Knowledge Base: Library Help

For a printable copy of these instructions, including screenshots, please see the links below this article. 

There are two methods to find your book allotment balance in Leap. 

Method 1: Leap Find Tool

Click to skip to Method 2: SRSS Fund Hierarchy Report

1. Open the Find Tool in the top middle of the Polaris home screen.
2. Click the first dropdown (it usually, but not always, reads “Item Record”) and select “Fund” from the dropdown menu.
3. Type your library code into the search bar and press the Enter key or click the magnifying glass icon to search.
4. Click on the “Fiscal Year” column to sort the results by year.
5. Scroll up or down to find the most current. (Note: The scroll bar sort of half-disappears unless you’re hovering your mouse over it, you kinda just have to have faith that it’ll be there.)
6. Click the checkbox to the left of the fund you want to view. (Note: Again, the checkboxes don’t appear until you’re hovering your mouse over them.)
7. Click the “Open” button at the bottom to view your fund.
8. Your balance will be in the “Balance” area on the home page, but to see more details, open the “Balances” tab below it.

Method 2: SRSS Fund Hierarchy Report

1. Open the Utilities menu at the top right corner of Leap. From the menu, select “Reports and Notices (SRSS)”
2. Leap will prompt you to log in again – use your regular Leap login (nl\NA[librarycode][firstinitial][lastname] and the password you use for Microsoft). If your browser asks you if you want to save your password after signing in, saying 'yes' will allow you to skip the extra login step entirely in future.
3. Click on the Polaris folder, then the Acquisitions folder, to open them.
4. Click on the “Fund Hierarchy Report”.
5. Click the “Select a Value” dropdown and choose “[current year] AEPNL”.
6. Click “View Report”.
7. This report will contain all the libraries’ fund reports, so you will need to scroll down until you find yours.

The amount under 'Free' is the amount still left to spend, but sometimes some money will come back from the 'Encumbered' amount. This is because of the discounts Northern Lights sometimes receives on purchases.

It may also be helpful to look at the % spent and compare that to how far along you are in the calendar year.

For more information on book allotment, see NLLS' Book Allotment policy in the links below this article.