News

We have scheduled four MessageBee Office Hours sessions for all member staff. These sessions are an opportunity to ask questions about the MessageBee platform. All topics are welcome including configuration/customization, reports and statistics, banners, and notification logistics in general.

The Aspen 23.05 release is now live. In addition, SWAN has implemented changes to the display of record descriptions and library use only items. If you have questions about this release, you can attend our Aspen office hours this afternoon. Descriptions Descriptions for titles in the catalog previously used the Syndetics Solutions provided descriptions. With a new setting, the catalog will prefer descriptions in the 520 field of the catalog record in Symphony, and if a description is not present, the catalog will use Syndetics as a fallback. This will give catalogers the ability to more...

As some of you have noticed, this week patrons sent to Unique Management for their “Gentle Nudge” process no longer appear with a user status of COLLECTION. Instead, they carry a status of REFERRED, as they have been referred to a third-party vendor for additional contact in an attempt to recover overdue materials or collect outstanding fees. This is a small change in word choice to preserve patron goodwill and foster a more positive service environment. Many thanks to our report testers, Acorn Public Library and Indian Prairie Public Library! If there are any questions about this change or...

Today, the electronic ballot has been sent to 100 library director contacts directly. Each login is unique to the individual at the library, with only one designee as voter. Information about the 2023 SWAN Board election can be found on the Support page " Board Election."

The individuals below have submitted their names and statements of interest for the upcoming SWAN Board election. The election will be completed electronically starting on May 8, 2023 with ballot information sent directly to SWAN library directors. Ridgeway Burns, Library Director Itasca Community Library Jennifer Cottrill, Library Director, Midlothian Public Library Samantha Johnson, Executive Director, Roselle Public Library Zach Musil, Library Director, Tinley Park Public Library Information about the board election can be found on SWAN Support under About > Information for Board Members

Note: This news post previously indicated that a single phone number would be used to send all SMS messages from the MessageBee system. We have learned that this is not that case and have provided access to a spreadsheet listing each library's unique SMS send-from number. On Wednesday, April 26th, SWAN will switch SMS notifications to our MessageBee notification platform for the full SWAN membership. The notification schedule will remain unchanged. Patrons will receive the same notification types they are used to at the same time of day. The only differences patrons will notice are: Text -...

Please use this form to select the four optional databases for your library. The selection form is available until May 12, 2023. Refer to the SWAN EBSCO database page on the SWAN support site to find pricing and additional information. If you have any questions or need assistance, please email help@swanlibraries.net.

The Aspen 23.04 release is now live. This release includes the following enhancements. User-selected themes Aspen will now provide the ability to choose between dark mode, high contrast, and dyslexia-friendly themes. These will require initial setup from SWAN staff, but we plan to make the new themes available in early May. Patrons who are logged in can select a default theme to use every time they use the catalog. Communico events integration Libraries that use Communico to manage their events can now integrate them into Aspen. You can l earn more about events integration and request this...

The April, 2023 (January- March, 2023) Quarterly Billing is complete, and the invoices and checks will be mailed shortly. Documentation is available to help guide member library staff through the Billing Summary workbook as well as the detail statement reports folder accessible in BlueCloud Analytics Shared Reports. Library Directors have been provided with BCA login credentials. If you are a Director and do not have access to the BCA reports, please open a ticket at help@swanlibraries.net. Feel free to email help@swanlibraries.net if you have any questions about your billing. Please wait...

Niche Academy is a training platform used by 23 of our SWAN libraries. This webinar presented by a rep at Niche Academy will provide an opportunity to see the platform and give SWAN libraries a chance to share their experience with Niche Academy. from Niche Academy: There are currently over 1,400 organizations using Niche Academy. Work is ongoing on additional course content, new training series, and continuous review of existing content. Due to our desire to continue improving the user experience (as well as the highest inflation rates we’ve seen in years!), Niche Academy will be increasing...

We will be updating the circulation rules that block Chicago patrons from checking out items the Chicago Public Library does not circulate. Effective Tuesday, April 25, patrons with a Chicago library card will be blocked from checking out items with the following item types: 8_16MMFILM; ARCHIV_NPT; ART; AV-EQUIP; BAG; BOARD_GAME; BOOK_BAG; CAKEPAN; CHARGER; COMP_SOF_N; COMP_SOFTW; CONSOL_SP1; CONSOLEGAM; CONSOLEMAT; CONSOLENEW; COOKINGSUP; DEVICE; DEVICE_IN; DEVICE_NEW; DEVICE_SP1; EBK_RD_NEW; EBK_READER; E-BOOKS; EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENTC; EQUIPMENTI; EQUIPMENTJ; EQUIPMENTR; EXERCPROG; EXERCPROGN...

There will be two seats open July 1, 2023 and the process to elect representatives begins with individuals self-nominating. Library directors and administrators should use the self-nomination form on the link below to submit your name and written statement of interest. The self-nomination form can be found on the Board Election page. The timetable for the election is provided on that webpage as well. The deadline to submit a self-nomination is Friday, April 28th 5 p.m.

The final negotiated price for the EBSCO group-purchase for 84 SWAN member libraries has been set. Participating libraries can see the final cost posted under the Budget & Fees page on SWAN Support. We have added some detail on how the purchase formula is created step-by-step. The pricing is lower than presented in February. RAILS completed negotiations with EBSCO last week and clarified the add-on selection costs, which has resulted in the final, revised pricing. Year-4 EBSCO group pricing The upcoming steps for libraries within the group-purchase arrangement will be to confirm previously...

The Aspen 23.03 release is now live. This release includes the following enhancements. If you have questions about this release, please attend our next Aspen office hour. Filter searching When many filter options are available in a search, you can now search filters. In the filter options, select More and search the additional options. Admin interface searching In Aspen Administration, you can now also search through the administration settings. Purchase suggestions email options Email new requests to library staff Libraries that use the Aspen purchase suggestions tool can now set up an email...

SWAN has negotiated a group discount for Comics Plus from Library Pass. With Comics Plus, readers have unlimited, simultaneous access to digital comics, graphic novels, and manga. Patrons can access using the Library Pass platform on a smartphone, tablet, or within a web browser. This discount is available for public libraries at this time. The details and pricing are available on the SWAN Discounts page. A Comics Plus Live Demo will be held on April 6, 2023, at 12:00 PM. Register on L2. Sign up to renew or subscribe

The release 23.02 is now live. In this release, we saw a few enhancements for BLUEcloud Circulation and BLUEcloud Acquisitions. BLUEcloud Circulation Circulation staff can now clear a current checkout and check the item out to a new user in one step. Staff now can permit a check out of a checked-out item. Previously if an item did not get properly scanned at check-in and another patron wanted to check it out, staff had to first check the item in, and then navigate back to the patron record to check the item out. BLUEcloud Circulation now includes call number browse for catalog searching...

The pricing for the SWAN group-purchase of EBSCO subscription database package was presented at the Committee of the Whole membership meeting last week on February 7th. That pricing is included in the meeting packet, and I have pulled out that pricing which is linked directly to the PDF below. EBSCO renewal year-4 pricing This group purchase is going into its 4th year renewal, which starts July 1, 2023. If you would like to learn more about this subscription database package, you can read about the SWAN EBSCO Databases. This renewal will move forward with the current 84 participating libraries...

The Aspen 23.02 release is now live. The most notable highlight of this release is that Aspen will now update the Use Preferred Name checkbox in Symphony. This means that when a patron updates their preferred name in Aspen, the WorkFlows staff client and patron notices will reflect the patron's preferred name. View the full release notes.

As part of SWAN’s 2023 commitment to require PIN access for all SIP2 connections, beginning March 1, PINs will be required to access ComicsPlus. Library staff will not need to make any changes. SWAN will coordinate the necessary changes with ComicsPlus. As a reminder, if patrons have difficulty with their PIN when accessing ComicsPlus or any SWAN services, they may use the self-service "Forgot My PIN" button at the Aspen catalog login screen. This feature emails the patron an automated PIN reset link which applies universally to their SWAN-connected services.

Addison Public Library has requested to join SWAN, and the vote for approval will take place Monday, January 23rd through February 20th via electronic ballot. The addition of a full member library to the SWAN consortium requires 2/3 membership approval. The SWAN Board recommends approval of Addison Public Library for membership, and has issued an Impact Study about the benefits to SWAN member libraries. SWAN Board Recommendation & Impact Study Access the Impact Study Libraries in SWAN have 1 vote to be cast by the designated representative of the library, which is the library director, or a...