Wise v8.0.3 release notes
Release Date: January 2026
Introduction
This release of Wise provides a number of new features and enhancements in addition to numerous bug fixes. These features will help you manage more complex workflows, including:
- Creating items on the fly in the Console
- Configuring which Console tabs are displayed
- Using spellcheck and did you mean suggestions in the OPAC
Many of these enhancements are the direct result of your feedback.
Administrative actions
These items require immediate action or decisions.
| Action |
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New features and enhancements
Console improvements
Create items on the fly in the Console
If a customer attempts to check out an item that is unknown to the Wise system, a notification will appear on the Console check-out screen. Staff have the option to allow the item to be loaned or not.
Note: If the NO_FLY system option is configured, unknown items cannot be checked out.
If an unknown item can be loaned:
- If no matching item is found after a barcode is scanned, the Create Record option will appear.
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Material type and SCAT code are required fields and must be completed to proceed with check out. The system will prompt you if these fields have not been completed.
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Add an attachment note and volume information if applicable
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When finished, click Create.
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The item is created and checked out to the customer.
Improved place hold workflows
The previous workflow for placing a hold in the Console became disconnected when we made accessibility improvements to the Console. The following improvements are part of a larger effort to restore and improve the place hold workflow in the Console.
New confirmation modal and flow when canceling before a hold is placed
If a staff member cancels the hold request before saving, they will now receive a confirmation modal. They will be prompted to either update the customer, continue with the hold, or continue canceling the hold.
New place hold confirmation and flow when hold placement is successful
If the hold placement is successful, the staff member will now receive a confirmation modal that the hold was successful. They will be redirected automatically to the “unprocessed holds” screen on the title record.
New customer search modal when placing a hold
After clicking the “place hold” button on the title or for an item, a customer search modal will now appear. If a patron account has been opened during the logged-in session, the most recent patron will be automatically populated in the search box.
You can still change the customer after opening the place hold screen.
Configure tab visibility in the Console
It is now possible to control which features are available in your Console application at the enterprise level. This allows your library to turn Console features on as your staff become trained and ready to use them. Each tab and sub-tab within the Console has been assigned a unique system option, allowing you to turn them on or off at the institution level.
Permissions for using Console features are still aligned with roles assigned for Client workflows, ensuring that when features are enabled for a library, only the authorized staff can interact with them at the configured level.
Note: The new system options are set to No by default. You will need to enable them in order to see the functions in the Console.
Set the following system options to Yes to display them in the Console:
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Tab/sub-tab
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System option
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Description
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|---|---|---|
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Catalog
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CATSRCH
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Enable the Catalog tab in the Wise Console
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Customers
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CUSTCON
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Enable the Customers tab in the Wise Console
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Circulation
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CIRCULA
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Enable the Circulation tab in the Wise Console
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Circulation – Check in
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CRCCHIN
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Enable the Circulation - Check in tab in the Wise Console
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Circulation – Checkout
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CRCCHOU
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Enable the Circulation - Check out tab in the Wise Console
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Circulation - Picklist
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PICKLST
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Enable Picklist tab in the Wise Console
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Circulation – Hold shelf
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HLDSHLF
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Enable the Circulation - Hold shelf tab in the Wise Console
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Item request manager
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IRMCONS
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Enable the Item request manager tab in the Wise Console
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Item request manager – Manage requests
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IRMMGRQ
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Enable the Item request manager - Manage requests tab in the Wise Console
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Item request manager – Item request statuses
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IRMSTAT
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Enable the Item request manager - Item request statuses tab in the Wise Console
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Point of sale
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POSCONS
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Enable the point of sale feature in the Wise Console
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Acquisitions
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ACQUISM
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Enable acquisition module to manage and view orders, budgets, suppliers, etc.
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Acquisitions - Budgets
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ACQBUDG
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Enable the Acquisitions - Budgets tab in the Wise Console
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Acquisitions – Orders
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ACQORDS
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Enable the Acquisitions - Orders tab in the Wise Console
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Acquisitions - Vendors
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ACQVEND
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Enable the Acquisitions - Vendors tab in the Wise Console
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Events
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EVTCON
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Activate Wise Events Management in Console
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OPAC improvements
Provide spell check and “did you mean” suggestions in the OPAC
We are introducing an intelligent spell check feature that provides alternative search terms when users enter misspelled terms in the catalog. This enhancement is designed to reduce "dead end" searches and help users find the materials they're looking for, even when their search terms contain typos or spelling errors.
The spell check feature leverages Solr search technology to analyze your library's collection and relevant suggestions. The system works by:
- Checking search terms against indexed content in your specific collection
- Analyzing multi-word queries by evaluating each word for potential misspellings
- Presenting "Did you mean?" suggestions when no results are found for the original query
- Showing misspelled words in the Found for term… section. Terms that are not recognized by the system are indicated by red highlight and squiggly line
This feature is enabled with the system option OPACDYM. Once the system option is enabled, your collection must be reindexed to display suggestions. Please contact OCLC Support to enable the feature.
Terms of service added for Community Wise
The Wise Community service has been updated to display and provide easy access to the Terms of Service. Since these terms were previously only available during initial signup, all users will be prompted to review and accept them once more—even if they have already agreed to them previously.
This one-time re-acceptance ensures all users are aware of the community guidelines and understand how their community data is used and shared.
Rewrite of CGI pages to Angular
In this release, we are completing a comprehensive rewrite of the OPAC/My account, migrating from legacy CGI (Common Gateway Interface) technology to modern Angular framework. This represents a significant technical infrastructure modernization that will improve performance, maintainability, and user experience.
Benefits of updating to Angular
- CGI is an outdated web technology that creates performance bottlenecks and security vulnerabilities
- The transition to the Angular platform provides enhanced user experience with:
- Faster page load times and smoother interactions
- Responsive, mobile-friendly interface
- Component-based architecture which enables code reuse and easier maintenance
- Built on modern web standards with ongoing support and development
- Scalable architecture that can grow with library needs
- Better alignment with accessibility standards and modern web practices
This migration provides a modern, sustainable platform that can evolve with changing library needs and user expectations. By eliminating technical debt, we have created a foundation for faster feature development, improved accessibility compliance, and enhanced user experiences across all library services.
Filter New arrivals
The New Arrivals page now displays all new titles immediately upon loading, eliminating the need to first select from a dropdown menu. For information about how to configure and display new arrivals, see New Arrivals.
This display provides:
- Genre filters to focus on specific categories
- Standard OPAC filters (location, material type, audience) available after selecting a genre
- More intuitive browsing experience for discovering new materials
Browse Recommendations
The Recommendations page has been enhanced to improve user experience. For information about how to configure and display recommendations, see Recommendations.
These changes provide:
- Clearer guidance. Step-by-step instructions appear on the screen to help users discover relevant recommendations
- Better browsing. Recommendations display in a filterable catalog format, making it easier to narrow down results
- Improved navigation. The “Back to recommendations” link now returns to the results rather than resetting the search form
Accessibility improvements
We are implementing comprehensive accessibility enhancements to the Wise OPAC and My Account based on a professional accessibility evaluation conducted in June 2025. These improvements will ensure better compliance with WCAG 2.0, 2.1, and 2.2 accessibility standards at both Level A and Level AA.
Key areas of improvement:
- Enhance screen reader support by fixing improper heading structures, resolving missing or incorrect labels for buttons, form fields, and interactive elements and addressing issues with table headers and data relationships
- Improve keyboard navigation by ensuring all functionality is accessible via keyboard-only navigation, fixing focus order issues and hidden focus indicators and resolving keyboard traps to improve skip link functionality
- Better visual accessibility by increasing color contrast ratios to meet WCAG standards for users with low vision or color blindness, improving focus indicators and visual boundaries for interactive elements and ensuring content remains accessible when zoomed to 200%
- Enhance form and input functionality by adding proper labels and instructions for all form fields and implementing better error identification and messaging
- Language and content structure by fixing missing or incorrect language declarations, improving page titles and content organization and resolving issues with status message announcements
Benefits to users
These improvements will significantly enhance the experience for users who rely on assistive technologies such as screen readers, voice navigation software, or keyboard-only navigation. The changes also benefit users with visual impairments, motor disabilities, or cognitive differences by providing clearer navigation, better contrast, and more intuitive interactions.
Why we are making these changes
Accessibility is fundamental to creating an inclusive digital library experience. These improvements ensure that all library patrons, regardless of their abilities, can effectively search for materials, manage their accounts, and access library services through the Wise OPAC. This work aligns with our commitment to digital equity and compliance with accessibility standards.
OCLC Cover art service update
OCLC will not be renewing our contract with TiVo for cover art services when it expires on December 31, 2025. While we remain committed to providing comprehensive cover art through the OCLC Cover Art Service, this change will impact the availability of certain media covers.
Expected Impact
Libraries can expect to see a decrease in available cover art for media materials, particularly:
- DVD and Blu-ray movies
- Music CDs and albums
- Other audiovisual materials
What Remains Available
The OCLC Cover Art Service will continue to operate and provide cover art from our other content partners and sources. We are actively working to:
- Maintain our existing partnerships with other cover art providers
- Explore new content sources to minimize gaps in coverage
- Ensure continued service reliability for book covers and other materials
Timeline
- Now through December 1, 2025: TiVo covers remain available
- December 1 – 31, 2025: OCLC will begin removing TiVo covers
- January 1, 2026: TiVo-sourced covers will be entirely removed from the service and will no longer be displayed in your catalog
We appreciate your understanding as we navigate this transition and remain committed to supporting your library's discovery and circulation needs.
Bug fixes
Here are a selection of bugs that were resolved during the 8.0.3 release.
- Holds bugs
- Console hold slips now print with the correct customer name and pickup date
- Customers can once again cancel holds on items on the hold shelf
- Console holds table pagination displays correctly and no longer cuts off details
- To your door hold preference was restored
- Preferred name
- The following BIRT reports have been updated to include customer preferred name:
- Overview of holds
- Hold shelf
- Hold shelf by delivery process
- Canceled shelf holds
- Alert list (customers)
- Detailed overview per cash drawer
- Online memberships
- Customer block list
- Outstanding fees, fines and credits
- Preferred name is used on the Console point-of-sale screen
- The following BIRT reports have been updated to include customer preferred name:
- OPAC
- Custom cover images display
- My wish list page has been improved for usability, the Manage button was removed and the header and description now link to the list
- Catalog facet count issues resolved
- Visual and accessibility improvements across the OPAC and My account
- More info tab was updated to include details from MARC tags 586 & 521
- Author filter has been updated to remove contributors
- Console circulation
- Correct message displays in the Console when an invalid library card is entered on check out
- Marketing workbench
- Unsubscribe link in marketing messages now functions
Known issues
For an up-to-date list of known issues, see Wise known issues.
Support website(s)
Support information for this product and related products can be found at: