SWIFT-Prospector Lending Guide (Sierra Web)

On any web browser, navigate to Sierra Web at swift.coalliance.org/sierra/sierraweb, and click the Connect to Sierra Service link. Next, input your Username and Password and click Login.

Print Paging Slips

In order to fill lending requests that come to your library, you will need to print paging slips and pull requested items from your shelves. 

Within the Sierra Web, select Notices from the FUNCTION menu.

Select the INN-Reach Paging Slips job from the grid and click Prepare.

From the Notices Job window, click Prepare again.

Click Send Notices. Note: If you do not want to clear the notices upon sending, click the Do Not Clear box before you click Send Notices. We advise that you confirm that all paging slips were successfully printed before clearing them.

Using the information on the paging slips (example below), pull the items from your shelves. 

Note: If you own multiple copies of the requested title, be sure to pull the item with the Barcode noted on the paging slip.

Once all requests have been pulled, complete the steps outlined in Library Check-Out for each item.

Library Check-Out

Once items have been pulled from the shelves, you will need to check them out using the Library Check-Out function.

Within Sierra Web, select Library Check-Out from the FUNCTION menu, and key in or scan the item’s barcode. 

Within the confirmation Message window, click OK. 

The item will be checked out and a due date will be assigned. In this case the due date refers to an approximate date that you can expect the item to be returned. Sierra Web will assign a 55-day loan period for non-media items, which includes the initial 21-day loan plus the allowed renewal, as well as padding for delivery and time on the hold shelf. 20 days are allotted for media items, which is the 7-day loan period, plus padding for delivery and time on the hold shelf. Note that the due date assigned by the system could differ from the due date calculated by your local system, depending on how the transaction is replicated.

If you have multiple items to check-out, you can continue with the next barcode(s).  

Note: For physical processing procedures and best practices, visit: https://swift.cvlsites.org/knowledge-base/policies/prospector-policies-best-practices/

My Item Check-In

When items you lent through Prospector come back to your library, you will need to check-in the items using the My Item Check-In function. Within Sierra Web, select My Item Check-In from the FUNCTION menu and key in or scan the item’s barcode. 

Within the confirmation message window, click OK. If you have multiple items to check-in, you can continue with the next barcode(s).  

Transfer Request

If you receive a request for an item that is unavailable, you can transfer the request to another item attached to the same bibliographic record. If you do not have any item that can satisfy the request, see the Cancel Request section of this document.

Within Sierra Web, select Search/Requests from the FUNCTION menu on the right.
Select b Barcode from the Index menu, and search for the barcode from the request (i.e., the barcode for the item that is not available.).

In the grid, select the item from which you want to transfer the request, and click Transfer Requests. 

Tip: Make note of the value in the Recnum column for the item with the barcode you want to move the request on to.

In the Transfer Holds prompt, choose the record number for item you want to transfer the request to from the dropdown list, and then click OK.

Next, you will be asked if you want to change the status of the item to Missing. While you can choose to update the status in Prospector, we recommend that you select No and make any change to the item’s status in your local system, which will propagate to Prospector the next time that bib and item data is synched.

You will be given the option to queue an updated paging slip for printing. Click Yes if you want to reprint the slip, and No if you prefer to manually update the existing slip by writing in the updated item barcode.

Once the transfer is complete, you can complete the Library Check-Out with the new barcode.

Cancel Request

If you receive a request for an item that is unavailable and you do not have any item that can satisfy the request, you can cancel the request. This will prompt the system to look for another potential lender. 

Within Sierra Web, select Search/Requests from the FUNCTION menu on the right.
Select b Barcode from the Index menu, search for the item barcode, and then choose the Request tab.

Select the request by ticking the box on the left, and then click the Cancel Requests button.

Next, you will be asked if you want to “Cancel request and change status to MISSING” or “Cancel Request. “ While you can choose to cancel and update the status in Prospector, we recommend that you select Cancel Request and make any change to the item’s status in your local system, which will propagate to Prospector the next time that bib and item data is synched.

You will be prompted to choose a cancellation message. You can key in a message, or select from the pre-populated options. If you choose to enter a custom message, if you are the last lender in the rota, the requesting patron may receive a notification that includes the reason that you provide, so keep it professional. This information is also used for tracking and statistical purposes, so be as accurate as you can. Once you’ve selected a reason, click OK.

Click OK to dismiss the confirmation.