Lemont Library to Transition to New Catalog: What Patrons Can Expect

Starting June 14, patrons at the will begin using a new card catalog, the result of a partnership with the , , Shorewood-Troy, Fountaindale and library districts.

But in the meantime, library officials are asking patrons to delay renewing items, placing holds or requesting materials through interlibrary loan June 6-13.

“We'll be off-line for the next week, resulting in a few temporary changes in services," Library Director Sandra Pointon said.

Beginning Thursday, library staff members will begin work to transition to the new, six-member system. The move requires all member libraries to be off-line as they transfer data from the old system to the new.

"People are still able to check out materials," Pointon said. But account information will not be current, and card catalog searches may not have the most up-to-date information.

The Lemont Library will maintain regular hours of operation during the transition. Patrons can still enjoy reciprocal borrowing privileges at most Illinois public libraries, as well as public computer, Internet, scanner and printer access in Lemont.

Once the new system is up and running on June 14, patrons will be able to take advantage of new features.

"It's much more powerful and will be very intuitive for patrons," Pointon said of the Pinnacle system.

The new database will have an enhanced search feature, Pointon said. Patrons will also have the ability to create usernames, rather than having to remember their 14-digit library card number, and will be able to keep track of their reading history.

The system will also have an app available through iTunes, Pointon said.

"We'll have plenty of new features that will make the library experience much better for patrons," she said.

The Lemont Public Library, located at 50 E. Wend St., will host an open house, the "Taste of Pinnacle," on Monday, June 18. The event will feature refreshments, demonstrations, contests and a special appearance by Clifford the Big Red Dog at 4 p.m.

The six Pinnacle districts to form the new group.

Fountaindale Executive Director Paul Mills, chairman of the Pinnacle governing board, said the primary motivation of the new cooperative is to provide better service to patrons.

"(The six libraries) have a shared history of collaboration, so we're looking to build on that history with Pinnacle," he said.

While patrons can no longer place items on hold from all 76 PrairieCat members, they can still use their library cards at any of the libraries in the new Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS) “mega-system.”

For more information, visit www.lemontlibrary.org.

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