Community Records in the Staff Client

Note:
The full MARC 21 Format for Community Data is available online, including a concise version and a simple field list at: www.loc.gov/marc/

Library staff members use a labeled editor in the Polaris staff client to create, edit, and delete community records. Community records are stored as MARC records in the same Polaris database as the bibliographic information, but in a separate set of tables. MARC community records are distinguished from all other types of MARC records by the presence of code q (Community information) in Leader/06, Type of record.

Tip:
If the library already has community records in MARC format, they can be imported by Polaris Conversion Services. The ability to import community records is not included in the Polaris staff client.

If the library has a license for both Community Profiles and Feature It, staff members can use promotion records in the staff client to feature community organizations and events. When community records are featured, they appear when PAC users enter specific search terms. The promotion record specifies the library resources (bibliographic records, community records, or websites) to feature and the conditions under which the resources will display.

In the Polaris staff client, the Community Record stores and displays information about the community organization. Event records, created automatically when events are added to a Community Record, store and display information about community events, programs, or services.

Types of Community Organization Records

Individual - An individual with a particular expertise, such as a teacher, interpreter, storyteller, or civic leader.
Organization or Club - An organization or any group, such as an association, club, or agency.
Other - Any community record that does not belong to these types, such as a planetarium on a university campus.
Sponsor or Donor - An individual or group sponsor or donor.

Types of Community Event Records

Event - A scheduled social activity, such as a lecture, play, concert series, sporting contest, festival, annual celebration, or regularly scheduled meeting. Event records can be created manually by entering information in the Community Record workform, or they can be imported from Evanced Solutions or Plymouth Rocket. Depending on how the events are labeled, they may be a program/service or an event.
Program or service - An offering or activity of a group or institution which carries out the purposes of that group or institution, such as driver education, day care placement, toy collection drive, or blood bank.

The library staff member can create a “stub” community record with a minimum of three required fields: organization name, organization description, and primary address. Or, the staff member can create a fuller record. After creating and saving a community record in the Polaris staff client, the staff member designates an organization representative by selecting a registered patron. Then, that patron can edit the community record using a web-based editor in the PAC.