The Polaris April 2026 release is here, bringing practical updates to support staff efficiency, simplify holds management, and better accommodate consortia needs.
Many of these improvements are aimed at everyday workflows, particularly in technical services and request handling, helping staff move through tasks more easily and stay in control.
What’s new
Enhanced Find Tool for More Flexible Record Management
The Find Tool has been expanded from a dialog into a full workform, allowing staff to keep searches open while navigating between records. With support for multiple concurrent Find Tools and the option to open results in new tabs, staff can now manage and compare records more efficiently.
Bulk Updates for Hold Requests
Managing large volumes of requests is now significantly easier. New bulk change functionality in the Request Manager and Picklist enables authorized staff to update pickup locations, pickup areas, held-until dates, and expiration dates in a single action – especially valuable during temporary branch closures or service disruptions.
Greater Control with Customizable Type of Material (TOM)
Libraries can now configure Type of Material (TOM) logic beyond previous system limitations. With support for any MARC field and the ability to define custom TOM values, this enhancement gives libraries more control over how materials are categorized and presented to patrons.
Expanded Hold Pickup Flexibility for Consortia
This release introduces enhanced configuration for hold pickup restrictions, enabling items to be restricted to any branch within a member library. This provides greater operational flexibility for consortia libraries managing complex, multi-branch environments.
Additional Enhancements
- New patron alert note functionality
- Ability to define hold cancellation reasons
- Improvements to tables and record set management
Learn More
Starting with this release, all new Polaris documentation will be published in the Unified Knowledge Portal, providing a single, centralized place to access release notes, system requirements, and product documentation.
For full details, explore the What’s New in Polaris April 2026 release notes.
Get Started
If you’re planning your upgrade or have questions about the release, our Support team is here to help, log in to the Support Center and select Submit a Case in the navigation header.