At long last, Beacon!

Next week the library will be closed Monday through Thursday while we install a new library system. I’m dreading it the way I dreaded teaching my kids to drive. My kids all learned and we will live through this transformation. While my girls still aren’t really comfortable with a standard transmission, I hope we will learn to love our new system.

Our library adopted an automated, computerized library system in 1992. It is a no-frills, workhorse of a system that is showing its age. The company that sold the system is no longer supporting it. It’s as if I were driving the same old van I drove in 1992 and GM no longer makes fan belts to fit.

Beacon is a new library system consortium. Approximately 100 school and public libraries in north central Iowa have gone together to purchase a system with all the bells and whistles that would have been prohibitively expensive for each individual library. Beacon will have lots of modern advantages for librarians such as email patron notification, simplified cataloging and a streamlined check-in, check-out system. Once Beacon is installed and running, patrons in the library will not notice any difference.

Patrons using the library’s webpage will see lots of differences. You will be able to log into your account, see what you have checked out, see when items are due, renew books online, and create lists of books you’ve read and books you want to read. The online card catalog will feature book covers, best seller lists and the option of searching not only our catalog, but the catalogs of all member libraries. Once Humboldt patrons have an actual library card they will be able to use our card at any Beacon library.

As of last week, the library has halted dvd checkout until the new system is in place. We didn’t want you to be racking up movie fines while we learned to operate the new system. We do have a large selection of donated dvds which we will loan to you on the honor system. Take a couple home with you. Watch and return to trade in for a couple more. The library will be closed next week April 19-22. The whole library staff will go for training for a day and a half. The rest of the time will be spent installing the program and making it operational. We hope to reopen at 10:00 a.m. Friday, April 23, with everything functioning perfectly. Life rarely goes that smoothly and for awhile we will be checking things into both the old system and the new one, to make sure that all checked-in items actually are removed from your account.

Nothing worthwhile comes without challenges. Bear with the library staff as we move into the new system. I promise it will be worth the wait @ your library.