Next Steps for Aspen

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It’s been nearly a month since the official “go live” date to Aspen. All but one NOBLE library is live on the platform, and we expect all libraries to be on Aspen in January.

We’ve received many support requests since “go live” to improve functionality and fix bugs. Please continue to report issues as they come up so that we can either address them right away, troubleshoot problems, or add them to the list of potential future development.

Below are some next steps we will be taking with the Aspen implementation.

Records for electronic resources

  • On November 3, 2025, we will start to remove some records for electronic resources from the Evergreen database.

    • All Hoopla MARC records will be removed. Aspen uses an improved method to retrieve those records using an API, ensuring that catalog search results will reflect real-time availability in Hoopla, even for titles that are new to Hoopla. With the previous method, libraries had to wait for our monthly Hoopla record load to see new titles and our monthly deletion process to remove old titles from search results.

    • Records for the following collections will also be removed. If you want the public to access them and they are not already being sideloaded directly into Aspen, please send an email to support@noblenet.org to ask that they be loaded.

      • A&AePortal MON, PAN

      • ABC Clio/Bloomsbury PAN

      • Comics Plus LFD

      • Credo Reference GOR, PAN

      • Ebook Central PAN

      • Films on Demand PAN

      • Gale PAN

      • History Makers WAK

      • Infobase DAN, RDG, LYN, PAN

      • Kanopy BEV, DAN, RDG, STO, WAK, MAR

      • Marshall Cavendish STO

      • Medici.TV LFD, WAK

      • Oxford GOR, PAN

      • Salem Press GOR, PAN, STO

    • NOBLE staff is working with EBSCO to identify the best method for getting MARC records for electronic resources, previously available in the Evergreen database, into EDS for those academic libraries that use EDS. When we are sure those libraries have a new method to get those records into EDS, we will also remove those MARC records from the Evergreen database.

    • We are aware that some academic libraries have encountered difficulty obtaining MARC records for their EBSCO eBook collections to be loaded into Aspen. NOBLE has reached out to our reps at EBSCO and hopes to have a solution to that problem soon.

    • NOBLE will hold off on removing OverDrive records from the Evergreen database until January when all NOBLE libraries have moved to Aspen. As is the case with Hoopla,  Aspen uses an improved method to retrieve those records using an API, ensuring that catalog search results will reflect real-time availability in OverDrive, even for titles that are newly added to the collection.

Classic Catalog

  • To ease the transition for reluctant adopters, most Aspen catalogs provide an option for users to continue to use the Classic Catalog. This option will bring users to the old Evergreen public catalog. Libraries may elect to remove this banner from their Aspen instance at any time.

  • We will remove access to the Classic Catalog on March 31, 2026 for all NOBLE libraries.

  • We have removed the ability to pay bills with a credit card from the Classic Catalog for all libraries that have adopted Aspen. This removal will mitigate occurrences of an occasional bug where a payment made from the Evergreen catalog was not properly applied to the patron’s bill. Online bill payment will continue to be available in Aspen and in the mobile app.

New Features

  • Starting in January, NOBLE will begin implementing Aspen functionality that was not available in the Evergreen catalog. We plan to begin with event calendar integration and the genealogy tool, which can be used to support the local obituary databases NOBLE has been hosting for a handful of libraries.

  • In January, we will also begin identifying enhancements and/or bug fixes that NOBLE should fund to best support the needs of our libraries.

Miscellaneous

  • Over the fall, we will start adding permissions for local admins to make small changes to Aspen, such as updating hours, changing navigation links and updating banners.

  • The ability to import lists from the Evergreen catalog will be removed on September 30, 2026. As a patron privacy safeguard, we will purge those lists from the Evergreen database on December 31, 2026.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to let us know by sending an email to support@noblenet.org.