Working with Libraries

The library record is the second level in the Polaris Administration hierarchy. It may represent an institution that directs one or more branches, and it may or may not have a physical location. All branches, collections, workstations, and staff members that belong to a library are directly or indirectly linked to the “parent” library record.

Examples:
1. A Polaris system with one physical location has two Administration records (one Library record and one Branch record) because circulation and patron registration activities are associated with Branch records and every branch must have a parent Library record.
2. A Polaris system consisting of four physical locations (one main library and three branches) has five Administration records, one Library record and four Branch records (one for each physical location).

You add a library record or edit library information using the Library workform, and you can delete a library record. You can also edit profiles, parameters, permissions, and tables associated with a library record directly from the Administration Explorer tree view, by expanding the appropriate folders beneath the library name. Address or contact changes are immediately effective. Other changes to a library record are not effective until the record is saved.

Polaris policy, parameter, and profile settings at the library level are inherited from the settings made at the system level. Each library in the Polaris system may change the settings to match its local requirements. Changes made at the library level are inherited by the branch levels that belong to the library. However, permissions for a library apply only to the library. Permissions must also be set for each branch record associated with the library.