USING POLARISNavigating your ILS like a hacker

Daniel Messer (@bibrarian)

Web Content Manager

Maricopa County Library District

Hello, my name is Dan.

• Almost 20 years in the library world

• 17 years in public library circulation

• Polaris user since ~1999

• Technology and FOSS enthusiast

• Web content enthusiast

• Podcaster (Cyberpunk Librarian)

• Author

• Digital creative (music, illustration, video,

etc.)

Wait, what?

I don’t want to hack Polaris!

Oddly enough, hacker has

two meanings….

1. A person who isn’t good at

something.

2. A person who’s an expert at

something.

This is your PAC, there are many like it

but this one is yours.

You are a professional and

this is not your primary tool.

See this right here?

This is the thing you’re supposed to use.

But each tool has its

own set of limitations.

You ever see this guy

use just a single tool?

Polaris isn’t good for everything. Sorry.

Remember you have other options besides the PAC

and the Polaris Toolbar!

• Fantastic Fiction

• Amazon

• Goodreads

• Novelist

• Fan sites

• And more! You have a lot of tools available to you.

Use them!

The street finds its own uses for things.

~William Gibson — Burning Chrome

In Polaris, there are multiple ways to do almost everything.

Check out:

• Click circulation -> Check Out

• Press F3

• Type ALT R U

• Click reddish-brown circle and then first icon

Create a new patron account:

• Click File -> New -> Scroll to Patron Record

• Type ALT F N P

Open PowerPAC Profiles

• Click Administration -> Explorer -> System ->

System:LIBRARYNAME -> Profiles -> PowerPAC

• Type ALT M X S {Right Arrow} {Down Arrow} {Down Arrow}

{Tab} {Right Arrow x 4}

• Yes I totally do this several times per week

Basically it goes like this…

If you want to increase the

speed at which you use Polaris

Then stop using your mouse so often.

The keyboard is your friend.

It makes everything faster.

Tune technology into your way of life

and let the technology work for you.

~Knightwise

Find your flow!

• Because there are many ways to do something, find the

one that works the best for you.

• No one way is better than another. The user is in control

and makes the decision.

• Yes, that means you can use the mouse if it works best

for you.

• Try new things! Poke the box!

• Most importantly, share what you know.

There are shortcuts everywhere!

And it’s totally okay to use them.

Polaris shortcuts:

• Look at your menus on your toolbar

• Press the ALT key and see what lights up

• Check out the help menu and documentation

Windows shortcuts:

• CTRL C, X, V (Copy, cut, paste)

• CTRL Z (Undo)

• ALT TAB (Switch between applications)

• Windows D (Minimize all windows)

• Windows key and start typing

Intelligence is the ability to

avoid doing work,

yet getting the work done.

~Linus Torvalds

You are cordially invited

To R.T.F.M

Be curious. Read widely.

Try new things.

I think a lot of what

people call intelligence

just boils down to curiosity.

~Aaron Swartz

Questions?

Daniel Messer

Web Content Manager

danielmesser@mcldaz.org

@bibrarian

cyberpunklibrarian.com/podcast

Images thanks to:

DC Comics

Free Culture Foundation

Knightwise

The Merry Monk

PBS

Pixabay

Wikimedia Commons