Updated to add information 10:30 a.m. Friday
Earl: Brentwood residents expect the best
By KERRI BARTLETT
For Brentwood Home Page
Soon Brentwood residents and Brentwood Library cardholders will be able to brush up on their Brentwood history or reserve the latest Stephen King novel online “whether running in the park or working on your iPad at Bricks Café.”

That’s the word from Brentwood Library Director Susan Earl.

“We live in such a busy, mobile world, and we want to provide our patrons with an easy-to-use, interactive system that meets their needs.” SUSAN EARL Brentwood Library Directory

Brentwood City Commission recently authorized an agreement with Polaris Library Systems to replace the library’s existing computer operating system with a new Integrated Library System (ILS). The system will manage all library information and database functions including cataloging and circulation. The $150,000 project was included in the city’s Capital Projects Fund.

“Brentwood residents are sophisticated, educated, know what they want, and they deserve to have the best. I believe that the Polaris system is the best,” Earl said.

The library has been using the SirsiDynix ILS since 1991when the library opened. The Polaris ILS offers features that will significantly enhance patron experience and improve the efficiency of staff workflow. Earl said that the system’s efficiency will allow staff to spend less time on reports and more time with customers. The move is expected to also save the city about 37% on maintenance costs compared to the existing system.

The new upgrades include a children’s public access catalog, which Earl hopes will “nurture independence and promote life-long learning.” And she believes that the system’s ability to track patron’s check-out history, which has been requested by patrons for years, will be a welcomed addition.

“We live in such a busy, mobile world, and we want to provide our patrons with an easy-to-use, interactive system that meets their needs,” Earl said.

The following list represents some of the Polaris ILS most beneficial features:

• A specialized children’s catalog interface for both in-library and at-home use by patron

• An opt-in reading history for individual patrons, which has been requested by Brentwood patrons for years

• The ability to automatically e-mail patrons, based on preference, of new releases in desired categories with a direct link to place a hold on the featured item

• The ability to set a blackout date range easily for holds, to allow staff and patrons to identify a period of time during which it is not desirable to receive a requested item

• The ability to seamlessly integrate Novelist database content directly into item record display in catalog search results

• The ability to automatically notify patrons when an on-order item is canceled

• The ability to retain item data in patron financial histories even if that item is deleted

• A richly featured offline circulation mode, which permits new account registration and access to static patron account information via the staff client