Polaris 8.0
The latest version of Polaris - Polaris 8.0 - has been released. Highlights of this release include:
- Display processing - Automated processing to automatically change the shelf location of certain display items upon check-in
- Dated Patron Notes - A new field in the Leap patron account that automatically records the date the note was written and the staff member who wrote it.
- Expansion of Web-Based System Administration - Including remaining SA modules like Acquisitions, Serials, PowerPAC, eContent, and Credit Card Management settings
- Bulk Updates to SA Tables - A new bulk update action for certain configuration tables (Material Loan Limits, Fines, etc.), allowing administrators to quickly bulk-modify settings.
- Log File & SQL Job Access - Read-only access to Polaris Log files (SIP, PAPI, Leap) and SQL Jobs is now available in the web-based PolarisAdmin.
- Additional Tech Services in Leap - Management of bib templates, MARC export, automatic import of MARC files from third-party vendors and FY rollover processing.
Weekend and Holiday Support
After recent incidents, PIAC requested a review of how Clarivate provides support outside of regular business hours. Clarivate confirmed that Application Support is available Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM - 8:00 PM EST.
System Down / Technical Support is available 24/7 on an on-call basis. In the event of a critical system down emergency (one or more critical Polaris subsystems are unavailable), customers should:
- Submit a case with a priority of “System Down”
- Call 1-877-857-1978, ext.4555. This triggers automated alerts to the Support team (including management) to ensure a swift response.
Windows Updates Impacting Self-Hosted Customers
A recent Windows update has caused issues for some self-hosted Polaris customers. The issue stemmed from a operating system-level change pushed by Microsoft. Microsoft has since released a fix for this.
Clarivate has posted a Solution containing a link to the updated Microsoft Patch. Customers experiencing this issue should ensure their systems are fully updated and consult the Supportal documentation for further information.
Documentation and Long-Term Plans
Clarivate shared updates on their documentation strategy moving forward. In general, staff client documentation will not be actively updated unless information is specifically incorrect. Instead, the focus of the documentation team will shift toward Leap and WebSA. Over time, documentation will be consolidated into Leap help, with plans to provide PDF versions or Tables of Contents that can serve the function of “guides” by linking directly to Leap topics.
All recent documentation can be found on Innovative’s Documentation Portal. Libraries are encouraged to report missing or incomplete topics to the documentation team to be expanded or re-written.
Holds Behavior Issues in Polaris 7.8 Patch
Several customers have recently experienced odd behavior with holds in Polaris 7.8 after applying a recent patch. The issue was traced back to a change made to the tertiary RTF processing in the patch. Clarivate has addressed the issue in Polaris 8.0 and released an updated version of Polaris 7.8 midway through the release cycle. Customers who upgraded to Polaris 7.8 after December 11, 2025 are unaffected by this issue.
However, customers who upgraded to Polaris 7.8 before December 11 and have received a patch from Support may have encountered issues with holds incorrectly being set to “Active” when they should be something else ("Held’, “Inactive”, etc). These issues are considered one-time occurrences and may have resolved themselves over time. If libraries are still experiencing unexpected hold behavior after applying the patch, they are encouraged to open a support case for further investigation and assistance to correct the affected holds.
Polaris Label Manager Improvements
PIAC requested updates about Clarivate’s intentions for the Label Manager in Leap. Clarivate shared that improvements for the Polaris Label Manager are ongoing. In Polaris 8.0, the configuration settings for Label Manager have been added to the web-based PolarisAdmin and future work is being planned for their inclusion in Leap settings.
Additionally, Polaris 8.0 includes fixes for ten Label Manager bugs that have been recently identified. (A patch for 7.8 is also available upon request). Ongoing work is planned for Label Manager in the future using Idea Exchange enhancements as a basis for the direction of improvements.