IP Addresses, Domains & Links

If you want to determine your current IP as well as information where Aspen thinks you are, you can navigate to: http://{YOURASPENURL}/Help/IP 

In Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Library Systems > IP Addresses you can define IP addresses for your library and/or library branches.

Defining IP addresses for your locations signals to Aspen when users are accessing the catalog from within a library building. Some benefits of this include:

• Prioritizing that location's available copies within search results
• The option to display the "It's Here" label rather than "Available"
• Automatic logout for users who are logged in after a period of inactivity
• Refreshing the catalog back to the main page after a period of inactivity (when no user is logged in)
• The option to display different collections in search results, or a different theme, based on the IP address

To define an IP address, choose the 'Add New' button and input the address, enter a display name, and choose the applicable location from the Location dropdown.

You can input either a single IP or a range of IPs. For example: 100.xxx.001-100.xxx.299

IMPORTANT: After setting up an IP address for a location, double check that your Location settings are correctly scoped.

1. Go to Aspen Administration > Locations and choose the location you want to check.

2. Make sure your Records Owned and Records to Include are correct. If you'd like your users to have access to the same collections when accessing Aspen from this location's IP address, check the box for Include Library Records to Include. This tells Aspen to use the same collection as specified in the Library System settings.

3. If you have side loaded eContent, navigate to the Side Loaded eContent Scopes section and select All Side Loaded eContent for parent library (or other appropriate scope) from the dropdown.

4. For any additional modules you are using in Aspen, like placards and system messages, make sure the Locations are also checked if you want them to show in the library. By having these location options in combination with the IP Address settings, you can tailor different messages and placards to show within the four walls of those libraries.

Updated 2023-02-04 md bws

In Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Library Systems > IP Addresses

When you input an IP address or range of IP addresses, you have options to enable for those IP addresses. 

• Treat as a Public OPAC - Enabling this setting will tell Aspen to apply a few different location-based settings:
  • Automatic logout for users after a certain period of inactivity. This ensures users who forget to log out from a public device will be logged out automatically. To customize the length of time before automatic logout, head to Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Locations > Automatic Timeout Length (logged in) and Automatic Timeout Length (logged out).
  • Show "It's Here" for available copies. When users browse Aspen from a public computer at this IP address, they will see available items display as "It's Here" instead of "Available"/"On Shelf". Whether or not "It's Here" displays depends on the setting in Primary Configuration > Library Systems > Holdings Summary > Show "It's Here"
    
• Default "Log me out" checkbox on when placing a hold - When enabled, the "log me out" checkbox will be checked automatically for users accessing Aspen on that IP address. 
  • Example: a patron uses a public catalog computer, places a hold, and walks away. Once the hold is placed, Aspen will log the user out and end their session.
• Block Access from this IP - Gives you the ability to block an IP that is affecting your site's performance
• Allow API Access - Allows the defined IP address to use Aspen through an API connection to get information; used by Aspen team for debugging and troubleshooting
• Show Debugging Information - Used by Aspen team for debugging and troubleshooting
• Log Timing Information
• Log Database Queries
• Authenticated For EBSCOhost - Related to the EBSCOhost integration. More Information Here.

Updated 2023-02-04 md bws

If you want to only turn on refreshing sessions by IP address and not change any of the catalog views by location, go to Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > IP Addresses.

• Add an IP Address
• Give it a Display Name
• DO NOT select a Location from the drop down/leave this blank
• Check Treat as a Public OPAC
• Save

Note: If you select a corresponding Location from the dropdown, it will also change the catalog view to match the scoped records in the Location Settings.

By default, if no location is selected there will be a 90 second timeout for logged in users and 450 second timeout when no users are logged in.

If you don't want to add IP addresses or a range of IP addresses to Aspen, you can bookmark the following link on your catalog/public opac computers:

{YOURASPENURL.ORG}/?opac=true

By adding the /?opac=true to the end of your URL, it will default to 90 sec timeout for logged in users and 450 seconds for logged out users.

Allow Prevention of Automatic Logout By Patron Type

If your staff cards are all on one patron type (p-type), such as STAFF or LIBSTAFF, you can tell Aspen to ignore IP address settings related to refreshing the session for users logged in with a staff account.

1. Go to Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Patron Types

2. Click into the Patron Type you want to modify.

3. Check Treat as staff and save your changes. This activates a new setting in the staff account that will allow staff users to bypass automatic logout.

In Staff Settings

If a staff member has been assigned permissions in Aspen, they should see a Staff Settings link in their My Account.

When the staff member clicks on Staff Settings, they will see a Bypass Automatic Logout toggle. Toggle that ON to prevent Aspen from automatically logging them out.

Note: With "Bypass Automatic Logout" enabled, users will not be logged out according to the automatic timeout settings for OPACs, but will only be logged out after an hour of inactivity.

Keep Me Signed In 

If users are not accessing Aspen from one of the added IP addresses, they will see the "Keep Me Signed In" option on the login screen. Users that choose "Keep Me Signed In" will remain logged in to Aspen for up to two weeks of inactivity.

If users are accessing Aspen from one of the added IP addresses, they will not see the "Keep Me Signed In" option. This is to prevent patrons using Aspen on public computers from remaining logged in.

To see the view of the catalog from a certain IP Address/Location you have set up IP configurations for in Aspen:

View From Location Code:

{yourAspenDiscoveryURL.org}/?branch={location code}&opac=true

The Location Code can be found in Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Locations.

Example:

help.aspendiscovery.org/?branch=HELP&opac=true

View From IP Address:

{yourAspenDiscoveryURL.org}/?test_ip={IPAddress}&opac=true

Example:

help.aspendiscovery.org/?test_ip=000.000&opac=true

Stop Viewing from a Certain Location/IP Address

To stop viewing from a certain location/IP address, add the same parameter but leave it blank after the = sign.

Example:

help.aspendiscovery.org/?branch=

help.aspendiscovery.org/?test_ip=

Aspen users being supported by ByWater Solutions will be set up with an aspendiscovery.org domain for the initial server set up and training process.

Typically it is something like {yourlibraryname}.aspendiscovery.org.

Libraries can choose to keep that domain or they can choose to set up a custom domain. 

If hosted by ByWater and keeping the .aspendiscovery.org domain, no other action with the domain would need to be taken by the library except switching any necessary URLs on your website/other areas where you currently direct to the catalog.

To use custom URLs for your Aspen catalog(s), you will need to edit your DNS settings. You may need to contact your library's IT professional/department for assistance. 

Consortium/Multiple Library Sites:

Create multiple A-Name records for your libraries' desired URLs and point them to your Aspen server IP Address.

Single Library Site:

Create an A-Name record and point it to your Aspen server IP Address.

Or, you can also update the DNS record for your URL. It would need to point to a CNAME record in the DNS for {yourgoliveURL} to your Aspen Discovery hostname: library.aspendiscovery.org

Once these DNS records are set up on your end, send the Aspen team a ticket with the URL(s) you've set up.

We will then update the SSL certificate on your Aspen server and update the information in Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Library Systems > Base URL. 

You'll also want to make sure your subdomain (located in the field above Base URL) matches your new URLs if you have multiple scoped catalogs.

For example, if your URL is main.aspendiscovery.org or main.customlibraryurl.org, the subdomain would be main.

In the case of multiple URLs with matching subdomains -- ie, "catalog.mainlibrary.org" and "catalog.eastlibrary.org" -- more configuration may be required on your server. If this is the case, please submit a ticket to your support vendor.

To find your server IP address go to Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > IP Addresses and it should be labeled something like "Aspen Server" or "{Library Name} Aspen Server" or reach out to your Aspen support team.

DNS TTL (time to live) is a setting that tells the DNS resolver how long to cache a query before requesting a new one. If setting up your own domain, the preference is yours but our Aspen default settings are 300 seconds for reference. 

Unless there is a special situation, SSL Certificates are administered and managed by the ByWater Aspen support team for both library-owned and .aspendiscovery.org domains.

In Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Host Information you can choose for your domain to land on a specific page in Aspen. Typically, libraries are looking to set this up when they are using Aspen and Web Builder as their entire web presence. 

• Click Add New
• Fill in Host Name - Your URL (example: catalog.library.org or library.aspendiscovery.org)
• Select the corresponding Library System from the dropdown
• You can leave the Location as default
• Fill in the Default path where the URL should land. (example: you have created a Custom Page in Web Builder to be the front page of your Aspen site with the URL /Home)

The following areas of Aspen are available at {YOUR ASPEN URL} then the information below.

Example: https://help.aspendiscovery.org/MyAccount/Home and https://help.aspendiscovery.org/MaterialsRequest/NewRequest

Account

/MyAccount/Home

Catalog Links (multiple scoped instances)

/MyAccount/SelectInterface

Lists

/MyAccount/Lists

Aspen Materials Requests System

/MaterialsRequest/NewRequest

ILS Materials Request/Purchase Suggestion System

/MaterialsRequest/NewRequestIls

Pay Fines

/MyAccount/Fines

Self Registration

/MyAccount/SelfReg

Staff Directory

/WebBuilder/StaffDirectory

Web Resources

/WebBuilder/ResourcesList

You will most likely want to embed a search box code on your library website to point users to the Aspen catalog at go live. Here are a couple of sample code options to use to do that. Of course, your web or IT team may have code they prefer to use.

Basic:

<form action="https://{YOURASPENURL}/Union/Search" method="get" target="_blank"><input name="searchSource" value="local" type="hidden"><input name="basicType" value="Keyword" type="hidden"><div><label for="basic-lookfor" id="basic-lookfor-label"><span class="sr-only" style="position: absolute;width: 1px;height: 1px;margin: -1px;padding: 0;overflow: hidden;clip: rect(0, 0, 0, 0);border: 0;">Look for</span></label> <input title="Enter one or more terms to search for. Surrounding a term with quotes will limit result to only those that exactly match the term." id="basic-lookfor" name="lookfor" value="" size="40" type="text" aria-labelledby="basic-lookfor-label"><input type="submit" alt="Search Catalog" value="Search the Catalog"></div></form>

Dropdown Search:

<form action="https://{YOURASPENURL}/Union/Search" method="get" target="blank"><input name="searchSource" value="local" type="hidden"><input name="basicType" value="Keyword" type="hidden"><div><label for="dropdown-lookfor" id="dropdown-lookfor-label"><span class="sr-only" style="position: absolute;width: 1px;height: 1px;margin: -1px;padding: 0;overflow: hidden;clip: rect(0, 0, 0, 0);border: 0;">Look for</span></label><input title="Enter one or more terms to search for. Surrounding a term with quotes will limit result to only those that exactly match the term." id="dropdown-lookfor" name="lookfor" value="" size="40" type="text" aria-labelledby="dropdown-lookfor-label"><label for="searchIndex" id="dropdown-searchIndex-label"><span class="sr-only" style="position: absolute;width: 1px;height: 1px;margin: -1px;padding: 0;overflow: hidden;clip: rect(0, 0, 0, 0);border: 0;">Search Index</span></label><select name="searchIndex" class="searchTypeHorizontal catalogType" id="searchIndex" title="The method of searching." aria-labelledby="dropdown-searchIndex-label"><option data-searchsource="catalog" value="Keyword">by Keyword</option><option data-searchsource="catalog" value="Title">by Title</option><option data-searchsource="catalog" value="StartOfTitle">by Start of Title</option><option data-searchsource="catalog" value="Series">by Series</option><option data-searchsource="catalog" value="Author">by Author</option><option data-search_source="catalog" value="Subject">by Subject</option></select><input type="submit" alt="Search Catalog" value="Search the Catalog"></div></form>

Multiple Search Indexes:

<form action="https://{YOURASPENURL}/Union/Search" method="get" target="blank"><input name="searchSource" value="local" type="hidden"><input name="basicType" value="Keyword" type="hidden"><div><label for="multiple-lookfor" id="multiple-lookfor-label"><span class="sr-only" style="position: absolute;width: 1px;height: 1px;margin: -1px;padding: 0;overflow: hidden;clip: rect(0, 0, 0, 0);border: 0;">Look for</span></label><input title="Enter one or more terms to search for. Surrounding a term with quotes will limit result to only those that exactly match the term." id="multiple-lookfor" name="lookfor" value="" size="40" type="text" aria-labelledby="multiple-lookfor-label"><label for="multiple-searchSource" id="multiple-searchSource-label"><span class="sr-only" style="position: absolute;width: 1px;height: 1px;margin: -1px;padding: 0;overflow: hidden;clip: rect(0, 0, 0, 0);border: 0;">Collection to Search</span></label><select name="searchSource" id="multiple-searchSource" title="Select what to search." class="searchSourceHorizontal form-control" aria-labelledby="multiple-searchSource-label"><option data-catalog_type="catalog" value="local" title="{INSERT LIBRARY NAME}." data-advanced_search="1" data-advanced_search_label="Advanced Search" selected="selected">in Library Catalog</option><option data-catalog_type="catalog" value="econtent" title="Digital Media available for use online and with portable devices" data-advanced_search="1" data-advanced_search_label="Advanced Search">in Online Collection</option><option data-catalog_type="lists" value="lists" title="User Lists" data-advanced_search="" data-advanced_search_label="Advanced Search">in Lists</option><option data-catalog_type="websites" value="websites" title="Library Website" data-advanced_search="" data-advanced_search_label="Advanced Search">in Library Website</option></select><input type="submit" alt="Search Catalog" value="Search"></div></form>

For Ingram and World Cat, you can use this base URL:

https://{YOURASPENURL}/Union/Search?lookfor=

example: https://help.aspendiscovery.org/Union/Search?lookfor=

If you are using EBSCO Stacks for your website, you can put in the following URL for the catalog search:

https://{YOUR ASPEN URL}/Search/Results?lookfor=

example: https://help.aspendiscovery.org/Search/Results?lookfor=

To link to a specific ISBN use:

https://{YOUR ASPEN URL}/Search/Results?lookfor={ISBN}

Example: https://aspen-model.bywatersolutions.com/Search/Results?lookfor=9780307588364

To link to a specific Title and Author use:

https://{YOUR ASPEN URL}/Search/Results?lookfor={Author}%20{Title}

Example: https://aspen-model.bywatersolutions.com/Search/Results?lookfor=lois+lowry%20the+giver

To link to a keyword use:

https://{YOUR ASPEN URL}/Search/Results?lookfor={keyword}

Example: https://aspen-model.bywatersolutions.com/Search/Results?lookfor=spring

Aspen generates its own unique identifier that corresponds to the entire format group aka grouped work.

When you click into a grouped work, you will see this display in the URL.

To link out to the grouped work, follow the format:

https://{YOURASPENURL}/GroupedWork/{GroupedWorkID}

Example: https://aspen-test.bywatersolutions.com/GroupedWork/b136eb5d-5be0-78f3-c3a6-0eab9eab0cb6-eng 

To link to a specific record aka format, click into the record and copy the URL.

From the URL, you will get the link to that specific format/record.

https://{YOURASPENURL}/Record/{RecordID)

Example: https://aspen-test.bywatersolutions.com/Record/15576