Polaris Inventory Manager

Presented by Mike Hensel

London Public Library

mhensel@mylondonlibrary.org

740-852-9543

Getting started with Hardware

Things you will need to use Inventory Manager

• A license and software from Polaris/iii (Annual service

agreement)

• Mobile device (Windows-based laptop or tablet with

Bluetooth connectivity)

• Barcode Scanner (wired or Bluetooth wireless)

• Connectivity to your Polaris network via wireless or wire

• Documentation found at https://supportal.polarislibrary.com. You will need credentials to long into the portal. Your Polaris system admin can help you out with getting the documentation.

Advantages of using Inventory Manager

It allows you to view the real-time status of a complete collection of library materials while being in the stacks.

What can you do with that knowledge? • Discover missing library items• Discover items that are misshelved• Discover if an item is on hold or not checked in• Discover if an item has been wrongly cataloged • Determine if an item needs weeded by its circ count

Getting Connected

Your first step is to connect the PIM software to your Polaris server and Barcode scanner.

To find what com port your Bluetooth scanner is on, right click on it in the “Devices and Printers” in Windows and go to the “Properties” tab and then “Hardware” tab.

Loading a Collection

Select your library if you are in a consortium.

Shelf locations as an option.

Call # range to load.

Additional CollectionOptions

You can import Record Sets.

Select your Collections

Click “Load” when you are done.

Setting Your Viewing Preferences

Set your viewing “Preferences” and how the software will interact when processing items.

Updating Polaris & Getting Reports

Once you are done, you can update and generate a report on your progress by going to the “Update” or “Reports” tabs.

Select the type of Sub-reports you would like to have with the General Report. You can view past reports by

clicking on the “Reports” tab. To select a Report just highlight it and click on “Display” to view the PDF report.

Questions???

Leverage your Polaris ILS to help you manage your collection.