[as published in the Sexsmith Sentinel]

by Sheryl Pelletier

It’s a whole new library world out there… Polaris has arrived.  This marks the fifth transition that Shannon Library has gone through since computers became a part of our library’s life.  I have to admit that the first day was rather traumatic, with several hundred gray hairs spontaneously erupting from my head; but with counseling, I hope to lead a normal life soon.  I am actually becoming quite excited about the potential that this program has.  Did you know that it will allow you to track the books you have read?  And that it will e-mail you an almost-overdue notice?  Or that you can set it up to let you know (by e-mail) if a favorite author or hobby book has been added to the collection?

All of these things mean that you will have to bear with library staff as our learning curve slowly unbends towards something approaching normal in the next few months.

You can check out this new system by searching for books at www.tracpac.ab.ca.  If you would like a guided tour or little hints on how to search more effectively, pop in to the library for a quick tutorial or pick up one of our handy brochures.