About Organizations in Polaris

Using organizations, you can configure a hierarchy of libraries and branches that describes your library system. You can then customize permissions and administrative settings for each organization.

This section covers the following topics:

Types of Organizations

There are three types of organizations in Polaris:

The system record is the highest-level organization record in the hierarchy of organizations in Polaris. There can be only one system record, and it is created when your library first installs Polaris.

The system record can represent a single library, or it can represent an organization or consortium with thousands of branches that all share the same Polaris installation.

You can edit the system record, but you cannot delete it. For more information, see Edit the System Record.

The library record is the second-level organization record in the hierarchy of Polaris organizations.

A library record can represent an organization that administers one or more branches. It can have a physical location, but it is not required to. All branches, collections, workstations, and staff members that belong to a library are directly or indirectly linked to the parent library record.

If the library record represents a physical location that circulates material, you must create a corresponding branch record for it.

You can add and edit library records. For more information, see Add a Library or Edit a Library.

The branch record is the third-level organization record in the hierarchy of Polaris organizations. Branches represent physical locations where patrons check in and check out books and other materials. All patron records and circulation transactions are associated with a branch. Each branch must be associated with a parent library record.

You can add and edit branch records. For more information, see Add a Branch or Edit a Branch.

Sample Organization Configurations

A Polaris system that consists of

Has the following organization records

One physical location

  • The system record

  • One library record

  • One branch record

One main library and three branches, all of which have physical locations that circulate material

  • The system record

  • One library record

  • Four branch records

Configuring Settings and Permissions for Organizations

Once you set up the organizations in your Polaris system, you can customize the administrative settings and permissions that apply to each organization. For more information, see Settings and Tables and Permission Groups.

The administrative settings you configure at the system level are inherited by all the child organizations in the system. The administrative settings you configure at the library level are inherited by all the library's branches. Libraries and branches can customize their administrative settings if they require different settings than the ones inherited from parent organizations.

Some settings are available only at the system level. Other settings are only available at the library or branch level.

Note:
You can also configure some administrative settings and permissions at the workstation level or at the staff member level.