Program Title: Strength in Consistency: A Consortium’s Journey Toward Uniform Settings
Track: Polaris
Program Description: Over the past several years, our consortium has focused on making our shared system more consistent and easy to manage. By aligning settings and simplifying configuration across member libraries, we’ve reduced complexity, improved data quality, and made the system more intuitive for both staff and patrons. Areas of focus were: Reducing and standardizing collection codes Establishing standard loan periods Moving to automatic renewals consortium-wide Implementing a two-month or less embargo period for new items Reducing patron codes and expanding use of statistical class codes Consolidating fine codes for libraries still using them We’ll discuss how these changes were proposed, evaluated, and implemented across diverse member libraries, along with the challenges, lessons learned, and benefits realized. Attendees will gain insights into how standardization can enhance efficiency, improve reporting, and deliver a more consistent patron experience.
Speaker/ Information: Sarah St. Martin. Systems Librarian, GMILCS
This was the one set of slides I immediately shared with my co-workers…yes before my own. Also made sure to emphasis that Yes, they really did get down to 1 loan rule over the course of a single meeting.
I don’t love that we have 600+ collection codes, but shelf location management in Polaris IS TERRIBLE! And I would rather have more collection codes than shelf locations any day of the week.
Try 5,800+ collection codes (Sierra location codes) at a medium sized, non-consortial library system, @wesochuck! And that’s without the Rapido partner library codes and after clearing out some cobwebs earlier this year.