The SirsiDynix Portfolio Searching interface

Setting up Portfolio > The SirsiDynix Portfolio Searching interface

The Searching interface includes features to enhance the library user's experience with your library. My Account and My Lists functionality help users manage their accounts and library usage. Also, library users can enjoy powerful searching with a through the Search bar, Advanced Search, and enhanced search facets.

Fore more information about what is new in SirsiDynix Portfolio 4.3, please see these topics:

Header and footer

The header is a consistent piece of your SirsiDynix Portfolio system, whether you are looking at search results, navigating through My Account, or working with My Lists. This allows for easy navigation, to anywhere from anywhere within SirsiDynix Portfolio .

From the header, library users can log in to (or out of) SirsiDynix Portfolio , navigate to their My Account page, view their My Lists page, access Library Information, select their language, and access the patron help file (1). Library users can also click the Home icon (2) to go back to the profile home page at any time.

Library users can click the Library Information link (3) to find information about your library, such as location (address), phone number, open hours, etc. (For information about setting up what displays in your “Library Information,” see Setting up "Library Information".)

Library users can easily select the interface language from the Language drop-down (4). Once the user logs in to SirsiDynix Portfolio , the language they select as their Default Language in My Account is the language that will display in the interface. (For more information about setting up languages in SirsiDynix Portfolio , see Configuring languages for a search profile.)

ADA accessibility (5) enables an interface that is more accessible through keyboard commands. It reduces the use modal windows to allow the user to navigate through the arrow and tab keys, with shortcut links displayed at the top and bottom of the page. By default, ADA mode is disabled; however, you can select the default mode for your library by profile in the Edit Profile page. (For more information, see Fields: Add/Edit/Copy Profile.)

SirsiDynix Portfolio delivers a help file for library users that they can access from the header (6). It covers most features available in version 4.3. This file is customizable so that you can add, remove, or edit its content to meet your library's policies and configuration on a profile-by-profile basis.

Additionally, you can choose to create your own help file that you can upload for library users to access from the Help link.

If you are logged in as an Admin user, you can go to a profile's page and edit the header to include your library's own logo or image using a WYSIWYG editor. You can also make your image or logo a link to your library's website if you like. (For details, see Customizing the banner.)

If you are logged in as an Admin user, you can go to a profile's page and edit the footer to include images or information about your library using a WYSIWYG editor. (For details, see Customizing the footer.)

The Home page

You can customize a profile Home page, just as you have with previous versions of SirsiDynix Portfolio (for details, see Customizing the Home page).

In version 4.3, you have the option to turn on a “Book List” window (1) that will contain by default many New York Times bestseller lists.

Additionally, if you are a Symphony ILS user with an instance of Symphony Web Services, you can get a "Most Popular" and "New Books" list that are both generated by Symphony reports. If you do have access to the "New Books" list, you can customize it to create your own lists of newly added items. (For information about setting up book lists, see Enabling and configuring book lists.)

Library users can easily navigate through book lists (4), purchase a book through your library's storefront (2),and search to find a particular book list item in your library (3).

Note: If New York Times has provided an ISBN with the record, SirsiDynix Portfolio can perform the search using the ISBN, otherwise, it searches using the author and title.

Searching for items

Version 4.3 includes features that give the library user’s an easy and powerful searching experience.

The Search bar is part of the heading that appears on any page within SirsiDynix Portfolio , allowing library users the ability to search for items from anywhere in the system.

A new drop-down menu has been added that allows library users to search by a specific field (for example, Title, Author, Subject, etc.) (2).

SirsiDynix Portfolio 4.3 comes with 3 delivered themes that you can choose from (for details, see Selecting a theme).

Additionally, a new Advanced Search (3) option is included with this version of SirsiDynix Portfolio that offers library users the ability to perform focused and detailed searches. You can configure the contents of the Format type, Language, and Library drop-down lists on profile basis. (For more information, see Configuring fields in Advanced Search.)

Working with search results

The search results page contains numerous features that make finding library items and resources easy for library users.

SirsiDynix Portfolio 4.3 offers three possible search results view layouts: a List view, a Thumbnail view, and a customizable CoolIris view (for details, see Setting up the CoolIris view for search results. . Library users can simply select the view they want (1).

Library users can sort search results by selecting a sort option (2). Enterprise sorts the most relevant results and lists them in order. As an administrator, you can set the number of items to include in the sort. The fewer items included, the better performance you will see in the sort. For more information, see Fields: Add/Edit/Copy Profile.

Library users can click the Databases tab (3) to go to a page of federated search results. Each database is represented by a button in the left column, and the results appear in the same format as library search results. Users can go back to library search results by clicking the Search Results tab.

Navigating through pages of search results is simple. Library users can move forward and backwards between pages, or select the page they want to view (4).

You can configure item Format Type icons (5) to display in the search results. These icons identify what the item's format is (for example, Book, CD, Electronic Resource, etc.). For more information, see Displaying the format type icon.

Library users can now do a Facebook “Like” on items from a search result by simply clicking on the Facebook Like button (5). If the library user is not already logged in to Facebook, they will be prompted to log in.

Library users can easily place a hold on an item they find in the search results by clicking the Place Hold button (6). Users can also place a hold on one item or multiple items by selecting the item(s) check-box and selecting “Place Hold(s)” from the Select An Action drop-down menu (7).

When library users place an item on hold, SirsiDynix Portfolio prompts them to specify a pickup library.

Library users can use the Select An Action drop-down menu to place holds on items, add items to My Lists, email item information, and print item information. After selecting one item or multiple items from the search results page, library users simply select which action they want to perform from the Select An Action drop-down menu (7).

Users can also use the Select/Clear all check box to select or deselect all items on the search result page (9).

You can configure which of these "Action" options are available to you library users (for more information, see Configuring "Action" settings

If your library provides ebooks to your users, SirsiDynix Portfolio will identify the those items in search results and allow library users to download them, right from the search results page. To download e-books, library users simply click the “Download ” button for the item (10).

The system will prompt the library user to choose a format and will then download the ebook.

Library users can save their searches as RSS feeds (11). To take advantage of RSS feeds, users must have an RSS enabled browser or an RSS reader.

Note: When a user saves an RSS feed for a search, the feed monitors only the first 100 search results, not the entire search. New items will probably, but may not, be included in these 100 results for which the user saved the RSS feed. Patrons interested in an RSS feed for a search should limit the search to find only the most pertinent results.

If you have subscribed to the "Buy It Now" service, your library users can click the "Buy It Now" button (12) to do an online store title keyword search on found items. For more information, contact your SirsiDynix representative.

Some ebook vendors include a short "preview" that library users can download and read before checking out the book. When an item has a preview available for download, the Preview button (13) will appear next to the item.

Search facets

The “Show Only Available” button (1) lets library users limit their search results to only those items that are available for checkout.

The Show Only Available button acts as a toggle — “Show Only Available” or “Include Unavailable” — that library users can use to restrict or expand their search results.

Version 4.3 lets library users select whether they want to include or exclude facets within a single field.

For example, if a library user wanted to do research on William Shakespeare, but did not want to get search results that included works actually written by Shakespeare, they could do the following:

After doing a search for “Shakespeare,” the library user could select the facet check box next to “Shakespeare, William” in the Author field, and then click the Exclude button (3). The search results would then update to include relevant results that do not include William Shakespeare as the author.

Note: Library users can simply click a search facet to limit their search results by that particular facet, just as they have in past versions of SirsiDynix Portfolio . In other words, clicking on a facet is the same as selecting its check box and selecting the Include button.

Library users can select multiple facets within the same field to either include in or exclude from the search results.

For example, if a library user wanted to further that search by only including items that are in French and German, they could select the facet check boxes next to “French” and “German” in the Language field, and then click the Include button (2). The search results would update to only include items that are in French and German.

Library users can use the More and Fewer links (4) to expose or hide facets within a field incrementally, as they have in the past. Now in version 4.3, library users can also select the Expand All or Collapse All (5) links to either show or hide all facets in a field.

The Publication Date facet has been updated with two possible views that library users can choose between. The first view is a Graph view where library users can use the mouse to drag date range markers, or they can manually enter a range in a text box . Library users can also choose to view a list of results by publication year (6).

When library users include or exclude facets in their search results, those limits appear in the Narrowed by section. Facets that are included will be preceded by a plus (+) sign; those that are excluded will be preceded by a minus (-) sign.

To remove a limit, library users can click the Delete search term button (7). To remove all limits, they can click the Clear all button (8).

Item detail display

The item detail display includes information and links to functionality such as placing a hold or exporting data to a citation management service.

In previous versions of SirsiDynix Portfolio , a detail display was opened in a new page within a browser. In version 4.3, an item’s detail display is simply a popout window that does not require loading a new page.

Additionally, there is an entirely new look and feel to the detail display that is more inviting and friendly to library users. (For more information about setting up the detail display, see Configuring the item detail display.)

To close the detail display, library users can either click the Close icon (2), or simply click anywhere outside the popout window.

Accordions will appear on an item’s detail display view to contain information about item availability and any enriched content your library may subscribe to (for example: summaries, reviews, excerpts, etc.) (1). For more information about setting up enriched content, see Enabling and setting up enriched content.

Library users can now page to next or previous items from within the detail display (3). Items will be appear in the same order as in the search results page.

You can configure item Format Type icons to display on the item detail display. This icon identifies what the item's format is (for example, Book, CD, Electronic Resource, etc.). For more information, see Displaying the format type icon.

Library users can now do a Facebook “Like” on an item by simply clicking on the Facebook Like button (4). If the library user is not already logged in to Facebook, they will be prompted to log in.

Library users can easily place a hold on the item by clicking the Place Hold button (5). Users can also place a hold the an item by selecting “Place Hold” from the Select An Action drop-down menu (6).

When library users place an item on hold, SirsiDynix Portfolio prompts them to specify a pickup library.

Library users can use the Select An Action drop-down menu to place a hold on the item, add the item to My Lists, email item information, and print item information. Library users simply select which action they want to perform from the Select An Action drop-down menu (6).

You can configure which of these "Action" options are available to you library users (for more information, see Configuring "Action" settings

If the item is an ebook, SirsiDynix Portfolio will allow library users to download it from the item’s detail display view. To download the ebook, library users simply click the Download button.

The system will prompt the library user to choose a format and will then download the ebook.

My Account in SirsiDynix Portfolio

Library users can access their My Account from the SirsiDynix Portfolio header, though if they are not already logged in, the system will require them first to log in.

Within the login dialog box you can activate a link for self-registration that new patrons can use to initiate the registration process. You can configure the link to begin the process, include the entire process, or open a web page with instructions that explain the registration process for your library (for more information, see Setting up a self-registration page).

If SirsiDynix Portfolio connects to a Horizon ILS, you can also add a "Forgot your PIN?" link to the login dialog box that lets the patron have SirsiDynix Portfolio email the PIN to the email address in the patron's library account. For more information, see Fields: Add/Edit Symphony Web Services Authentication Server.

My Account consists of four parts: Personal Information, Checkouts, Holds, and Fines. It also displays a summary or overview box (1) that displays the user’s status, number of checkouts, number of holds, and fines amounts. It also displays the number of overdue items and the number of hold items that are available for pickup. Library users can click on the headings in this box (Checkouts, Holds, or Fines) to navigate to these tabs.

Alert icons (2) will appear on the tabs to notify the library user that they need to take action on something in their account. For example, if they have overdue items, an alert icon will appear on the Checkouts tab. Likewise, if the user has holds available for pickup or new fines to pay, alert icons will appear on the respective tabs.

Depending on your SirsiDynix Portfolio and Symphony or Horizon ILS configurations, the Personal Information tab contains four accordion sections: User information, Change PIN, Preferences, Group Properties.

The User information tab heading will display the name of the library user. The information in this section is the user’s personal information projected from the Symphony or Horizon system. Depending on your ILS settings, it will display things like the user’s address, phone number, email address, etc. You can turn off this section on a profile basis (for more information, see Fields: My Account Settings.)

The Change PIN section is where the library user can go to change their PIN. All they need to have is their existing PIN to change to a new PIN.

The Preferences section is where library users can go to set up their personal SirsiDynix Portfolio preferences.

If you have selected Show my checkout history and the History tab does not show current activities, make sure that Record my checkout history has also been selected.

Your checkout history will not display the recent history unless both Show my checkout history and Record my checkout history are selected.

Note: Because the Horizon ILS does not track checkout history, it is not available through Horizon Web Services.

SMS Notifications is available only to libraries using the Symphony ILS with Web Services. Patrons can use the SMS Notification section to add phones and subscribe to text alerts on that phone. The phones must be capable of receiving text messages. For more information, see Fields: My Account Settings.

Group Members is available only to libraries using the Symphony ILS with Symphony Web Services. If the library user is part of a group, the Group Properties section projects information about that group from your Symphony system. Depending on your Symphony settings, it will display things like the names of other users in the groups, their user IDs, statuses, etc.

Note: Because the Horizon ILS does not support groups, it is not available through Horizon Web Services.

The Checkouts tab contains information about the library user’s checkouts. Depending on your SirsiDynix Portfolio , ILS, and ILS configurations, this tab includes three accordion sections: "My current checkouts," "Group’s current checkouts," and "My checkout history." Because Horizon not does support groups or track checkout history, the only section available to systems using the Horizon Web Services is "My current checkouts."

The My current checkouts section displays all the items that the library user currently has checked out. If the user has any items that are overdue, those items will be preceded by an icon and will appear at the top of the list (1).

From this page, library users can click on an item to view its detail display. They can also select a single or multiple items in the list to renew (1). If items cannot be renewed (because of circulation rules, etc.), SirsiDynix Portfolio will notify the user that the item cannot be renewed. Also, at some libraries, there are fines associated with renewing items. If that is the case at your library, the user will be notified that they will be charged a fine before they confirm the renewal.

If the library user belongs to a group, this section will display all the items that are currently checked out by the group. If there are any overdue items, those items will be preceded by an icon and will appear at the top of the list.

Note: Because the Horizon ILS does not track checkout history, it is not available through Horizon Web Services.

If you have configured SirsiDynix Portfolio and your Symphony system for users to keep a checkout history, your library users can go to this section to view items that they have checked out, when they checked the items out, and when they were returned.

You can also configure SirsiDynix Portfolio to allow the user to choose if they want to keep a checkout history. They can set this up in their My Account Preferences.

Note: Horizon does not support checkout history, so the My checkout history sections does not appear for systems using Horizon Web Services.

The Holds tab contains information about the user holds and the user’s groups holds. Depending on your SirsiDynix Portfolio and Symphony or Horizon ILS configurations, this tab includes two accordioned sections: My Holds, and Group Holds.

If the user has holds that are ready for pickup, there will be an alert icon in this tab.

The My Holds section lists the items that the library user currently has on hold. Depending on your configuration, this list will display things like cover art, Title/Author, hold status (active, suspended, etc.), pickup library, and hold expiration for each item on hold.

If the user has items that are ready for pickup, those items will be preceded with an icon and will appear at the top of the list (1).

On this page, library users can click on an item to view its detail display. Users can select one or multiple items for the following actions: canceling the hold, editing the pickup location for the hold, suspending the hold, or canceling suspended holds (2).

At some libraries, there are fees for canceling holds. If that is the case at your library, the user will be notified that they will be charged a fine before they confirm the canceled hold.

The Group Holds section lists the items that the library user’s group currently has on hold. Depending on your configuration, this list will display things like cover art, Title/Author, hold status (active, suspended, etc.), pickup library, and hold expiration for each item on hold.

At some libraries, there are fees for canceling holds. If that is the case at your library, the user will be notified that they will be charged a fine before they confirm the canceled hold.

Note: Because the Horizon ILS does not support group holds, it is not available through Horizon Web Services.

Library users can go to the Fines tab to view and pay their library fines. Depending on your SirsiDynix Portfolio and Symphony or Horizon ILS configurations, this tab includes five accordioned sections: "Accruing Fines," "Current Fines," "Group Accruing Fines," "Group Fines," and "Payment History."

Because Horizon does not support groups, the "Group Accruing Fines" and "Group Fines" sections will not appear for systems using the Horizon Web Services.

If the user has any new or unpaid fines, there will be an alert icon in this tab.

You can configure payment options for your library users and specify a minimum payment amount. For information, see Managing payment accounts and Configuring My Account settings.

The Current Fines section displays all fines assessed to the library user. These fines are listed per item, and users can click the item titles to open to the item’s detail display. This list will display the reason for the fine and the fine amount for each item, as well as a total amount due. If your library is set up for credit amounts, this section will also display the amount of available credit the user has.

This section also displays any accruing fines with the amount that is being assessed and the rate at which it is being assessed (for example, “$1.00/day”) (1).

Users can go to Current Fines to pay their fines to your library through PayPal. They can choose to pay select fines, or all fines at the same time by selecting the check boxes for the fines they wish to pay. The amount they select is added and displayed in the pay box (2). Users can then click the payment button (3) to go to the payment site and pay their fines.

Users who belong to a user group can go here to see accruing fines assessed to users in the group.

Users who belong to a user group can go here to see the fines assessed to all users in the group.

Library users can go to the Payment History section to see a history of any payments they have made to the library. This list will display the date a payment was made and the amount.

My Lists in SirsiDynix Portfolio

Library users can access their My Lists from the SirsiDynix Portfolio header. Users can add items to and view a Temporary List without being logged in to SirsiDynix Portfolio . Once users log in to SirsiDynix Portfolio , they can access and manage their own saved lists, as well as transfer items from their Temporary List to their saved lists.

Library users can add items to their My Lists from the search results page and from an item’s detail display.

If a library user wants to save items to a list without first logging in to SirsiDynix Portfolio , they can save them to the Temporary List. The Temporary List will remain active for the user until their session ends. Once a user logs in to SirsiDynix Portfolio , they can move items from their Temporary List to any of their saved lists. Temporary lists are cleared when the session has expired.

My Lists are saved lists that library users can create and then add items to. In order to access their My Lists, library users must be logged in to SirsiDynix Portfolio . Users can create new lists or delete existing lists at any time. Once the user creates a list, it will appear as an option when they choose the menu action “Add to My Lists” from search results or an item’s detail display.

To view a list, library users simply click the list they want to view from under the Lists heading. That list will then appear in the List window.

Once a library user is logged in to SirsiDynix Portfolio , they can create new lists and delete existing lists. To add a new list, users can click the Add List icon (3). To delete existing lists, users can select the lists they want to delete and click the Delete Lists icon (4).

Library users can use the Select An Action drop-down menu (1) to place holds on items, email item information, and print item information. Additionally, they can delete selected items from the list, move items from the list to another list, copy items from the list to another list, or save an entire Temporary list as a new list.

After selecting one item or multiple items from a list, library users simply select which action they want to perform from the Select An Action drop-down menu. If they are moving or copying items to another list, SirsiDynix Portfolio will prompt them to specify which list they are moving or copying items to.

Users can also use the Select/Deselect All check box to select or deselect all items on the in the list (6).

Library users can arrange the display order of their lists in two ways. The first is by using the Arrange By drop-down (2). This allows users to choose if they want to arrange their lists by name ascending, name descending, date added ascending, or date added descending.

Users can also manually arrange the display order of their lists by dragging and dropping the lists in an order of their choosing.

Library users can arrange the display order of items in their lists in two ways. The first is by using the Arrange By drop-down (5). This allows users to choose if they want to arrange their list items by name ascending, name descending, date added ascending, or date added descending.

Users can also manually arrange the display order of their list items by dragging and dropping the items in an order of their choosing.