The Burlington Public Library is getting ready for a major update! In 1991 BPL went from using a card catalog system to an online computer system called an Integrated Library system (ILS). This computer software is what we use to manage all of our circulating items (a whopping 160,000 items!) as well as all patron records (over 16,000). This software helps us to keep all 176,000 of our ducks in a row - no small feat! After 32 years of using the same ILS software, we are upgrading to a new system and couldn’t be more thrilled about it. 

 

The new system will help us to manage our collection on a more granular level, make the patron experience infinitely easier for searching for materials on our online catalog, and will be more financially friendly on our budget. It’s a win-win-win! 

 

Our current ILS will go offline on Saturday, March 4th at 5 PM and will remain offline until we go live with our new software on Friday, March 10th at 12 PM. With the immense amount of data we are migrating it will take a full week to complete the project. During that time (March 6th - 9th) our doors will remain open to the public, our WiFi and computers will be up and running and we will be able to manually check material in and out. What won’t be available is our self check-out stations and patron accounts. We will have a delayed opening on Friday, March 10th at 12 PM in order to give library staff the morning to go through training and practice with the new ILS before we go live with it at noon that day. 

 

This is an incredibly exciting and BIG project for us at BPL, and we ask for your patience during the migration week. We are constantly looking at how we can make our library cutting edge and accessible to all, and a new ILS will help launch us into a better experience for both staff and patrons. Thank you for your patience, support and enthusiasm during this exciting time! 

 

Brittany Jacobs

Library Director