February AspenCat Users’ Group Meeting Overview

Welcoming new libraries, a new AspenCat team member, a Prospector/SWIFT update and MORE! Look below to see our meeting agenda and notes. You can also listen to the meeting here.

1. Welcome!
   • Please join us in welcoming our new AspenCat team member, Jon Frederick! He will be sharing a little bit about himself with you all soon!
   • Also, we are welcoming Norwood Schools and Trinidad State College to AspenCat!
2.  Discovery Layer Updates
   • Customizable Browse Categories by Patron
     • Patrons can now hide certain browse categories they don’t want to see
     • We can set up customized browse categories for your patrons based on their saved searches, lists, and recommendations (they have to be logged in and using these features for them to show up). Send in a ticket if you want those set up for your library
   • Two factor authentication is available
   • Help us out with Spanish translations! Let us know if you or a patron see something that needs translated and you know the Spanish translation
3.  CDOC Update
   • Migrating 22 DOC libraries onto AspenCat starting in March. They will be partitioned onto their own version of Koha
   • Some developments we are doing with DOC may be of interest to your library
   • Koha to Koha ILL between these libraries and AspenCat libraries may be possible in the future
4.  Prospector/SWIFT Update
   • A few of our libraries are piloting the borrowing feature now, it’s going very well Comment: Kara from Lyons says it is glorious!
   • Integrated into Koha, so it will be much more seamless
   • Those who are using RSB will be moved to this at some point
   • You can email us or Marisa if you want to be in the next group (mwood@coloradovirtuallibrary.org)
5.  PLAR Webinar
   • We had a webinar to show how AspenCat can help you with your PLAR this year
     • You can find that recording on the CLiC website
6.  Searchable Patron Attributes
   • Patron attributes are now searchable (can search for graduation year, teacher, etc.). You can see those attributes on the left without having to go to the Details section of the patron account
7.  New process for AspenCat Maintenance Invoices
   • Invoices were a bit delayed this year since we are using a new process with Proposify. You will receive a proposal, accept that, and then an invoice will be sent to you within a few weeks
8.  Holds Updates
   • Placing holds slowness – taking a very long time to place holds on records with a lot of items, we have a fix coming, but not yet. You can let it run in the background or you can log into the Discovery Layer as the patron (or have them do it) and place the hold (it goes much faster)
   • Placing holds with wrong pickup location – If it is forcing you to choose a pickup location that is not your library (unless you’re in a library group with that library), you should not be placing that hold
   • We are seeing quite a few of these holds go through, so we will begin emailing libraries that are placing these holds as they happen
9.  Library Directory Updated
   • The library directory can be found at the top of your Koha page. It is currently up-to-date with courier code information and whether or not a library is resource sharing

Please send in a ticket if you want any of these changes implemented or if you have any questions!