Libraries want to ensure that Aspen matches their brand as seamlessly as possible and with the 23.07 release we've added even more ways to customize the look and feel of the library catalog with custom default covers and custom format icons."
- Jordan Fields, Aspen Product Librarian
Libraries using Aspen can now upload custom images for their default book covers and format facet limiters.
Although Aspen has several sources to pull book covers from and the ability to upload custom book covers for each title, sometimes titles appear in the library that don't have a cover from any of those sources. When this happens, Aspen auto-generates a book cover based on the colors used for the library's theme. However, some libraries want more control over the design for these covers, so Aspen now allows libraries to select an image to display on that default book cover. The title will of course still appear at the top so that the item can be identified in Browse Categories and Spotlights.
The first example below shows the default image generated by the library's theme, while the second image shows a custom image that has been uploaded.
Several libraries also requested the ability to control the icons that patrons use to limit search results by format, so we now allow a custom icon for those as well.
The top example below shows the custom icons one library has designed and uploaded for their format icons. The bottom example is the current default format icons.
In addition to these new customization options, the 23.07 release includes Square eCommerce integration, INN-Reach integration, and LiDA App users will now be prompted to turn on notifications. These features are among the dozens of enhancements that come with this release, so be sure to check out the complete release notes to make sure you don't miss a thing!
This release includes code contributions from:
- ByWater Solutions
- Theke Solutions
- Nashville Public Library
Thanks to all of our contributors and our community for another successful 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 about Aspen please visit https://bywatersolutions.com/projects/aspen-discovery.