Cedar Knolls, NJ – MAIN Libraries, a northern New Jersey shared services consortium of 49 public libraries, has announced the launch of a new catalog interface for library users that will empower the searching of physical materials, digital content, and much more.

Starting January 10, 2022, library card holders at MAIN member libraries will discover a new catalog website using a product called Aspen by a company named ByWater Solutions.

"The new catalog was designed to blend the online shopping experience we've become accustomed to with discovering all the different services that a library offers, rather than only focusing on traditional physical library materials and perhaps eBooks," said Phillip Berg, MAIN Executive Director. "Each library will also have far more customization options when it comes to highlighting the unique services they provide to their local communities."

Users can access the new catalog at:

https://discover.mainlib.org/

Users will then be prompted to select their library's name.

Aspen is a full-featured Discovery System that integrates with eContent and other third-party providers, giving library users comprehensive access to all of the library's materials in one place, including eContent and digital archives. It also improves relevancy and ease of use, provides native-reading recommendations, displays all formats of titles with one result, rather than many. Aspen was created to give users an improved experience with less impact on library budgets.

About MAIN

MAIN is a consortium of 49 public libraries located in Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, and Warren Counties. Founded in 1979, MAIN's mission is to lead and encourage collaboration, resource sharing, staff development, and innovation by providing high-quality, cost-effective shared services to member libraries for their communities. MAIN aspires to help member libraries and the communities they serve readily access a rich spectrum of resources.

About ByWater Solutions

ByWater Solutions is a full service, high quality Open Source support and implementation company dedicated to providing libraries with a lower cost, more advanced level of support for their systems than a traditional proprietary solution can offer. ByWater Solutions has a proven track record in first rate implementation and support services with library systems of all sizes for the Koha ILS, Aspen Discovery, Folio LSP, Coral ERM, and Libki PC Management.