ODIN Polaris Libraries - Welcome Back Information 2024

***sent to ODIN-PKS-LIBS***

We hope you enjoyed your summer! The ODIN Office has some important information for you as the new school year begins and Fall approaches.

General Announcements:

  • We are excited to welcome Central Valley School Library as the newest member of ODIN! They plan to be live on Polaris before the end of 2024.
  • EBSCO’s Academic Search Complete was renewed through June 30th, 2025 thanks to a collaborative agreement between ODIN libraries and Minitex which ensured statewide access for an additional year. 
  • The ODIN Office, along with representatives from the ND State Library, CDLN, and the Fargo Public Library, has submitted a Request for Information (RFI) to vendors evaluating the technical and financial potential for a statewide ILL ‘Bridge’ solution.  
  • ODIN K-12 libraries can now opt out of resource sharing – both lending and borrowing. Polaris will ‘ignore’ these locations when trying to fill title-level requests. 
  • The ODIN Office offers one-on-one Polaris training and configuration consultation sessions for all member library staff. 

Polaris News:

  • Polaris Leap was successfully upgraded to version 7.6 on June 6th, 2024.
  • The ODIN Office conducted an informational session highlighting some of the new 7.6 features most relevant to the ODIN libraries. 
  • Polaris Permissions were restructured over the summer with the goal of alleviating issues associated with accidentally impacting other libraries’ patron records, item records, and hold requests. Moving forward, records/requests belonging to libraries other than the owning library are read-only. For patron records, access to current and past circulation information has also been limited, to aid in patron privacy concerns. 
  • A handful of ODIN libraries are beta testing LX Starter – an enhancement to our email notification templates and we hope to have general release later this Fall. This will also improve security and deliverability of email messages at no additional cost to members.  
  • Recent changes made by phone carriers (especially T-Mobile & Sprint) have further reduced the reliability of our current SMS (text notices) solution and we do not recommend text as the primary notification option at this time. The ODIN office is exploring our options to find a long-term solution that is cost effective. Short term, we have a workaround, so please submit a Help Ticket for assistance.
  • Polaris is now requiring all staff who access the Polaris Client to do so from a registered IP address. If you only use Polaris Leap or do not access the Client from outside your library, no action is needed. If you require access to the Polaris Client from outside the library (i.e. from home), please contact the ODIN Office for additional information.

Databases/Online Library Resources:

Staff Resources on the ODIN Website:

  • Please visit your designated Library Details page to verify your library’s current Contact Information, Staff Directory, and ILL Information. 
    • Let us know if any updates are needed. Please provide Name, Title, Phone #, and Email address for new staff.
  • All upcoming events, meetings, and trainings can be found on the homepage calendar.
  • ODIN-created Polaris tutorials are available to all staff. If you’re new to Polaris or need a refresher, Start Here!
  • New staff will need a login for access to certain areas of the website, request one here.

Reports:

  • The ODIN Office can create customized reports for you upon request and schedule them to be delivered automatically to your email inbox. You choose which reports and how often you’d like to receive them! 
    • Example reports available: Loan Report, Overdue Report, Report of Lost or Missing Items, Picklist report, etc.
  • For staff that would like to learn to create their own reports, check out Simply Reports Basics or schedule a one-on-one training with ODIN staff.

Listservs/Mailing Lists:

  • ODIN offers a variety of listservs for library staff to stay informed:
    • ODIN-PKS-LIBS – General announcements and information
    • ODIN-PKS-OAC – ODIN Public, K-12, & Specialized Library Directors
  • User Group Listservs (meeting invites, agenda topics, updates, and relevant discussions)
    • ODIN-PKS-CAT – Cataloging
    • ODIN-PKS-CIRC – Circulation & ILL (Interlibrary loan)
    • ODIN-PKS-DISCOVERY – PAC (Public Access Catalog)/Discovery
    • ODIN-PKS-ACQSER – Acquisitions/Serials 
    • NDDR – staff from libraries participating in the ND Overdrive Consortium 
  • Just  let us know if you or other library staff would like to be added to or removed from any of the above listservs. Please provide Name & Email address for updates.

User Groups:

  • Online Polaris user group meetings are available for any and all interested staff members to attend. 
  • They are a great way to connect with your fellow library staff across ODIN-land to discuss relevant topics and receive updates from the ODIN Office.
  • Invites for meetings are sent out on each user group’s designated listserv. If you are interested in attending, but have not received an invite, please request one from the ODIN Office.
  • All meetings are recorded and posted to the ODIN website for those unable to attend live.

The ODIN Office is here to help!

  • Please submit an ODIN Help Ticket whenever you need us. We welcome all questions, requests, and feedback!