Using Aspen in a Consortium
Aspen has customization options that allow branches in a consortium to control catalog design, search results, scoping, and more. Here are a few details:
Catalog Design
Each library can have an individual URL for their catalog and their own exclusive themes. This allows each branch to use their own specific logos or colors. Themes are created in Administration > Themes. Each Aspen site can have as many themes as they would like. Each library system can select the theme to display in Administration > Primary Configuration > Library Systems > [library system] > Basic Display. The theme at the top of the list is what will display. Themes can be changed at any time.
Custom Search Results
Each library system and location can have a different combination of settings. In the Administration > Primary Configuration > Library System > [library system] > Searching:
The first option is to Restrict Search By Library. Checking this box will limit search results to items from this library only. Libraries can also limit the lists that might appear as well.
The Combined Results accordion controls whether combined results are enabled and which options included in the a combined results search.
These same settings are available in Administration > Primary Configuration > Locations > [location], which defines the search settings for the location.
If a library enters an IP address in Administration > Primary Configuration > Library Systems > IP Addresses and assigns a location, Aspen will follow the configuration specified in the branch location settings. This will change the terminology displayed to the patron when doing a search. For example, if a patron searches the catalog at the library location, then the catalog will say It's Here instead of On Shelf.
Scoping
Each library system and location can scope their catalog to display the materials they would like. Scoping sets a series of parameters that determines what records are included in a library catalog. A Consortium may have a library system catalog that includes the materials from all library systems and locations. If each branch has their own library system and locations, then the catalog can be scoped to only display the items for the branch. There are some additional scoping options for third-party integrations such as Overdrive, Hoopla, Open Archives, Side Loads, and other integrations.
In Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Library Systems > Records To Include, is the primary setting to define what is included in the Aspen catalog. A typical setup will look like this:
Additional scoping options can add scoping configurations for item types, collection codes, shelving locations, and formats. A library system can add scopes from multiple locations.
Permissions
A consortium may have a lot of staff that need access to Aspen Administration. Permission management begins by creating permission roles. Each role can then be assigned specific permissions for a library system or location. This means library staff can be granted access to only their specific branch.
Default Roles
There are various default administrator roles in Aspen when you first get set up. Let’s take a look at some key roles, however your library and/or support organization may have renamed or modified some roles already. Examples include [Consortium Name] Full Admin and [Consortium Name] Library Admin.
Head into System Administration > Permissions to take a look!
- opacAdmin: Can manage all administrative settings within Aspen Discovery. This includes user administration and masquerade permissions. If a user has this role, they don’t need any other roles (similar to superlibrarian in the Koha ILS)
- libraryAdmin: Can manage all administrative settings related to the home library associated with their account. This ensures that these users can only see and edit settings/content related to their own libraries, and restricts them from being able to see and edit settings for other libraries.
These two roles make the basic distinction between an administrator for the entire consortium (opacAdmin) and for a specific library (libraryAdmin). Let’s dive into the main differences among their permissions.
All Libraries vs Home Libraries vs Home Locations
When browsing a permissions section, you may find a function that is similarly repeated two or three times. For example, under Primary configuration, there are options for Administer All Libraries, Administer Home Library, and Administer Home Location. A systems administrator role for the entire consortia would want Administer All Libraries selected. A role with only Administer Home Library would only be able to control settings for the library listed as their home library. Likewise, Administer Home Location can be used for libraries with branches to assign granular permissions to a branch manager or similar role.
After you finalize permissions for your roles, you can either assign those roles individually via System Administration > Administration Users, or you can assign roles to specific staff categories in Primary Configuration > Patron Types.
In Aspen, Library System refers to a library service with its own Aspen website/scoped catalog. A location typically refers to a branch of the library.