Greetings and happy Fall, Polaris Community!
Innovative Webinar Page
The Innovative Webinar page has received a fresh new look: https://videos.clarivate.com/watch/eLDH3bzq45Fp5X3AfnYaSr
Webinar recordings for 2025 have been posted, and will be ordered newest to oldest. A direct link to a concluded webinar will still be sent to attendees/registrants, but cannot be accessed from the webinar page. It was found that clicking the Webinar icon directed users to the former webinars page, but Clarivate has corrected this, and the icon now points to the current webinar page.
If you have any feedback about the browsing/caching differences, please reach out to the support team.
Polaris 8.0 – Update
The Innovative team report that Polaris 8.0 is on track for a December 2025 release. Here are a few updates about features that are currently in the works:
Patron Code Aging Rules
- Patrons who are turning 18, or arriving at a similar age-related milestone, can now be automatically updated to a new patron code. This optional process can change patron code, change patron statistical code, and can add a Block to prompt a follow-up action on the customer’s next visit (such as signing a library card agreement or removing a Responsible Party listing). This feature can be set at the system level for all patrons, or just for patrons at individual branches.
Display Item Handling
- New functionality will be added to identify Shelf Locations as ‘Display’ locations. This feature will allow systems using Shelf Location to reset a Shelf Location and have Polaris automagically revert it to the previous Shelf Location upon it’s next check in. While not visible at this time, libraries who would be interested in seeing an item’s previous Shelf Location can share their feedback for Clarivate team review through the product road map.
Dated Notes
- In a Patron account on Leap, a new menu bar option titled “Dated Notes” will be available for staff use. This feature allows staff to enter individual notes, which will occupy their own fields and be sequentially arranged. Each Dated Note will have a box for Creator and Date, allowing easy view of information and updates.
- Dated Notes will be permission based, and systems may choose to create permissions that allow staff to Create Only, or, Create/Delete.
- Dated Notes may not be edited once they are populated, as this would invalidate the Creator/Date fields.
- Dated Note character limit maximum is 4,000, and Clarivate is seeking feedback from libraries on what would be a reasonable character limit you would like the development team to set.
- PIAC Tip: System Admins would be able to import existing Blocking/Non-Blocking Note text into Dated Notes of up to 4,000 characters, then toggle off Blocking/Non-Blocking Notes, and have staff to proceed with using only the Dated Note feature (at whichever permanent character limit is set).
Log File Access in the Web – Section Headings
- Log Files will be accessible in the web-based PolarisAdmin (https://portal.productboard.com/iii/6-innovative-product-status-board-new/c/1042-log-file-access-in-the-web). The new interface includes section headings and a search feature, to improve staff ability to search for particular transactions, error alerts, or trends in the files. This will be read-only, but allows system administrators to view log details without direct access to the server.
See the Polaris Product board for other features coming in 8.0 and make sure to comment on any specific use cases at your library.
Polaris Developer Resources – Site Updated
The Polaris team have made some changes to the Lib Guides and brought back the form, and the ILS sandbox links have been updated (with one exception, which is currently under review). If you haven’t stopped by recently, please check it out and share your feedback with the customer support team!
Polaris PAC VPAT
Clarivate has prepared and posted the Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) for the PAC Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) to the Clarivate’s Accessibility main page. Please visit https://clarivate.com/accessibility/, and enter “Polaris” into the search box for the report.
IUG 2026 Conference – Scholarship Applications
The IUG 2026 Conference scholarship entries will open from October 1st, 202 – October 31st, 2025. The PIAC team awards a few scholarships annually, and we encourage you to apply!
Keep an eye on https://innovativeusers.org/iug_2026.php for details.