Aspen Permissions & Patron Types

Aspen allows us to have different levels of permissions based on the staff member's library card number. We have assigned different Aspen permissions based on staff / departments who will be continuously working on Aspen once we are live.

One of the biggest groups of staff that will receive Aspen permissions is for the Masquerade feature. All in-library staff that are Access Specialists or higher. In other words, all in-library staff with the exception of Library Aides. Supervisors may request their Library Aides be given access to the Masquerade feature based on how they interact with the public and if they are 17 or older.

The Masquerade feature allows staff to log into Aspen and move around in the guests account. It is similar to what we do now, however, it is more secure for guests as we cannot view reading history. 

Why 17 or older? 

To help maintain staff being assigned the Masquerade feature, a new patron type in CARL has been created: Discovery Admin. I will be the only staff member assigning roles of Discovery Admin to ensure we're providing appropriate access to the Masquerade feature and for overall maintenance with new staff or staff leaving MLS. Frontline Managers should not select this patron type. The Discovery Admin patron type has the same settings as Primary Adult.
Additionally, with using a patron type to assign functionality, staff have the ability to turn on two-factor authentication. It is an optional feature that anyone with features other than Masquerade will be requested to turn on two-factor authentication for security purposes.

Permissions will be assigned in early October before Aspen staff training is assigned. Patron types will be updated at the same time the permissions are assigned.