Aspen 23.02 release adds updates to reading history and holds

by Kalleen Marquise on Feb 15, 2023

One of wonderful things about working so closely with our Aspen libraries and community contributors is that certain topics seem to bubble up in conversations at the same time. This allows us to focus in on those topics and problem solve for many libraries all at once. Some of the topics we've heard a lot about recently are reading history and holds, so we were able to focus on those areas in the 23.02 release."

The Aspen 23.02 release includes dozens of partner requested updates. One of wonderful things about working so closely with our Aspen libraries and community contributors is that certain topics seem to bubble up at the same time. This allows us to focus in on those topics and problem solve for many libraries all at once. One of the topics we've heard a lot about recently is reading history. One of the concerns we heard from libraries running two patron-facing systems in parallel is the need for reading history to sync across legacy ILS and Aspen Discovery. In this release, we added two new options for libraries using Carl.X, Koha, Millennium, Sierra or Symphony.

The settings are:

• Opting in to Reading History Updates ILS settings
• Opting out of Reading History Updates ILS settings

With these settings, changes made in Aspen can now be reflected as well within the ILS.

Another thing related to reading history we heard from libraries was being able to enable reading history for specific patron types instead of on or off. Customizations via patron type became even more configurable in this release because you can now enable/disable reading history by patron type!

Another area we know is very important to patrons and staff is ease of use when placing holds. We now have made the "On Hold for You" button appear instantaneously after a hold is placed on a record. Then, the user will see right away that their hold was successful. Additionally, if a user still tries to place a hold on the same format again, a clear notice will pop up that reads, "This title is already on hold for you. Are you sure you want to place a duplicate hold?"

When it comes to holds, we didn't forget about our Aspen LiDA users! In the new release, holds can be filtered, sorted, and are now clearly separated into pending and ready for pickup.

These are just a few of the highlights of the Aspen 23.02 release. To see a complete list of the 50+ updates to Aspen Discovery and Aspen LiDA, check out our release notes.

This release includes code contributions from:

• ByWater Solutions
• Equinox Open Library Initiative
• Nashville Public Library

Thanks to all of our contributors and our community for another successful release!

Read the Full Release Notes

You can find the full release notes here.

Watch a Preview of the Release

About Aspen Discovery

Aspen is a full-featured Discovery System that integrates with eContent and other third-party providers, giving your patrons comprehensive access to all of your materials in one place. Aspen combines your library catalog with e-content, digital archives, and enrichment from all major third-party providers. It also improves relevancy and ease of use, provides native reading recommendations, displays all formats of titles within one result (record grouping), and much more. With included features like web builder and mobile app (Aspen LiDA), Aspen was created to give users an improved experience over other Discovery systems, with less impact on library budgets.

For More Information

Jessica Zairo
Director of Library Sales and Outreach
ByWater Solutions
bywatersolutions.com
Phone:(888)900-8944