This allows the creation of aliases for a vendor. The aliases can be former names or different spellings of the name. Once added they will display on the vendor detail page and they will be included in the search when searching by a vendor’s name.
Monday Minutes: Acquisition Vendor Record
Add vendor interfaces (33104)
In this case, an interface is a website, software, or portal that a library can use to manage orders or gather statistics from the vendor or organization. Interfaces can also include usernames and passwords, that will be encrypted for storage, but can be decrypted and made visible in the staff interface. The type of interface can be set using the VENDOR_INTERFACE_TYPE authorized values category.
Monday Minutes: Acquisition Vendor Record
New Enhancements in Acquisitions
Add option to search in archived suggestions to all search tabs (29935)
This adds a checkbox ‘Include archived’ to all of the search filter tabs for suggestions in the staff interface.
Link basket group name from basket summary page
Adds a link to the basket group page from the basket summary page. (32452)
Revert suggestion status to ‘Accepted’ when orders made from a suggestion are canceled (33098) Sponsored by Waikato Institute of Technology.
This enhancement will change the status of a suggestion from Ordered back to Accepted when that purchase suggestion order has been canceled.
***For more information about the new Acquisitions Enhancements***
Koha 23.05: Acquisitions Enhancements
Cataloging
New Features in Cataloging
- Add ability to limit editing of items to home library or library group (20256)
Sponsored by CLiC (Colorado Library Consortium)
A new option within Library Groups will allow libraries to limit the editing of items to the home or library group.
Monday Minutes: Limit Editing of Items Within a Library Group
Add a simple way to add ‘content warnings’ to catalog records ( 31123)
Sponsored by Tavistock & Portman Library
This new feature will allow libraries to indicate content warnings within the MARC record and also be viewable to staff and patrons. The library can pick a note field to use to store ‘Content warnings’ about Biblio records. The new ContentWarningField system preference can be set to any MARC field.
Koha 23.05: A simple way to add ‘content warnings’ to a catalog record
New Enhancements in Cataloging
- Strip leading/trailing whitespace characters from input fields when cataloging (30358)
Sponsored by Catalyst and Educational Services Australia SCIS
This adds a new system preference StripWhitespaceChars which, when enabled, will strip leading and trailing whitespace characters from all fields when cataloging both bibliographic records and authority records. Whitespace characters that will be stripped are: spaces, newlines, carriage returns, and Tabs.
Koha 23.05: Remove leading or trailing whitespace characters from input fields
Add item type column to call number browser’s results table (33365)
For libraries using the Call Number Browse feature in Koha, this enhancement will add a column to display the item type.
Koha 23.05: Add item type column to call number browser's results table
More visibly highlight records that cannot be batch deleted/modified (31611)
Sponsored by Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, New Zealand
This enhancement more clearly emphasizes records that cannot be modified or deleted in the ‘Batch record deletion’, ‘Batch item modification’, and ‘Batch item deletion’ tools. Rows are now highlighted in yellow, with a red ‘X’ in the first column (hovering over the red ‘X’ shows the reason it cannot be modified or deleted).
Koha 23.05: Add item type column to call number browser's results table
Add option to mark items returned in batch modification (32019)
This enhancement will now allow staff to decide whether or not to mark items returned when using the batch modification tool.
- Allow export of batch item modification results in background jobs (32970)
This enhancement allows users to search and export from the results of a batch modification. Before, once a batch modification was complete, the user wouldn't have the results of the modification.
Circulation
New Circulation Enhancements
Suspended holds should be styled differently on request.pl (25856)
Libraries have always found it difficult to identify suspended holds from the list of holds on a record. Now this enhancement will allow libraries to style the suspended holds differently to help staff.
Add ability for holds queue builder to prioritize either matching a patron’s home library to the item’s home or holding library (31557)
In this enhancement, a library will have the option to prioritize its holds queue to include using the item's holding library in addition to the item's home library when filling holds. This includes a new system preference for libraries to choose: HoldsQueuePrioritizeBranch.
Allow checkin of items bundles without verifying their contents (31615)
This enhancement adds the possibility to skip the content verification step when checking in a bundle.
Monday Minutes: Item Bundles at Checkin
Enhancements for Fines and Fees
Make it possible to exclude debit types from charges counted for circulation restriction (noissuecharge) (32450)
Sponsored by PTFS Europe
This enhancement allows a library to select which debit types should be included in deciding whether a patron should be restricted from checkouts (noissuescharge system preference). This enhancement will give libraries much more flexibility over restrictions. Three existing system preferences have been deleted (ManInvInNoissuesCharge, RentalsInNoissuesCharge, HoldsInNoissuesCharge) and the management of the debit types now sits in the Debit Types area of system preferences.
- Add call number column to list of charges on transactions tab in patron account (32977)
This enhancement adds the item call number to the ‘transactions’ and ‘make a payment’ tabs in the patron’s account if the charge is linked to a particular item. Column configuration can allow libraries to hide this column if desired.
Add collection code column to holds to pull (32421)
With this new enhancement, libraries using the Holds to Pull report in Koha will now see the Collection Code displayed.
***For more information about the new Circulation Enhancements***
Koha 23.05: Circulation, Fines and fees, & Hold requests
Patrons
New Patron Features
Make user-id generation pluggable (32426)
This allows libraries to create customizable patron ID’s.
Koha 23.05: UserID Generation Now Pluggable
New Patron Enhancements
Allow circulation messages to be editable (21699)
This enhancement allows existing circulation messages to be edited on the staff interface.
Monday Minutes: Ability for Patrons to Delete Their Messages in the OPAC
Display the guarantee’s fines on the guarantor’s details page (26598)
This enhancement adds a new tab in the patron details page to show guarantees unpaid charges.
Koha 23.05: Guarantee Checkouts/Charges Visible on Guarantor Account
Add batch patron modification to patron search results (28366)
With this new enhancement, the function of batch modifying patrons will be available through the patron search display.
Koha 23.05: Modify Patrons in Batch Directly from Patron Search Results
Allow libraries to specify email order for “AutoEmailPrimaryAddress” (29046)
Sponsored by PTFS Europe
This enhancement adds a new system preference EmailFieldPrecedence, which allows libraries to set the order in which patron email addresses are used when selecting “first valid” in the email field.
Koha 23.05: Libraries Can Customize Patron Email Precedence
OPAC
New OPAC Features
Add ‘Report a concern’ feature for patrons to report concerns about catalog records (31028)
Sponsored by Tavistock & Portman Library
This features allows for libraries to all for 'concerns' about catalog records in the staff interface and the OPAC. There are two new system preferences that libraries can control this feature with, OpacCatalogConcerns and CatalogConcerns
Koha 23.05: Reporting Catalog Concerns
Show patron’s ‘savings’ on the OPAC ( 31051)
Sponsored by Horowhenua Libraries Trust
This new feature shows a patron how much they have saved by using the library rather than purchasing items. Savings are calculated based on item replacement prices. The system preference, OPACShowSavings, allows libraries to choose where this will be displayed.
Monday Minutes: Patron Savings on the OPAC
New OPAC Enhancements
Patrons should be able to delete their patron messages (12029). Sponsored by Koha-US
This enhancement adds the ability for patrons to dismiss an OPAC message, marking it as read to remove it from their summary page.
Monday Minutes: Ability for Patrons to Delete Their Messages in the OPAC
The author should be its own column on opac-readingrecord.tt (30621)
This feature will display the author as its own column to the patron when they are looking at their Reading History.
Koha 23.05: Sort by Author in OPAC Checkout History
Add a generic way to redirect back to the page you were on at login for modal logins OPAC fix (31699)
Sponsored by The European Southern Observatory
This enhancement will bring the patron back to the page where they were before having to log in.
Koha 23.05: Proper Redirect to Previous OPAC Location Following Login Modal Popup
Reports
New Reports Enhancements
Add a ‘Save and run’ button to reports (23824)
This enhancement adds a 'save and run' button to the reports, so a staff member can (with one click) save a report and run it at the same time.
This enhancement includes a new system preference, ActionLogsTraceDepth, which will allow libraries to know where a logged action was generated from and how.
Add auto-completion to our SQL reports editor (32613)
This adds an auto-complete feature to the SQL reports editor! Start typing within the SQL box and this will autogenerate values given in the table!
Datelastseen should be a datetime (31212)
This enhancement will now store the date and time of the 'date last seen' value of an item. Previously, the 'date last seen' only stored the date.
***For more information about the new Reports Features***
Koha 23.05: New Report Enhancements
Notices
New Notice Enhancements
Move emails for sending cart and list contents into notices tool (3150)
Sponsored by Bibliotheksservice-Zentrum Baden-Württemberg (BSZ)
This enhancement creates notices for sending emails containing cart and list contents. This provides libraries more flexibility around what the emails contain and means they can be more translatable. These two notices are named: CART and LIST. They have default language in the notice for the library.
Send MEMBERSHIP_EXPIRY notice by SMS (23773) Sponsored by Médiathèque de Montauban
This enhancement creates the ability to send an upcoming expiration notice to patrons via SMS. If a library would like to utilize this feature, they would use the SMS tab within the MEMBERSHIP_EXPIRY notice to create the desired text to send.
Add checkouts data loop to predue/due notices script (advance_notices.pl) (29100)
This enhancement will allow predue and due notices to follow the same format as the other notices and not rely on the <<items.content>>. This will give much more flexibility to libraries to format these notices easier.
Overdue notice/status triggers letter selection is ambiguous (33203)
This enhancement will show the letter code of the notice in the Overdue Notice Status and Triggers tool. Showing the letter code will help libraries identify which notice to pick easier.
***For more information about the new Notice Features***
Koha 23.05 Notice Features and Enhancements
Staff
New Staff Interface Enhancements
Add a new permission to control the ability to change the logged-in library (30624)
This enhancement adds a new staff permission to allow or prevent staff members from setting the library where they log in. This permission is called, Allow Staff to Change Logged In Library.
Koha 23.05: New Library Login Staff Permission
Improve authority links and add them to MARC preview (33281)
This enhancement improves the look of an authority from the bibliographic view. When staff hover over an authority, they will have a hint to 'view the authority record', if clicked, Koha will open up the authority record in a new tab.
Show framework on record details page (33607)
This enhancement will now give staff the ability to see what framework the record is in while viewing the record in the staff interface.
Lists
New List Enhancements
Add permission and setting for public lists to allow staff with permission to edit contents (30418)
Sponsored by Catalyst
Add a new ‘Permitted staff only’ option to public lists, allowing only permitted staff users to manage the list contents from the staff client and OPAC.
The ‘Permitted staff only’ option differs from the ‘Staff only’ option because this includes permissions of that 'permitted staff', those permissions are permitted staff are Koha patrons with the ‘edit catalogue’ permission enabled (within the Edit Catalog permissions in addition to the permission, ‘edit_public_list_contents’ (within the Lists Permissions).
Add count of total titles in list to staff interface (32173)
With this enhancement, the number of entries in a list will show on the detail page of a list in the staff interface.
Koha 23.05: Add count of total titles in list to staff interface
Records in lists not showing what other lists they belong to (32434)
In the OPAC, now if an item is on more than one list, it will show both lists.
Koha 23.05: Links to lists now show in OPAC search results and record detail pages
ILL
New ILL Enhancements
Move ILL system preferences to their own tab in administration (32546)
With this new enhancement, Interlibrary Loan has its own tab in the System Preferences!
Make illrequestattributes easily available to ILL notices (32548)
This new enhancement allows for more information to be included easily in the ILL notices.
***For more information about the new ILL Features***
Searching
New Searching Enhancements
Item search: Display additional title information (14911)
This new searching enhancement will display title information such as subtitle, part name, part number, and medium to the item search display.
Adds an option in item search for excluding checked-out items (32960)
In this search enhancement, the option to exclude checked-out items during the item search is available.
Monday Minutes: Item Search Enhancements
Show in advanced search when IncludeSeeFromInSearches is used (31338)
When the system preference, IncludeSeeFromInSearches, is activated, there will be a note below the first search form on the advanced search in the staff interface and OPAC.
Koha 23.05: Show in advanced search when IncludeSeeFromInSearches is used
ERM
New Electronic Resource Management Module Enhancements
Filter agreements by logged-in librarian (32924)
With this ERM enhancement, agreements can be filtered when searching.
Display loading info when a form is submitted (32925)
This gives the end user more visual feedback when a form is submitted in eRM.
Add a search option for licenses to top search bar (33064)
Sponsored by PTFS Europe
This enhancement will add a search option in the top search bar of the ERM module.
Link vendor name in a list of licenses (33466)
This enhancement will now have a link from the license to the vendor page.
***Learn more about each of these features in this blog post***
Monday Minutes: ERM Enhancements
Serials
New Serials Enhancements
Add new serial issue status: “Out for binding”, “Bound”, and “Circulating” (32752)
Sponsored by The Research University in the Helmholtz Association (KIT)
This new enhancement will allow libraries to use new serial statuses such as 'out for binding', and more.
More Documentation for Koha 23.05
Keep up with all of the new features and enhancements in this release at the Koha 23.05: Upgrades Hub
Read more by Kelly McElligott