A few weeks ago, we moved our online catalog to a different server, as part of a project that we are working on to improve the hardware and upgrade the software. We’re now preparing for the second stage of this project, which will require another round of downtime that we want to let you know about.
After that short period on Monday night, the online catalog will be available once again, although some functionality, like the ability to place holds or change your PIN, will remain unavailable. If you are planning to visit your local branch in person, there will also be some limits on what the library staff behind the desk can do - they won’t be able to make new library cards or update your address, but they can still check your books and DVDs in and out and help you pay fines as usual. On Thursday night, we will once again bring down the online catalog, and by Friday morning, everything will be up and running smoothly once again.
Once this stage is over, we’ll be using some really beefy hardware to run the catalog. You may not notice much difference, but behind the scenes, our server will be much more reliable and hard-working, and we’ll be able to fix problems much faster. Thank you for your patience with us - you’ve been very understanding, and that has helped us so much.
We also want to give a shout-out to all the public services staff at your neighborhood libraries. Whenever we have to make changes to the catalog system, we have a big impact on the tools that they use on a daily basis. All the librarians and library assistants kept their cool under pressure during our first migration a few weeks ago, and we think they’re doing an awesome job. If you happen to visit one of our branches soon and you agree with us, please feel free to let them know.
Have a question for Free Library staff? Please submit it to our Ask a Librarian page and receive a response within two business days.