Self Registration & Card Renewal

For ILS-based registration, currently Aspen can integrate directly with Carl.X, Horizon, Koha, Millenium, Polaris and Symphony.

Aspen can also work with Sierra via a process called screen scraping.

For Polaris, we do not currently look for the required fields in Polaris because their API doesn't have a way for us to do this at the moment. Here is their current documentation on the fields we're able to access via their API when creating a patron via self-rgistration.

Go to Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Library Systems > ILS/Account Integration > Self Registration

Enable self registration by selecting ILS Based Self Registration and click Save.

To set up ILS Self Registration in Aspen, you will need your CARL.X Institution Code.

You will find this in CARL.X in the Institution Maintenance > General tab. You are looking for the information in the Code box. This might be an abbreivation for your library.

Next, go to Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Library Systems > click into the Library System or Do a Batch Update > ILS/Account Integration > Self Registration > Institution Code

Once saved, navigate to {AspenCatalogURL}/MyAccount/SelfReg to view a test the form

Libraries using both Koha and Aspen Discovery will need to complete setup in both places in order to successfully enable and configure self registration. These instructions will help you streamline the process, configuring only the settings you need.

Part 1: Configuring Self Registration in Koha

There are several system preferences in Koha that are tied to setting up Self Registration for your Aspen Discovery OPAC.

System Preferences:

• PatronSelfRegistration
• PatronSelfRegistrationBorrowerMandatoryField
• PatronSelfRegistrationBorrowerUnwantedField
• PatronSelfRegistrationDefaultCategory
• PatronSelfRegistrationEmailMustBeUnique
• PatronSelfRegistrationLibraryList
• PatronSelfRegistrationPrefillForm

1. Set the system preference PatronSelfRegistration to Allow. This will enable self registration in Koha.

2. Determine which fields should be required on the self registration form, such as First Name, Last Name, etc. Fields marked as required must be filled out by the user in order to submit the form, and these fields will be marked with a "Required" label. Use the system preference PatronSelfRegistrationBorrowerMandatoryField to select which fields should be required. Here is a link to the borrower table in the schema.

***NOTE: If you do not mark the 'password' field as required, Koha will autogenerate a password. Since the autogenerated password will not display in Aspen, if you want users to be able to access their account and online resources right away, you must make 'password' a required field (so users will create a password themselves) AND enable the system preference autoMemberNum, since you can't have a password without a barcode being created.

3. Determine which fields should not appear appear on the Self Registration Form. Use the system preference PatronSelfRegistrationBorrowerUnwantedField to select fields to exclude. (See the Notes section below for more details about fields you may want to exclude.)

4. Determine the default Patron Category code self registered users will be assigned to with the system preference PatronSelfRegistrationDefaultCategory. Most libraries use "Self registered" (SELF). If you wish to use a new patron category, you will first need to create one. Self registration won’t work unless this system preference has been selected. If you'd like to track your self registered users versus users who sign up for a card in person, creating a unique category can be helpful.

5. If your library has multiple branches and self registration is only available for some branches, add the branches that will allow self registration (by their code) into the system preference: PatronSelfRegistrationLibraryList. There are additional settings within Aspen for limiting branch options for self registration.

6. The system preference PatronSelfRegistrationPrefillForm determines whether or not the username and password are presented on the self registration confirmation screen. With the "Display and prefill" option selected, users will see this on the screen upon completing their registration:

7. Note that the library card number also appears in the above screenshot. The card number will only appear if your library has the system preference autoMemberNum turned on, which automatically assigns the next available card number to the new patron. You must enable this if you'd like users to access online resources before receiving a physical library card with their "permanent" card number in person. To keep the auto-assigned numbers from interfering with your physical card numbers, create a user with a card number that is much higher than your physical card numbers, and autoMemberNum will begin creating numbers from there. 

autoMemberNum also must be set to Do in order for Aspen to trigger the Welcome email.

Click here to read our blog post and watch the accompanying video about setting up online access only for self registration.

8. Setting the system preference PatronSelfRegistrationEmailMustBeUnique to "Consider" will check the user's email address when self registering to see if an account with this email address already exists. If a user tries to register with a duplicate email address, they will receive an error. If you don't want to require unique email addresses, select "Don't Consider."

The following system preferences are not applicable for setup with Aspen Discovery:

• PatronSelfRegistrationAdditionalInstructions - In Aspen, you will be able to configure additional instructions on both the self registration form and on the self registration confirmation page. Any text entered in this system preference will not display in Aspen.
• PatronSelfRegistrationVerifyByEmail - Email verification for self registered accounts is not available with Aspen Discovery.
• PatronSelfRegistrationExpireTemporaryAccountsDelay - Not applicable due to the above.

Notes:

A few fields that a library may want to exclude (via the System Preference: PatronSelfRegistrationBorrowerUnwantedField) are categorycode, homelibrary, dateofbirth (unless you collect this info), and expirydate.

Expirydate is not a field that the patron can fill out during the self registration phase, but it will appear in the form unless added to the PatronSelfRegistrationBorrowerUnwantedField system preference.

Categorycode will appear as a drop down menu for the patron to select a category code. Since PatronSelfRegistrationDefaultCategory requires the library to select a default patron category for self-registered patrons, we recommend adding categorycode to the PatronSelfRegistrationBorrowerUnwantedField system preference.

Part 2: Configuring Self Registration in Aspen Discovery

Now that you have your settings in place in the Koha staff client, you're ready to enable and configure self registration in Aspen!

1. From Aspen Administration, head to Primary Configuration > Library Systems > ILS/Account Integration > Self Registration. Enable self registration by selecting ILS Based Self Registration and click Save.

Once enabled, the self registration link will appear on the login screen.

You can also directly access the self registration form by appending /MyAccount/SelfReg to the end of your main catalog URL.

Example: {yourlibrary.org}/MyAccount/SelfReg

2. There are several more options for configuring self registration in this section of Library System settings.

Valid Self Registration Locations: By default, this will be "No Restrictions" and will defer to what is allowed in the system preference PatronSelfRegistrationLibraryList. If you'd like to restrict this further, you can select from these options:

• All Library Locations - All locations associated with this library system setting.
• All Self Registration Locations - All locations that are marked as valid self registration options, whether they are associated with this library system setting or others.
• Self Registration Locations for the Library - Only locations associated with this library system setting that are marked as valid options for self registration.

Self Registration Password Notes: Use this field to specify any instructions for users if you're allowing them to create their own PIN/password. (Example: "PIN must be a minimum of 6 digits")

Use All Caps When Submitting Self Registration: Will convert self registration submissions into all-caps.

Valid States and Valid Zip/Postal Codes for Self Registration: Use these fields to specify the valid states and/or zip codes for self registrations. If listing multiple, separate each state/zip code with a vertical pipe | and no spaces.

Self Registration Form Message: Enter in any information or instructions you'd like to display above the self registration form fields.

Self Registration Success Message: Enter in any information or instructions you'd like to display on the confirmation page after a user successfully submits the self registration form.

3. Now it's time to configure your location settings. From Aspen Administration, head to Primary Configuration > Locations, edit a location, then click ILS/Account Integration.

Under "Valid Self Registration Branch?" you have three options:

• Valid for All Libraries: This is the default setting for each location. This will be a valid self registration location for all libraries, unless restricted by that library's system settings.
• Valid for This Library Only: This will be a valid self registration location for this library only (tied to the library system settings).
• Not Valid: This will not be a valid self registration location for any library. You may want to select this for locations such as bookmobiles, headquarters, and any non-physical locations you might have such as "outreach" or "online."

Tip: you can update location settings in bulk with the Batch Update Selected or Batch Update All buttons below the list of locations!

4. View your self registration form to make sure everything is set up for your library's needs. If certain fields are showing up that you'd like to be hidden, make sure they're selected in Koha in PatronSelfRegistrationBorrowerUnwantedField. And if a field you do want is missing, make sure they're not selected there.

You can also change the labels for these fields using Aspen's translation mode. However, keep in mind that any changes made to the form in this way will not push those changes to the Koha interface. Likewise, any customizations to these field names in the Koha interface will not transfer to the self registration form in Aspen.

5. Decide if you'd like to set up a Welcome Email in Aspen.

6. Finally, if you would like users to be able to access their account and online resources immediately after self registration, please revisit steps #2 and #7 in Part 1 of this post to learn about the required system preferences.

Other Helpful Links

Koha

How to set up an online resources only self registration

Monday Minutes: Digital Library Card

Aspen Discovery

Aspen Weekly: Self Registration

Aspen Discovery Help Center

To set up self registration in Aspen when using the Symphony ILS, follow these instructions.

Self Registration Form Setup

For Symphony libraries, new self registration form configuration options are available in Aspen Administration > ILS Integration > Self Registration Forms. 

1. Click Add New.
2. Enter a Name for the form.
3. In the Terms of Service Form, select a corresponding Terms of Service Form from the dropdown. The default is None. See below for more information on the Terms of Service Form.
4. In the Fields section, click Add New to add individual form fields. You will be able to select from the assortment of fields available for use.
5. Enter in the Display Name for each field. This is the label that displays to users in the form.
6. Select the Field Type - Text or Date.
7. In the Section column, decide if that field should fall into the Library, Identity, Contact Information or Address section. These groups these fields together in these corresponding sections. Note: Only Home Library can be used for the Library Section. You must select Sections other than the Library Section or those fields will not show on the form.
8. Select whether a field is Required.
9. Add a Note if anything about the form field needs to be clarified. The Note will display below the field as a tooltip. 

8. Continue setup underneath the form fields:

• Prompt for SMS Notices: Check this to request SMS Notification information from the user.
• Prompt for Parent Information: Check to enable parent information if the person registering is a juvenile
• Turn Off Duplicate Checking: Check to disable checking for duplicate user accounts in the ILS upon submitting the self reg form
  • Duplicate checking is based on first name, last name, and date of birth (all three fields must be a match)
• City/State Field: Select the type of City / State Field you use from these options: CITY/STATE field, CITY and STATE fields or CITY/STATE field - comma seperated
• Self Registration Profile: Enter in the profile name name for newly registered users. The default is SELFREG but can be changed here.
• Self Registration Barcode Prefix: Coming Soon
• Self Registration Barcode Suffix Length: Coming Soon

9. Finally, select the Library Systems that this self registration form should apply to.
10. Save your changes.

Self Registration Tos (Terms fo Service)

To set up a Terms of Service form, go to Aspen Administration > ILS Integration > Self Registration TOS > Click Add New.

Give your page a Name.

Add information in the Terms of Service box. This will show at the bottom of the form. This will be hyperlinked and a pop up will display anything in that box. This would be anything that a user is agreeing to by signing up for a library card.

If users do not click the box and agree to the Terms of Service, they will see the information in the TOS Redirect box.

How this information displays at the bottom of the form:

When users click on the hyperlinked Terms of Service link, the Terms of Service pop up will display:

Enable in Library Systems

Navigate to Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Library Systems > ILS/Account Integration > Self Registration:

• Enable Self Registration: Make sure "ILS Based Self Registration" is selected.
• Valid Self Registration Location: 
  • No Restrictions - show all Locations on the server (use for non-Koha ILS)
  • All Library Locations - all Locations related to the Library System of the form
  • All Self Registration Locations - show all Locations on the server marked Valid Self Registration Location?
  • Self Registration Locations for the library - This is for Koha and pulling from the validSelfRegistrationBranch System Preference
• Self Registration Password Notes: Fill this in if there is any specific information about the PIN/Password conventions (exp: Passwords must be between 4 and 6 characters)
• Prompt for a Birth Date: Check if a birth date is needed when registering.
• Use All Caps When Submitting Self Registration: Check if you want the form to submit the information to your ILS in all caps.
• Valid States for Self Registration: Enter in states that are valid for Self Registration (exp: FL, GA). If you have multiple states, you can seperate by pipes - exp: FL|GA
• Valid Zip/Postal Codes for Self Registration (regular expression): For no restrictions, leave these fields blank. If you would like to specify states and/or zip codes, make sure that each state and zip code are separated only with vertical pipes with no spaces| For example: 89001|89017. If patrons enter in a state and/or zip code other than what is specified here, they will not be able to submit their registration form.
• Self Registration URL: Leave blank if using the default Self Registration URL which is /MyAccount/SelfReg
• Self Registration Form Message: Add any information you would like to show at the top of your form.
• Self Registration Success Message: Add any information you would like to show to patrons after they submit their form (exp: Next steps on getting a card, Welcome to the library, etc.)
• Self Registration Template: Select from the dropdown from which Self Registration template you would like to use on this Library System.

Note: Prior to the 23.10 release, the following options were available for Symphony libraries in these settings. In the 23.10 release these capabilities have been moved to Aspen Administration > ILS Integration > Self Registration Forms:

• Self Registration requires Phone Number - Check to require phone number on the self registration form
• Self Registration requires Email - Check to require email on the self registration form
• Prompt for Parent Information - Check to enable parent information if the person registering is a juvenile
• Prompt For SMS Notices - Check to show SMS information to show on the self registration form

Once enabled, the self registration link will appear on the login screen.

You can also directly access the self-registration form by appending /MyAccount/SelfReg to the end of your main catalog URL

Example: {yourlibrary.org}/MyAccount/SelfReg

To set up which Self Registration locations show up on the Self Registration form in the Home Library dropdown, go into Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Locations. 

Once you click into the location, scroll to ILS/Account Integration > Valid Self Registration Branch? 

The options are:

• Valid for all libraries
• Valid for this library only
• Not Valid

To remove a location from the form, select Not valid. Once you save, the location will be removed from the form.

The Order of Locations in the Dropdown

Valid libraries in the Self Registration Home Library dropdown will display with the Location marked as the Main Branch first and then all other Locations alphabetically. 

To set the Main Library, go to Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Locations > click into that Location > check Is Main Branch?

In  Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Library Systems > ILS/Account Integration > Self Registration > Self Registration Password Notes you can specify password notes.

This is something that displays on the self registration form to let the patron know how to format their password.

An example message might be, “PIN must be a minimum of 6 digits.”

You can control the minimum and maximum PIN length and whether PINs should be numeric only in Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Library Systems > ILS/Account Integration > PIN/Password

Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Library Systems > ILS/Account Integration > Self Registration > Use All Caps When Submitting Self Registration

You can check this box to tell Aspen to submit form information using all caps.

Depending on your ILS, this may help you distinguish between a self-registered patron and a patron registered in-person at the library.

In Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Library Systems > ILS/Account Integration:

Self Registration > Valid States for Self Registration and Self Registration > Valid Zip/Postal Codes for Self Registration (regular expression) you can specify valid states and zip codes patrons can use for the registration form.

For no restrictions, leave these fields blank.

If you would like to specify states and/or zip codes, make sure that each state and zip code are separated only with vertical pipes with no spaces|

For example: 89001|89017. If patrons enter in a state and/or zip code other than what is specified here, they will not be able to submit their registration form.

To set a minimum age to allow users to register via ILS Registration, go to Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Library Systems > click into the Library System > ILS/Account Integration > Self Registration > Minimum Age?

The default is 0 to allow all users to register.

You could update this to something like 13, if that is the minimum age for online registration.

Then, Aspen will use the Date of Birth on the Self Registration form and not allow submissions under that age.

Go to Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Library Systems > click into your Library System > ILS/Account Integration:

Self Registration > Self Registration Form Message

The Self Registration Form Message will appear on the form itself, up at the top above the form fields.

Libraries could put any information about filling out the form, any important information about different membership levels, enrolling for a card, etc.

This message will show up at the top of the Self Registration form:

Self Registration > Self Registration Success Message

The Self Registration Success Message  will display after a user has successfully registered. You can use these fields to provide patrons with more information, such as what they will be able to access, whether they will need to contact the library, link to tutorials, promote collections and other library resources, etc.

The message will show up after the form is submitted:

Permissions

To access Email Templates, you will need one of these two permissions:

Administer All Email Templates - If you are a Full Admin at a consortia or a single library

Administer Library Email Templates - If you are an Admin at your Library System within a consortium

What are Email Templates?

Email templates can currently be used by Koha or Symphony libraries to send a Welcome email upon self registration of a new patron within Aspen.

Create a New Welcome Email

Note: ILS Based Self Registration must be enabled in your Library System(s) to use this functionality. Learn more about Self Registration.

Note: If using Koha, the System Preference autoMemberNum must be set to Do to trigger the email.

To create a new Welcome email, go to Aspen Administration > Email > Email Templates > Add New

Fill in the following fields:

Name: Name your email template (this is internal only)

Template Type: From the dropdown the only current option is Welcome.

Language:  Select the language translation you'd like this Welcome email associated with. If a library has a Spanish self registration form and an English self registration form, you might consider having an email template in each language. 

Subject: The subject line of your email.

Plain Body Text: The body of your email. Currently, this is a text-only field.

Libraries: The Library System that this email is associated with; by selecting libraries, this turns on/activates this email template.

Find these settings in Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Library Systems > click into the library system > ILS/Account Integration.

If ILS-Based Self Registration is not an option with your ILS and/or if you use a custom form (exp: Google form, form on library website, etc.) to do Self Registration, enable this at:

Self Registration > Enable Self Registration > Redirect to Self Registration URL

Then, you’ll simply enter the URL in the Self Registration URL field in. That’s it!

When users click the Register for a new Library Card link from the sign-in screen, they’ll go directly to the URL you’ve specified.

Contact Quipu

Reach out to Quipu and let them know about the integration. They may need to add your aspendiscovery.org (or custom) URL or IP Address added to their allow list. If you need to provide them your Aspen server IP address, you can find this information in Aspen admin > Primary Configuration > IP Addresses > find the IP address labeled "Aspen Server." They will also be able to provide you with the credentials you'll need to enter into Aspen settings.

For setup with your ILS, this will typically require a SIP connection. Reach out to your ILS support vendor for SIP credentials.

Add Credentials to Aspen

To add your credentials, go to Aspen Administration > Third Party Enrichment > Quipu Settings

Add your:

• Server (this will be a Quipu URL, example: ecard-us.quipugroup.net)
• Client ID
• Check Has eCard and/or Has eRenew

To turn on, go to Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Library Systems > ILS/Account Integration > Self Registration > Enable Self Registration - Select Quipu eCARD

In the Self Registration URL, put the Quipu eCARD public facing URL

ex: {YOURURL}/MyAccount/eCARD

Updated 2023-06-20 km bws

The fields and what is required on the form are set up within Quipu and Aspen pulls them in. If you don't have top text set up in Quipu, you can add text in Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Library Systems > ILS/Account Integration > Self Registration > Self Registration Form Message

You should do this in one or the other (Aspen or Quipu) and not both so that text is not duplicated.

How it displays on the form:

Quipu may provide script tags but Aspen does not need them if the language translations are added to your catalog. We pass the active language code to the script based on the 2 digit code and Quipu picks it up and uses it.

For example, if you have Spanish (es) loaded in your catalog then Aspen should automatically translate the Quipu form when the user is in the Spanish translation of Aspen.

Learn more about Languages & Translations in Aspen.

You can configure which patron types can renew their account online by going to Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Patron Types > either clicking into the patron type or doing a batch update of selected patron types > check Allow users to renew their account online for those that you want to allow.

Enable Card Renewal

Once the Quipu Settings are configured (see above under Quipu Credentials), then go to Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Library Systems > click into your library system > ILS/Account Integration > Card Renewal > Enable Card Renewal > select Quipu eRenewal from the dropdown.

Note: You won't see Quipu eRenewal option in the dropdown until you set up the Quipu integration in Aspen Administration > Third Party Enrichment >  Quipu eCARD Settings

Determine Time Frame of Renewals

If Show Card Renewal when expiration is close is checked, this will allow the card renewal button to show in the patron account 30 days prior to card expiration.

If Show Card Renewal when expiration is close is unchecked, this will only show the card renewal button in the patron account after the card is expired.

eRENEW URL

When patrons click on the renew card button in their account, they will be automatically taken to {YOURASPENURL}/MyAccount/eRENEW

Once enabled, users will see information in their Account in the top left hand corner.

Aspen will display their card expiration date and a button will say Renew your card.

This button will take patrons to the Quipu eRENEW form within Aspen. The fields for this form are set up with Quipu.

Depending on your configuration with Quipu, there might be fixed fields like library card number and legal name that can't be change. Other fields will likely be pre-filled with patron account information and can be edited. 

Enable Card Renewal

If you are currently offering card renewal on your website or through an external platform, you can link to that URL in Aspen. This will allow patrons to quickly update their card right within their patron account. Even if you aren't digitally renewing cards, it might be nice to link patrons to a page with information on how they can renew their card.

To set this up, go to Aspen Administration > Primary Configuration > Library Systems > click into library system > ILS/Account Integration > Card Renewal > Enable Card Renewal > Select Redirect to Card Renewal URL from the dropdown.

Determine Time Frame of Renewals

If Show Card Renewal when expiration is close is checked, this will allow the card renewal button to show in the patron account 30 days prior to card expiration.

If Show Card Renewal when expiration is close is unchecked, this will only show the card renewal button in the patron account after the card is expired.

Add the Card Renewal URL

Next, add the URL you want Aspen to direct the user to in the Card Renewal URL field.

Once enabled, users will see information in their Account in the top left hand corner.

Aspen will display their card expiration date and a button will say Renew your card.

This button will redirect users to the URL of your choice.