Arlington Public Library

Library Catalog Transition FAQ


What is a modern library catalog anyway?
It’s an integrated library system linking together the catalog search, patron records and accounts, behind-the-scenes operations including everything from purchasing to holds, and, in Arlington, eight physical Library sites plus our busy online “digital branch.”

So all the millions of pieces of information in the old system must be transferred carefully to the new one. That takes time and care.

Here’s what the transition means to you –
Monday, Feb. 7 – Sunday, Feb. 13, 8:59:59 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 13, 9:00 p.m.

  • Old system is shut down and catalog migration begins
  • Online services including catalog, accounts, premium sites become UNAVAILABLE
  • Unclaimed holds are cleared from holds shelf

Monday, Feb. 14 – later in the week

* Catalog
* Holds
* User accounts
* Fine payments
* Kids programs, including all storytimes
* eCollections
* Premium Sites in the Research Portal

When will the new catalog system be up and the Library running normally again?
We expect the new system to be running toward the end of the week of Feb. 13 but we don’t know precisely beforehand because the technology can’t be tested until the transition is in full swing.

Holds:

  • Your old hold requests will transfer to your account in the new system
  • Your place in the queue for an item will not change
  • Holds held “In Transit” will reach the holds shelf the week of Feb. 20
  • Because of a technical issue, telephone notification to pick up holds will not be available for a few weeks–please check your account or call 703-228-5990 for updates

Fines:

  • Old fines on overdue items will still accrue during days of transition
  • No fine payments can be processed during transition
  • No materials are due between Feb. 13 and Feb. 28
  • Items can be renewed after the new catalog system is running

Returns:

  • Returns will be stockpiled, then checked-in after new system is running
  • Items returned during transition will be checked-in with a return date of Feb. 12

Why get the new system?

  • The old catalog system is 12 years old and the maintenance contract was expiring
  • The old system was technically outdated, and didn’t offer many features the Library needed and patrons requested
  • The new system pays for itself in less than four years because of lower maintenance costs compared to the old system
  • The new system was purchased as joint project with Arlington Public Schools and Friends of the Arlington Public Library

New features of the new system:

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. The Wifi is not connected to the catalog system, so it will be available at all Library locations during the migration.

  3. The post states that in transit holds are not available after the 7th of February, yet this post was not published until the 10th. Why wasn't this notice posted before the week-plus period when patrons would not be able to access holds?

  4. Anonymous,We apologize for not being able to alert you to this sooner. It was added to our earlier post about Library services during transition on Feb. 8, when we realized that we had failed to include it. Then on Feb. 9 we wrote a News post just about in-transit holds, to make sure the information got out.Fortunately, the Library doesn't go through a transition like this very often (the last one was 12 years ago). But unfortunately, there are a HUGE number of details to keep track of, and in this case we just didn't recognize the issue in time to give our users an early warning.

  5. I wish you were not going to make patrons start using pin numbers. I already have to remember a whole bunch of pin numbers and passwords- so many that I have to writ ethem down. And I know a lot of people are in the same situation. Please, if you must insist on pin numbers, don't make us use weird characters, or change them every few months.

  6. Will there still be an option to use the Classic catalogue as we have been able to do until February 13th of this year. It was more user friendly, you could designate which branches of the library system to search, what type of media you were looking for etc. Many people rely on it and use it, myself included. The other system gave you too many choices and was overwhelming to look at. Please consider a Classic option for those that prefer and rely on that instead.

  7. Will the library have any sort of list or webpage which indicates new items added to the catalog? I like to look for new dvds and cds online and what I usually do is perform a search using the current year. But the list just gets longer and longer as the year goes on and I have to keep going through it alphabetically. It would be great if there were some place to periodically check what has been added to the catalog in the past week or even month. Or is there a way to sort search results by date added to the catalog like what you can do with the eCollection search results? Thanks.

  9. mosprott -We just checked for updates on the mobile holds – our tech team is working on it, and we'll let you know as soon as it becomes available.

  10. Anonymous on Feb. 16, in regards to the classic catalog search -Check out the new Advanced Search on the catalog – we think you'll find it gives you the same flexibility and options as the old Classic search.

  11. Anonymous on Feb. 16, in regards to new book lists – Have you checked out our Find a Good Read page? We regularly feature new items on the Library's home page, but you can also subscribe by email to particular lists of new items.

  12. Anonymous on Feb. 16, in regards to PIN numbers -You will have to use a 4 digit numeric PIN to log into your account, but you are 100% in control of if and when you change it. You can create you pin today, and leave it the same number for as long as you want.

  13. I also search by year to find new books that are comng. I would put in, for example, 2011 and fiction and get all the new fiction on order and on the shelves. that's not working with the new system. there are currently 143 adult fiction books listed if you go the new catalogue way and yet I've put in the titles of books and found them- but not on the list. How can I search the way I used to? Also, I can't figure out the order in which the 143 are returned==it's not alphabetical by either title or author nor is it by date of order. what order is it in?

  14. How do you create a user name? I created a pin number but I didn't see an option to create a user name.

  15. Anonymous on Feb. 20 – We haven't set up the Username option yet, but we expect to soon. When it is set up, you will be able to log into your account and create it there. We'll let you know as soon as Usernames become available.

  16. Anonymous on Feb. 19, in regards to search for new books, and how they are organized -You can still search for any keyword and then use the limiters on the left side of the results screen (in the gray boxes) to limit bypublication year, format, and fiction.But there's a more exact way to get what you want, and we've provided a link to the search strategy on the catalog's start page. Look for the BROWSE: heading, and click on "New Fiction" to see all books published in 2010-2011. Once you see the results, you can still use the filters on the left to limit to just 2011, or other criteria.



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