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By Julie Clinefelter

Austin Public Library Director

Do you remember the card catalog?  The days of searching for a book by title, author or subject and finding the hand written 3×5 card with all the little publishing details about the book you were looking for?  Those of us who do, remember with nostalgia the old wooden cabinets with their long drawers.  What we may not all remember is how much work it was to keep those little square cards up to date with current information.

Many regard technology as a mixed bag of helpful time savers and less useful inconveniences, but anyone who works in the creation of library catalogs would tell you that technology has been a great leap forward for librarians trying to keep up with helping patrons find the items.  Especially in an era when approximately 11,000 books are published every day in the U.S.  Library computer systems, called Integrated Library Systems (ILS), make the process of both cataloging and retrieving items faster, more precise and easier for everyone involved.

The Austin Public Library’s last ILS update was in 2003.  Now, 22 years later, all Southeastern Libraries Cooperating (SELCO) regional libraries are preparing for a new computer migration. The new system, managed by SELCO for their member libraries, will be more intuitive, provide more data privacy features, be more mobile friendly, and overall create a smoother and more user-friendly experience.  This migration will take place the week of April 28.  Here is what you need to know:

• The library will be closed to the public on Monday, April 28, while staff complete training and prepare the library for the switch.   

• From now on, library cards will need to be presented (the physical card or a digital version) when checking out items.  New cards and replacement cards are free, and having that card in hand is the best way to ensure your data remains secure.

• All MNLink borrowing and lending will be suspended April 10 through May 6 to accommodate for the change in systems.

From Tuesday, April 29 through Thursday, May 1, 2025:

• What you will be able to do at the library: check out items from our library, use meeting and study rooms, access public computers, access copy machine and printers

• What you will NOT be able to do: renew checked out items, receive a new card, make new material requests, update library accounts, use self check machines, use the catalog computers

• We ask that for that one week you please do NOT bring back items to the library.  Nothing will have a due date that week and nothing will go overdue.  We will not be able to check items in until the migration is complete.

By the end of the week of April 28, the computer migration should be complete, and things at the library will return to normal with a shiny new, up to date computer system.  MNLink borrowing and lending will also resume once the migration is complete.  At that point, we invite you to come in and let our friendly staff show you what’s new at the Austin Public Library.