Frequently Asked Questions About Aurora

Q. Why is the library replacing its current catalogue?
A. The Dynix library system is now over 20 years old and is no longer supported or able to be upgraded. It is beginning to fail and requires constant and expensive maintenance. It does not have a lot of the functionality that our customers are now demanding.
 
Q. Why did the library choose Aurora?
A. Aurora is an Australian owned and operated system that is easy to use and provides additional functions (such as SMS alerts). We are aware that many of our customers have been very happy with the existing catalogue so we are not going to make too many changes to start with. The company that owns and operates Aurora is very customer focused and highly responsive to our requirements.
 
Q. Will I still be able to use my current Melbourne Library Service card?
A. Yes - your current MLS card will still be valid. We will be slowly replacing library cards with our new MLS brand in 2008-2009.
 
Q. What happens to my loans and reservations?
A. All current and outstanding items on loan to you, and your reservations will be transferred to the new Aurora system.
 
Q. Will the library be closed at all?
A. Yes - we will need to close for three days in June to complete full testing and conversion. Over a weekend all MLS libraries (City, East Melbourne and North Melbourne) will close at 6pm on a Friday and be closed on the following Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
The exact dates will be advertised in the near future. We are doing everything we can to minimise disruption and inconvenience to our customers.
 
Q. Is the library catalogue likely to be unavailable at any time?
A. Yes, for the  three days the library is closed - one weekend in June we will need to stop access to the catalogue to complete conversion to the new catalogue. We expect to take the old Dynix catalogue offline at 6pm on a Friday and have the new Aurora catalogue available on the following Tuesday morning.