Polaris Find Tool
Answer
Polaris Find Tool
The Polaris Find Tool is used by library staff to accomplish many searches. However, when helping patrons conduct a search, it is recommended that you use the public access catalogue, TRACpac, instead. Teaching patrons to use the catalogue empowers them to easily conduct searches on their own, both in the library and at home.
You can use the Polaris Find Tool to search for existing records and to perform actions with these records without having to open them. You can use the Find Tool to do a basic search, or you can use various options to narrow your search more precisely.
The Find Tool appears when you select a record type from the Polaris Shortcut Bar, or when you click Find on work forms and dialog boxes.
Item Record Search: Cataloguing > Item Records – A record that identifies a particular item in the library collection
Bibliographic Record Search: Cataloguing > Bibliographic Records – A record which is the primary source of an Item Record. These records contain all or some of the following information: title, main entry, subject headings, call number, and description of item.
Select the type of search and then type the word or phrase to use for the search. Some of the common uses for Find Tools are: placing holds, searching for patrons who have forgotten their library card, searching for library materials, and accessing an item’s holds queue. You select the type of record you are searching for, the criteria you want to search by, and the type of search, and then type the word or phrase that you want to use for your search.
You can have multiple Find Tools open at once. The title bar of each Find Tool displays the object and access point selected for that search. For example, if you are searching for an item record by barcode, the title bar displays Item Records - Barcode Find Tool.
Example used: Bibliographic Records. Found under: Cataloguing > Bibliographic records, or press F12