After careful consideration, SWAN is changing vendors for Aspen support. Grove for Libraries will now provide support, development, and hosting of our Aspen Discovery catalog and SWAN Libraries + mobile app. Due to this change, we must migrate our catalog and app to a new server.
Why the change?
Grove for Libraries has 15 years' expertise with Aspen, and Grove staff have provided the majority of Aspen development. SWAN previously worked with Grove staff in our Aspen implementation up through August 2024. We believe this change will ensure continual feature development and address the stability issues we have seen over the past six months.
Server migration details and timeline
SWAN will go live on our new server on March 26th, 2025. During this process, SWAN will share updates with library staff through our swancom email list.
Configuration freeze
Tuesday, March 11th - Wednesday, March 26th
During this period, major configuration changes in Aspen production will be in a freeze until we are live on the new server. This will include:
- Sideloads of e-resources
- All new integrations (e-resources, events, etc.)
- Record grouping and ungrouping
- Changes to themes, library locations, and library systems settings
SWAN will temporarily disable permissions for library staff accounts to these areas, and you can continue to use everything you have access to. Staff can continue to make browse categories, placards, spotlights, and lists. This freeze will help to speed up the migration process on migration day to reduce the amount of downtime for library staff and patrons.
Migration
Tuesday, March 25th
On migration day, Aspen Discovery and the SWAN Libraries + app will be placed into offline mode at 4PM.
- Library staff and patrons can continue to search and browse the catalog
- You will not be able to log in or place holds
- Item statuses (checked out, on shelf, etc.) may be inaccurate
SWAN will post a system message banner to the catalog and app to ensure patrons are informed.
WorkFlows access and access to e-resources will not be impacted.
Go live
Wednesday, March 26th
Once the migration is complete, SWAN will update you and take the catalog and app out of offline mode. If the migration runs long, could be in offline mode during the day.
Most likely, patrons using the SWAN Libraries + app will have to update their app to continue using it. We will share more information about this soon.
