Evergreen & Aspen Changelog

Change Details

2025-04-15: New "Reference Items" ad hoc report

A new "Reference Items" ad hoc report is available. This report shows your library's items that have the "Reference" circ modifier or have the reference item attribute.

This item is sorted by total circulations, with items that have circulated the most at the top of the report. If you circulate a reference item, you may want to consider removing any indicator that the item is a reference item.

2025-04-15: Updates to Items without Prices ad hoc report

The Items without Prices ad hoc report now has the same fields as other shelf list reports. Some fields, like Annual Report Category, had been missing.

2025-03-31: Update to default lost item price

OWWLDAC voted to approve a change to the default item price on 3/7. The change was implemented on 3/31. If an item is missing a price, and that item is later lost, the charge added to a patron's account will be $0.01 instead of $25.57.

If you would like to check if your library has any items that are missing prices, the "Items Without Prices" report is available on reports.owwl.org under Ad Hoc Reports.

2025-03-31: Residency and School Code patron stat cats required

OWWLDAC voted to make the Residency and School Code patron stat cats required on 3/7. The change was implemented on 3/31. This change will take effect at the end of the month.

2025-03-31: Permission to delete items not in an ideal status

OWWLDAC voted to remove the permission to delete items with the following statuses on 3/7. The change was implemented on 3/31:

• Checked out
• Claimed returned
• In transit
• Lost
• On holds shelf

This change will take effect at the end of the month.

2025-03-31: Permission to create pre-cat items

OWWLDAC voted to remove the permission to create pre-cat items for all staff on 3/7. The change was implemented on 3/31.

Libraries who would like to circulate an uncataloged item may do so using Evergreen's noncataloged circulation functions. This change will take effect at the end of the month.

2025-03-19: Minor upgrade to Evergreen 3.13.9

Includes mainly bugfixes. Also includes a patch that fixes the export of item tags so they will display in Aspen again.

2025-03-11: Aspen upgrade to 25.02

New / improved features include:

Evergreen updates

• Aspen will pay attention to an item being marked unholdable and will not display the Place Hold button if all of the items on a record aren't holdable.

Older / pending updates

These are some previously-discussed changes that we'll enact shortly after the upgrade:

• "In-person loan": New circ modifier, policy of 1 week, 1 renewal, to be marked as unholdable in Aspen
• Museum Pass circ modifier: Mark unholdable in Aspen
• Reference circ modifier: Mark as "In-library use" in Aspen

Library Savings and "Year in Review" features

• Library Savings
  • New page on patron accounts (includes charts and graphs!)
  • Uses actual item prices
  • Will also display on Checked Out Titles and Reading History pages
  • Will be available shortly after upgrade
• Year in Review ("Shelved" but if you come up with a different name, please let us know)
  • Spotify Wrapped, but for libraries
  • Slideshow, includes:
    • Number of items borrowed
    • Amount saved
    • "Hot month" (Month with most checkouts)
    • Favorite genres
    • Top authors
    • Top series
    • Recommendations
  • Available towards end of year

Account updates

• Patron "recent searches" deleted daily
• Patrons can add own titles to reading history
  • (Add to List > Reading History)

Indexing and grouping updates

• New and improved formats:
  • eComic
  • Manga
  • Game
  • Zines
  • Tonies
  • Yoto
  • WhaZoodle
  • Many more additional "physical object" formats

Materials Request updates

• Some options that may make it possible to automate placing holds for purchase requests
• Also some options that provide a catalog check for title before form submission
• More information to come shortly after the upgrade

User lists

• Additional facets for user list searches
  • Can facet by created, updated, and more. Can also use these to sort!

Bug fixes

• "Always Use Pickup Location" setting will now be sticky when used after placing a hold
• Bug fixes for searches with special characters (like commas, dashes, etc.)
  • Also treats "&" and "and" as the same
• Bug fixes for call number sorting (particularly useful for magazines)
• Bug fixes for cover images (fixes issue with images for UPCs that begin with 0, issue with cover uploads)
• Bug fixes for reading history

And hundreds of more tweaks, improvements, and bug fixes

2025-03-07: Use of other libraries' items policy

OWWLDAC voted to add a new policy: When a library needs to borrow items for internal use that are owned by another library, they should adhere to the established Holds not picked up policy and the Editing due dates when a patron needs extra time policy . If the borrowing library finds that other borrowing circumstances are required, they should contact the owning library directly to discuss and make alternate arrangements to accommodate these needs.

2025-03-07: Internal library usage checkouts policy

OWWLDAC voted to add a new policy: When library staff borrow materials that aren't being checked out directly to a patron account, they must be checked out on a staff account or another account marked with a Patron Type statistical category of Administration.

2025-03-07: Public hold shelf policy

OWWLDAC voted to add a new policy: Public hold shelf slips must not contain patron PII, such as full names, library card numbers, phone numbers, or email addresses. Instead, libraries must use an anonymized identifier, such as a portion of a patron's name and library card number, to facilitate easy access to materials while maintaining patron confidentiality.

2025-03-07: Small policy updates

OWWLDAC voted to make the following small policy changes. None of these represent a change in policy, but are rather changes to remove redundant policies, clean up terminology, or to reflect configuration changes that had previously been approved but were not reflected in policy.

• Change PLS to OWWL in all policies where applicable
  • Lost Materials Processing Fee bills
  • VHS
  • Older titles
  • Close enough records
  • Multiple format combinations
  • Out-of-system Patron Statistical Categories
• Remove "Payments accepted for lost/damaged items owned by another library" policy (duplicate of "Lost Materials and Damaged Materials" policy)
• Remove "Mark item lost by patron, item not owned by your library" policy (duplicate of "Mark Lost Manually" policy)
• Remove circulation block threshold from "Holds and accounts with circulation blocks" policy and "Renewals possible for accounts with circulation blocks" policies (thresholds are defined elsewhere in "Checkout blocks (overdue and fine threshold)" policy).
• Add "up to" two months to "Age Based Hold Protection" policy to reflect additional ABHP options
• Add "Please contact OWWL to update your circulation policies so you do not continue to need to edit items' due dates" to "Editing due dates when another library's item checks out with a "wrong" due date" policy
• Update "Overdue until lost" policy to change threshold to four weeks

2025-02-19: Minor upgrade to 3.13.8

Includes mainly bugfixes.

2025-01-15: Minor upgrade to 3.13.7

Includes mainly bugfixes.

2025-01-14: Update to ad hoc shelf list reports

Items with multiple notes now appear in a single row. Previously, an item with multiple notes would show up on multiple rows (once for each note).

2025-01-03: Permission to adjust bills to zero removed

OWWLDAC voted to approve the removal of the permission to adjust bills to zero. To forgive fines, staff should use the Forgive payment type. See OWWL Policy for more information .

2025-01-03: Removal of checkout limit

OWWLDAC voted to remove the systemwide checkout limit of 100 items. Libraries may still have limits as determined by local policies.

2025-01-03: New policy on card eligibility and home libraries

OWWLDAC voted to add a new policy to clarify patron eligibility for cards and to clarify how patrons' home libraries may be set.

• Libraries must issue cards to any In-system patron who does not already have an OWWL card. Patrons are allowed one OWWL account only. Issuing cards to out-of-system residents is at the discretion of individual libraries.
• Libraries get to decide if they assign themselves as the patron’s home library or another library as determined by stat cats. By default, the home library is the library that issues the card. If a library would prefer to issue cards and change patrons' home library to the appropriate library as determined by stat cats, they may do so and should adopt a local policy delineating their process for issuing cards.
• Libraries are always required to honor requests to change home library for patrons within their service area. (EAC 12/2024, OWWLDAC 01/2025)

2024-12-18: Minor upgrade to 3.13.6

Includes mainly bugfixes. Highlights include:

• Fix a bug that prevented canceling holds from the Holds Shelf

2024-12-09: Expired patrons no longer able to access OverDrive

Per the OWWLDAC meeting on 9/6/2024, System staff have updated the expiration dates for patrons whose accounts have expired but who have continued to have recent OverDrive activity. We have also worked with OverDrive to block access to patrons whose accounts have expired. Finally, an additional line has been to the account expiration notice to let patrons know that they will lose access to digital resources if their cards expire.

2024-12-02: Hold targeter updates

The hold targeter has been adjusted per the 11/1/2024 OWWLDAC meeting. The targeter will run every 48 hours rather than every 24 hours.

Additionally, if a library owns an available copy of an item, only that copy will be eligible to fulfill a hold for local pickup for the first 48 hours after the hold is placed.

Finally, the hold targeter will prioritize targeting items for holds at open libraries (except for cases where the pickup library owns a copy).

Because of these changes, it is important to pay close attention to your hold pull list. If you are unable to find an item that has been targeted for a hold, please mark the item missing.

2024-12-01: New Upcoming Item Deletions report

This report shows the items that will be deleted by System staff at the end of month.

2024-12-01: Update to New Users report

Patrons with incorrectly formatted SMS numbers no longer show up on the Bad Users Detail tab. Our new text messaging system is able to accommodate numbers with or without dashes.

2024-12-01: Update to Payments Between Libraries report

Items now include the direct URL link. This can be used when an item has been deleted. The direct URL link will still allow you to access the deleted item's record.

2024-11-25: OOS patron profile phaseout

Per the OWWLDAC meeting on 9/6/2024, the Out of System patron profile has been phased out. Existing patrons who used this profile have been converted to standard patron accounts.

Out of system patrons should be indicated as such using the residency and school district statistical categories. If patrons reside in a bordering community included in the list of residency or school district statistical categories, please select the correct entry rather than the broader OOS option as required by OWWL Policy .

2024-11-20: Minor upgrade to 3.13.5

Mainly bugfixes and a few small quality of life improvements. Highlights include:

• Fix a bug with self-check when a patron's email address is formatted incorrectly
• Fix a bug with receipts that include images
• Fix a bug with DOB saving incorrectly in certain time zones

We had an additional patch that fixes an issue with some menu options (like Cancel Hold) being unavailable from the Holds Shelf menu.

2024-11-01: New policy on deletion of lost items

OWWLDAC voted to add a new policy to clarify how lost items should be deleted.

Items that are marked lost should not be deleted. First post a forgive payment to the patron's account so the item is marked as lost and paid, then delete the item.

2024-10-30: Major upgrade to 3.13.4

More information available on the main upgrade page .

2024-10-24: Hatch setting update

In preparation for the upgrade, a bug has been patched that may cause a change in the behavior for Holds Pull List printing. The Holds Pull List will now print using Hatch on workstations with Hatch installed and enabled.

Do you miss having the browser's print dialog? You can get it back by setting the printer for the Default print context to "Browser Printing" rather than a specific printer. Need help? Email us at evergreen@owwl.org

2024-10-24: OWWL App upgrade

The OWWL App for iOS and Android has been updated. New features include:

• Evergreen checkout history
• Upcoming library closures
• A new button to edit holds
• Clickable electronic resource links

2024-10-02: New SMS Service

Our new SMS solution is up and running. This means that hold notification text messages should be back to working for most of your patrons, including those who have phones on the Verizon network. The new service we're using does come with a few changes that you should be aware of:

• First, these text messages will be sent from a phone number (585-524-1260) rather than from your library's email addresses. This change to the delivery method means that patrons will not be able to reply to hold notification text messages.
• There will be a slightly greater interval between hold availability and text message delivery compared to the previous configuration. Additionally, the messages will only be sent from 8am to 9pm.
• The language of the new notifications has been tweaked slightly to ensure that we stay within the character limit: Hold(s) available at [library name]. Please pick up by [shelf expiration date (MM-DD)]. Check your account at search.owwl.org for details.

2024-10-02: Welcome email

A new welcome email will be sent to any patrons registered with an email address. There are a few elements of the email that are altered based on the sending library or the patron's profile, including:

• The email address used to send the email will be the sending library's @owwl.org email address
• The subject line will include the sending library's name
• The first line of the email will include the sending library's name
• The first URL in the "Discover" section will be the sending library's URL
• The information in the footer will be the sending library's. Information will include the sending library's name, address, telephone number, email address, and website.

Introductory text differs based on whether a patron is an Online Patron / Permanent Online Patron or any other patron type:

• For most patrons: Welcome to the [% lib.name %] and to the OWWL Library System! Your new library card can be used at any of the 42 member libraries of the OWWL Library System and gives you immediate access to all OWWL digital resources.
• For Online Patron / Permanent Online Patron: Welcome to the [% lib.name %] and to the OWWL Library System! Library staff will contact you soon about how your new library card will be made available to you. Your new library card will give you access to all OWWL digital resources and allow you to place holds on physical library materials. Your library may require further proof of identity and/or address before you will be able to borrow physical library materials.

2024-09-06: Permission to void bills removed

Staff are no longer able to void bills. To forgive fines, staff should use the Forgive payment type. See OWWL Policy for more information .

2024-09-06: Universal shelving location visibility rules for Aspen

Items shelved in locations with following shelving location names will always be invisible in Aspen:

• Office
• Storage

This change will be implemented this month.

2024-09-06: New age-based hold protection options

New age-based hold protection options have been added. Holdings staff can now choose to apply age-based hold protection to an item for two weeks, one month, or two months by selecting the appropriate option from the Age Hold Protection dropdown in the holdings editor.

2024-09-06: OWWL Policy on In-system vs. Out-of-system patrons updated

OWWLDAC voted to accept an EAC recommendation to change the OWWL Policy on In-system vs. Out-of-system patrons. Changes are noted below:
The PLSOWWL Library System service area is defined as being formed by the counties of Wyoming, Livingston, Ontario, and Wayne in the state of New York. In-system patrons are all full and part-time residents (whether permanently or temporarily, such as college students), as well as any person who attends school or pays property taxes, within the four county area or in a member library's chartered to serve area. This includes residents of "unserved" communities, or, those communities within the geographic boundary of PLSthe OWWL Library System, but outside of an PLS OWWL Library System member library's chartered to serve area, subject to the Free Direct Access policy. Out-of-system patrons are people living outside of the four county area.

2024-09-06: New policy on Amnesty Mode

OWWLDAC voted to add a new policy :
Amnesty mode should not be used in place of going fine-free and should not be used unless in extenuating circumstances.

2024-09-06: New policy on deletion of items

OWWLDAC voted to add a new policy which is planned to be implemented beginning 12/2024:
Items with particular statuses will be deleted from Evergreen by System staff on the following schedule:

• Missing items three years after last status update
• Lost and paid items six months after last status update
• Lost items when patron is deleted

Libraries are encouraged to delete items sooner according to local policy.

2024-09-06: New policy on accepting payments for checked out items

OWWLDAC voted to add a new policy :
Libraries should not accept payment (whether actual payment or fine forgiveness) for bills on open circulations.

2024-09-06: New policy on fine forgiveness

OWWLDAC voted to add a new policy :
Libraries may choose to ignore and override overdue fines, accept payment for overdue fines, or forgive overdue fines according to their local policy.
Please note: Libraries should develop local policies.

2024-08-26: New dropdown in ad-hoc shelf list reports

In ad-hoc reports that require the entry of a shelving location name, you can now select from your library's shelving locations from a dropdown list.

2024-08-22: Minor upgrade to 3.11.7

Mainly bugfixes and a few small quality of life improvements. Highlights include:

• Fixes problem where the staff catalog could attempt to jump to an incorrect record when performing a metarecord search that returns a single result.
• Add a print button to the Desk and Staff User Payment grids to print the org, date range, totals, and full list.

2024-07-23/24: Aspen browse categories display local holdings

Some default Aspen browse categories have been modified to fix a bug so they show results only for local holdings when accessed from your library's individual entry point. This update was made to all of the browse categories under the following umbrellas:

• New Adult Titles
• New Kids Titles
• New Teen Titles
• New Media

Additionally, digital titles like eAudiobooks and eVideos are now included in only their own browse categories and not additionally included in the browse categories listed above.

2024-07-19: Item prices in shelf list reports

Item prices are now available in both ad-hoc shelf list reports.

2024-07-17: Minor upgrade to 3.11.6

Added additional date of birth validation to pages. Please note that these updates introduced a small bug that was fixed on 7/22. Self-registration submissions received in the intervening few days did not have dates of birth added correctly.

2024-07-10: Item notes and tags available in Aspen

Item notes and tags have now been integrated into Aspen. If an item has a public note or public tag, it will display in the "Note" column in a record's list of copies. The "Note" column will only appear if at least one item on the record has a public note or public tag. They will roll out over the next few days.

2024-06-26: Minor upgrade to Evergreen 3.11.5

This upgrade contains mainly bugfixes, accessibility improvements, and performance improvements.

2024-06-05: OverDrive → Libby

Based on feedback, the term "OverDrive" has been replaced across Aspen with the term "Libby." Libby is used across Aspen, including in the E-Content Collection facet and on buttons to check out or place holds.

2024-05-21: Hold sort order changed to prioritize owning library

The order in which holds are captured has been changed. Holds will be fulfilled in queue order. However, the holds targeter will now prioritize holds placed for pickup at the owning library.

2024-05-21: "In-person Loan" circulation modifier

A new circulation modifier, "In-person Loan," has been created. Items that use this circulation modifier will not be holdable. By default, items that use "In-person Loan" will circulate for one week with one renewal allowed, but libraries may put in a ticket to change their library's circulation policy for this circulation modifier.

When the functionality is available, Aspen will not display the "Place Hold" button for items that use the "In-person Loan" or "Museum Pass" circulation modifiers. Additionally, Aspen will treat items that use the "Reference" circulation modifier as being available for "In-library use" only.

2024-05-21: Some item statistical categories no longer required

Four item statistical categories ("stat cats") no longer need to be selected when adding or updating items:

• Collection Development
• Electronic File Format
• Genre
• Physical Format

Libraries may choose to continue to use these stat cats for collection development.

2024-05-21: Report processing schedule

A recommended schedule for processing critical reports is now available on OWWL Docs. EAC recommends following the report processing schedule and to take appropriate actions as indicated on the schedule to maintain accurate patron and item records and to provide good customer service.

2024-05-21: Hold limit applies to staff

Staff should now encounter an error if attempting to place more holds than the hold limit for patrons. Staff with Circ II or above can override the error.

2024-05-21: Grouped work permissions for Aspen administrators

Staff with Aspen administrative logins now have the ability to manually group and ungroup works. For more information, please see the Aspen Discovery Help Center page on Grouping and Ungrouping Records.

2024-04-15: Email notifications encrypted

Emails sent by Evergreen are now secured with TLS encryption. Think of this as the email equivalent of https:// versus just http://. Any modern email client should have no problems with this update, but please let us know if you or your patrons experience any problems receiving emails.

2024-04-02: Aspen upgrade to 24.03

New / improved features include:

• More details on bills (title and author for overdue, lost, and damaged bills now included)
• Barcodes and call numbers shown for patron checkouts
• Patrons may now select an activation / thaw date when freezing a hold
• Accessibility improvements
• And many more small updates, tweaks, and fixes!

2024-03-20: Minor upgrade to Evergreen 3.11.4

This upgrade contains mainly bugfixes, accessibility improvements, and performance improvements.

2024-03-11: Magazine Circulation ad-hoc report updated

The Magazine Circulation ad-hoc report now includes deleted magazines. It also categorizes autorenewals correctly as renewals rather than as checkouts.

2024-02-28: Patron registration form templates updated

Updated patron registration form templates are available on OWWL Docs .

2024-02-22: Aspen upgrade to 24.01

New / improved features include:

• List import from Evergreen
  • 
    Please note: If a title on a patron's list has been deleted since they added the title to their Evergreen list, their lists will still import but will not include the deleted title. They will receive a message confirming the success of the import; this message will also list the bib record IDs of titles that were unable to be imported.
• Items that aren't OPAC visible should no longer show up in Aspen. Unfortunately, a further bug fix is required.
• Smoother integration with OverDrive.
• Patron preferred name will be used when available.
• Holds available for pickup can be cancelled.
• When sending the email when a new materials request has been created, Aspen will send to the email for the patron's home library rather than the active library.
• Cover images will display for each edition.
• Patrons' home libraries will be at the top of Available Now At and Library facets if using the consortial view.
• Patrons can toggle whether to display their holds and checkouts in search results.
• Aspen will use the patron's day phone if they choose to receive hold notification by phone and no phone number is included.
• Call number searches are now available.
• "New" flags on titles added recently to the catalog.
• Tweaks to the theme and menu locations.
• And many more small updates, tweaks, and fixes!

2024-02-21: Minor upgrade to Evergreen 3.11.3

This upgrade contains mainly bugfixes, accessibility improvements, and performance improvements. Some you may notice include:

• Alerts will now load immediately for patrons (fixes a bug introduced in our upgrade to 3.11 in November 2023)
• Publication year now available on Holds Pull List
• Page buttons have their padding back! (fixes a bug introduced in upgrade to 3.11.2 in January 2024)

2024-02-05: Shelving location creation and updates

On 2/2/2024, OWWLDAC approved EAC proposals about creating and updating shelving locations:

• Staff with Item Cataloging permissions are now able to create or update shelving locations.
• A new policy on shelving locations was adopted :
  • Libraries should be consistent in the naming conventions they use for shelving locations. Shelving locations should use Title Case and should be of a reasonable length. Shelving locations should be added sparingly and should ideally correspond with an actual physical shelving location.

You can find more information about how to create and update shelving locations on OWWL Docs .

Libraries may still request assistance with creating or updating shelving locations by submitting a support ticket.

2024-02-05: Claims returned updates

On 2/2/2024, OWWLDAC approved EAC proposals for changes to the Claims returned process:

• Prior to the change, an item's status would be changed to "Missing" when it was marked as Claims returned. Now, the item's status will change to "Claimed returned."
• Directors are now able to edit patrons' lifetime counts of claimed returned items.

2024-01-17: Minor upgrade to Evergreen 3.11.2

This upgrade contains mainly bugfixes, accessibility improvements, and performance improvements. Some you may notice include:

• Tables in many interfaces have been improved to work better with screen readers. You may notice a difference in the display of some tables, such as when showing more details for items in catalog search results.
• Use of older "copy" terminology has been replaced with "item" in some holdings editor interfaces.
• You can now double-click on a row in the Holdings View tab to edit an item.
• Items can no longer be marked missing when checked out to a patron.'
• You can view the Transit Source library for holds in transit on the View Holds tab for title records.
• Alphabetical sorting works a little better than it used to (lower case was previously sorted after upper case in many tables).

2024-01-08: Shutdown of old Evergreen OPAC (TPAC sunset)

We have shut down the TPAC (the old Evergreen OPAC), making Aspen Discovery the exclusive online catalog for the OWWL Library System. Links to the TPAC will redirect to search.owwl.org.

If your library maintains its own website and still links to the TPAC rather than to Aspen Discovery, please update your links. You can find more information, including a code snippet to change search boxes, on OWWL Docs .

You may notice a few additional changes:

• Links to the self-registration page do still work. The self-registration page is one of the few remaining pages that will still be accessible. The self-registration page has been updated to use the newest Evergreen OPAC theme.
• The Patron View link on a record's page in the staff client will now take you to the Aspen page for the record.

2023-12-20: New scheduled alert reports

Two new alert reports have been created. These will only be emailed to you if applicable.

• Pending patron alert: Runs weekly on Thursdays. Is sent to your library's circ account and director email addresses if you have a pending patron more than a week old in the queue.
• Staff inactivity alert: Runs monthly. Is sent to director email addresses if a staff account at your library has never been used or hasn't been used for at least a month. Directors should notify OWWL staff when an account is no longer needed.

2023-12-15: Scheduled reports updates

We've made a few small updates to scheduled reports. These updates include:

• Addition of the publication year to Overdue reports
• Addition of most recent circulation circumstances (whether an item was lost, claims returned, etc.) on the List Items by Copy Status report
• Addition of data on Permanent Online Patrons to the Monthly New Users report
• Addition of a new prototype circulation report on a separate Excel sheet for the Monthly Circ Stats report

2023-12-08: Hold notification email pickup times

Hold notification emails now include a date by which the item must be picked up. They also include a new line: "If you are unable to pick up your items by the date(s) listed, please contact the library."

2023-12-08: Patron registration form default adjustments

OWWLDAC voted to adjust some defaults on the patron registration form:

• Only email hold notifications are now the default (currently, both phone and email are defaults)
• Receiving checkout receipts by email is now the default

2023-12-08: Pickup locations for staff-placed holds

OWWLDAC voted to adjust the pickup location for staff-placed holds to default to the workstation location. This means that when a staff member places a hold for a patron, the pickup location on the form will be the library at which the staff member is working instead of the patron's preferred pickup location.

This will only change the behavior of what autopopulates in the form when a staff member places a hold for a patron. It can still be changed for each hold placed, either while the hold is being placed or after the hold is placed.

2023-12-01: New recommended procedures for deceased patrons

Add an alert noting that the patron has been reported deceased.

Libraries may still choose to use an additional procedure, also discussed by EAC and OWWLDAC, which includes more thoroughly removing information from the patron’s account by overwriting values with “deceased patron” and removing identifying details.

Full details are available on OWWL Docs .

2023-12-01: New policy on circulation policy modifications

OWWLDAC voted to add a new policy :
Requests for changes to a library's circulation policies in Evergreen should come from or CC the library's director. Library directors may appoint a designee for circulation policy updates; this designee may request circulation policy changes without CC'ing the library director.

2023-12-01: New policy on item availability for OWWL cardholders

OWWLDAC voted to add a new policy :
Libraries should make items in their physical collection available to any OWWL cardholder in the same manner the items are available to the library's own cardholders. Libraries may restrict fragile, bulky, irreplaceable, or special circulation items from being put in transit and may require that such items be checked out and returned only at their owning library.

2023-11-04: OWWL app updates

A new version of the OWWL app has been released to the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. In addition to bug fixes, new features include:

• Tap on author name to search by author
• Add sort direction to List Details and remember sort preferences across app launches

2023-11-01: Updates to reports

Several reports have been updated:

• The Circ Matrix ad-hoc report now includes details rather than codes. All fields that are factored into circulation policies are now included. All active circulation policies are now displayed.
• The Holds Shelf ad-hoc report is no longer available. This report was a duplicate of a report available directly in Evergreen.
• Both Shelf List ad-hoc reports now include item tags.

2023-11-01: Major upgrade to 3.11.1

More information available on the main upgrade page .

2023-09-14: OWWL Policy on lost and damaged item bills updated

OWWLDAC voted to accept an EAC recommendation to change the OWWL Policy on bills for lost materials and damaged materials.

The additions are indicated below in green.

Bills for lost and damaged materials may be paid at any library but the payment must be forwarded to the owning library.

• Lost/damaged bills are paid using the Payment Type "Work" to clarify accounting at the payment library.
• If being paid by check, the check must be addressed to the library receiving payment .
• Checks and cash should not be sent via OWWL delivery and should be forwarded to the owning library using other means, such as by mail.
• Payment for lost item processing fees should also be forwarded to the owning library. Forgiveness of lost item processing fees can be determined by the owning library.
• Check with the owning library before telling a patron that you can accept a replacement copy in lieu of payment. Not all libraries accept replacement copies for lost or damaged items.

2023-09-14: OWWL Policy on agency cards updated

OWWLDAC voted to accept an EAC recommendation to change the OWWL Policy on agency cards.

The additions are indicated below in green.

Cards may be issued to specific types of agencies for use by authorized agency staff persons, according to the guidelines laid out in the Patrons Agency User Records page and agreement. Classroom teachers should be referred to their school librarian/BOCES for group loans.

2023-06-27: OWWLHQ items fine-free

At their June meeting, OWWLDAC voted to approve an update to circulation policies for items owned by OWWLHQ. The work to implement this change has been completed; from now on, items in the OWWLHQ Professional Collection and OWWL Book Discussion Kits will circulate fine-free across the system.

2023-06-20: Phase 2 of Aspen Discovery Rollout

On June 20, OWWL updated the search box and links on owwl.org to direct patrons to Aspen. There were changes to the search box because of the way searches in Aspen are structured. The Evergreen OPAC will still be available during the transition period.

We also started switching OPAC computers and prefab websites to use your library's Aspen individual entry point.

2023-06-02: Updates to Agency Card Letter and Agreement

OWWLDAC voted to approve proposed changes to the Agency Card Letter and Agreement

2023-05-11: New staff listing ad hoc report

A new ad hoc report is available. This report lists a library's staff members and their permissions.

2023-04-19: Exclude Electronic Resources checkbox is stickier

A database patch was applied. Among other smaller fixes, the Exclude Electronic Resources filter in the staff catalog can now be selected once in Catalog Preferences and will permanently remain on the search form.

2023-04-11: Aspen Discovery is live!

Aspen Discovery, the OWWL Library System's new discovery platform, is live at search.owwl.org

You'll slowly start to see more changes being made to point patrons to the new discovery platform.

You can find resources for staff, including more information, training recordings, and promotional materials, on OWWL Docs .

In the coming weeks, we will reach out to directors about getting your individual entry points configured. Stay tuned!

2023-03-10: Read-along book format

A new "Read-along book" format has been added in Evergreen. Titles encoded as being read-alongs are now searchable with the option from the Format dropdown and will be displayed with a new icon and label.

2023-03-10: Small update to lost/damaged payments policy

The Lost Materials and Damaged Materials policy was further updated by OWWLDAC to strike a requirement that payments be annotated and to clarify that checks should be addressed to the library receiving payment.

2023-01-31: New "Payments Between Libraries" report

The new "Payments Between Libraries" scheduled report has been released. This report can be used to create and process invoices for payments collected at other libraries. Depending on the volume of transactions, you may wish to invoice other libraries monthly as the report runs, or you may wish to invoice quarterly or even semiannually.

More information about this report can be found on OWWL Docs .

2023-01-09: OWWLHQ & OWWL-BBM

PLSHQ and PLS-BBM are no more!

2023-01-06: Changes to lost/damaged payments policy

The Lost Materials and Damaged Materials policy was updated by PLSDAC to reflect the system requirement that payments no longer be sent via delivery. According to recommended accounting procedures, owning libraries should be invoicing the library which received the payment for the lost/damaged item.

A scheduled report is being developed to aid with the new procedures.

2023-01-06: Emergency Closing permissions for Library Admin accounts (directors)

Directors are now able to add emergency closings in Evergreen. Emergency closings are appropriate to use for multi-day, unexpected closings (such as for a water main break that isn't expected to be fixed for several days).

Emergency closings are similar to "standard" closed dates, but additionally shift the due dates of items that fall within the closed period to the next open date. They also shift hold shelf expiration dates.

2022-12-28: Changes to lost notices and emails

Lost notices are now generated after items have been overdue for 28 days. Evergreen will mark items lost at 35 days overdue. The content of lost notices have also been adjusted based on feedback from EAC and PLSDAC.

Additionally, the overdue notice that used to be sent when an item was 28 days overdue has now been repurposed to act as an emailed lost notice. The text of this email has been updated to match the text of the printed lost notices.

2022-12-14: Changes to print overdue notice timing

14-day print notices have been activated for all libraries. The 28-day print notices and 42-day print notices have been deactivated for all libraries. The 14-day notices have also been adjusted to ensure that at least one overdue notice runs for items already 14 days overdue at the time the change is made.

2022-11-21: Change to self-registration confirmation message

The confirmation message that appears on the screen when patrons submit a self-registration form has been adjusted to indicate that the library may contact the patron to pick up their library card, depending on local practices. The full message reads:

Library staff at your selected library will review your information to verify your eligibility. Please allow time for processing.

If you are eligible, library staff will either mail your new library card to the address you provided, or contact you with pickup information. Your card will give you access to all OWWL digital resources and allow you to place holds on physical library materials. Your library may require further proof of identity and/or address before you will be able to borrow physical library materials.

2022-11-16: Pre-cat creation limited to Circ II/Library Admin accounts

PLSDAC voted to accept an EAC recommendation to remove the ability to create pre-cat records from Circ I staff accounts.

2022-11-16: New "Permanent Online Patron" profile created

PLSDAC voted to accept an EAC recommendation to add a new "Permanent Online Patron" profile. This profile can be used by libraries who would like to extend Online Patrons' account expiration dates to every two years (rather than every six months). Other than the default expiration date interval, this profile is identical to the Online Patron profile.

This account can be used to provide extended / continued access to electronic resources for patrons who do not visit the library to confirm their address / identity. Address/identity verification is not required and is a local library decision.

2022-11-10: OWWL Policy on autorenewals

PLSDAC voted to accept an EAC recommended policy clarifying autorenewals.

2022-11-10: OWWL Policy on "Editing due dates when a patron needs extra time" updated

PLSDAC voted to accept an EAC recommendation to change the OWWL Policy on " Editing due dates when a patron needs extra time ." The change clarifies the maximum amount of time a due date can be extended and disallows the use of editing due dates to prevent the timely return of an item owned by another library.

2022-10-20: "Refresh penalties" functionality

A "Refresh penalties" option has been added under the "Other" menu when working with patrons.

One use case: A patron has overdue fines of $6 and has the "Patron exceeds fine threshold" standing penalty. If the patron pays their balance off, the penalty will still remain until the next time Evergreen automatically calculates the penalties. However, the staff member can use the new "Refresh penalties" menu option to manually have Evergreen remove the standing penalty immediately.

2022-09-22: Update to Pull List interface

The Holds Pull List has been Angularized in a maintenance update.

Highlights of changes include:

• There is no separate button to view the details for the selected hold. Instead, as with other Angular hold interfaces, you can access hold details using any of these methods: double-clicking on the hold's row; right-clicking on the hold and selecting "Show Hold Details;" or by selecting the hold's row, accessing the actions menu, and then selecting "Show Hold Details."
• Many of the hold actions previously available as individual menu options are now all available in a single, convenient interface. These include editing the pickup library, notification settings, hold dates, active/suspended status, and more. To access this interface, select the hold(s), then either right-click or press the actions menu, and finally select "Modify Hold(s)." You can make any changes to holds all at once now.

Update: Libraries may encounter some printing problems with the new pull list. The old pull list is still available; the link was emailed out to PLS-L. Please email evergreen@pls-net.org if you need further assistance.

2022-09-01: "Laptop" Physical Format Item Stat Cat

A new entry has been added to the Physical Format Item Stat Cat field: Laptop.

2022-07-20: Minor upgrade to 3.7.3

This upgrade contains mainly minor bugfixes and performance improvements.

2022-06-15: Major upgrade to 3.7.2

More information available on the main upgrade page . Scheduled for 6/23, but finalized on 6/15.

2022-05-11: Change to hold limits

PLSDAC voted to accept EAC recommendations for updates to OWWL Policy on hold limits. Patrons may now place up to 20 active holds and may place up to 30 additional suspended holds.

2022-05-11: Change to patron account expiration staff warnings

PLSDAC voted to accept an EAC recommendation to change the patron account expiration warning from 3 days to 30 days. Staff will now be warned by Evergreen of an impending patron account expiration when accessing a patron record that is due to expire within the next 30 days. Please note that these new warnings may not appear in Evergreen immediately.

This setting is now aligned with the patron account expiration emails, which continue to be sent 30 days before a patron's account is set to expire.

2022-05-06: OWWL Policy on holds not picked up updated

PLSDAC voted to accept EAC recommendations for updates to OWWL Policy on holds not picked up. The policy now allows for greater flexibility in the amount of time that a hold may remain on the hold shelf and for libraries to set their own local policies. Language suggesting that libraries should charge a $1 "Hold not picked up" fee was also removed from this policy.

2022-03-24: New "Storage" Item Status

We've created a new "Storage" Item Status. This status could be used for a variety of purposes. One use case is for projects where a portion of your collection may be inaccessible for a significant period of time.

Items that have the "Storage" status will not be visible to patrons in the OPAC, will not be holdable, and will be unavailable. Additionally, if you attempt to delete an item with the Storage status, you will be warned that it is not in an ideal state to be deleted.

As with all statuses that are not OPAC visible, staff members will still be able to see items with the Storage status in the staff catalog.

If you are considering a large-scale project involving making a portion of your collection inaccessible, email us at evergreen@pls-net.org for help in setting your items up with the new "Storage" status.

2022-03-17: Item holds can be placed from the staff catalog again

The bug surfaced by the most recent Chrome update (to Chrome 99, released 3/3/2022) that caused a tooltip to block staff members from placing an item or call number hold in the staff catalog has been patched. You may now use the staff catalog to place item or call number holds directly from the bib record without needing to use a workaround or the Traditional staff catalog.

2022-03-08: Change to default search location for new patrons

PLSDAC voted on 3/4 to accept EAC's recommendation to change the default search location for new patrons to OWWL.

OWWL is already the default OPAC search location used when a patron is not logged on. Now, when any newly registered patrons log on to their account, OWWL will be the default search location. Previously, the default was set to the patron's home library.

This change will only affect patrons registered from now on; current patrons' settings will not be affected.

Patrons may always change their preferred search location themselves by logging on to their account, selecting the "Preferences" tab, selecting "Search and History," and selecting a different "Preferred search location."

Update: Due to a missing setting, this update was not implemented until 4/20/2022.

2022-03-04: OWWL Policy on lost and damaged item bills updated

PLSDAC voted to accept an EAC recommendation to change the OWWL Policy on bills for lost materials and damaged materials.

Specifically, the language of the policy was updated to reference "Work" rather than "Passthru" as the payment type and was updated to reference the envelopes used for delivery. Additionally, the updated policy is that an annotation should be added to the transaction by the library accepting payment.

2022-02-22: Update to Shelf List by Shelf Location ad hoc report

This report now includes annual report and fiction/nonfiction stat cats.

2022-02-22: Update to Item Count by Shelving Location ad hoc report

This report no longer requires you to enter a shelving location. All of a library's shelving locations and the count of items in each will be displayed when you run the report.

2022-02-16: Maintenance Updates

Adjust to zero on lost items

When you use the "Adjust to Zero" function for a lost item bill, Evergreen will now change the item's status to "Lost and Paid." Previously, Evergreen would only change the item's status if the bill was paid in full; if you used the "Adjust to Zero" function, the item's status would remain as "Lost," even though the bill was considered paid in full.

2022-02-02: "Originally registered at" stat cat name change

At their January meeting, PLSDAC voted to accept an EAC recommendation to change the name of the "Registration on File at" patron statistical category to "Originally Registered at." This change has been finalized in Evergreen.

These changes correspond with some updates to OWWL policies about patrons , also recommended by EAC and approved by PLSDAC, which recognize that many libraries no longer retain registration paperwork.

In particular, this aligns with the "Registration paperwork retention" section:

"EAC recommends keeping registration paperwork for no longer than is reasonable for local workflow (i.e. time it takes to enter all data into the system) and recommends the proper disposal of registration paperwork, i.e. shredding."

2022-01-07: End of grace period

PLSDAC voted this morning to end the 7-day grace period as recommended by EAC . This change has been made in Evergreen. This is a return to the pre-pandemic setting.

Please note that this change will only affect circulations that started after the change was made at 12:50pm. All circulations from prior to 12:50pm will still have a 7-day grace period, while all circulations from 12:50pm onwards have no grace period. Checkouts and renewals that don't have a grace period will accrue and post overdue fines immediately if fines are being charged. Fine-free circulations will still continue to be fine-free, of course!

Evergreen Bug Tracker

Date Added	Bug Description	Bug Mitigation / Workarounds
2023-09-13	Unable to mark item as damaged while it is in transit	Cancel the transit of the item, then mark the item as damaged
2023-06-22	New pull list prints small font	You may want to consider using the older pull list. If you would like to use the newer pull list, print the pull list in landscape rather than portrait orientation.
2022-10-03	New pull list sometimes shows duplicate holds when using multiple pages	If you have the number of rows set to display to, say, 50, Evergreen should show the holds only once. After you set the interface to display 50 rows (and save your settings by selecting Save Grid Settings from the Show Grid Options / gear menu in the top right of the table), you should be able to reload the interface and see the correct number of rows.
2022-09-30	New pull list doesn't print to receipt printers	Two option: • Use old pull list interface (still available with link; emailed to pls-l) • Print to a standard printer
2022-04-26	Items that were lost by Patron A, then found, then lost by Patron B have their status changed to "Lost and Paid" if Patron A's bill (for overdue fines) is paid or forgiven.	• This only affects the status of the item; the item will still remain as a checkout on Patron B's account. • Library staff should confirm that items marked as "Lost and Paid" are not still checked out as Other / Special Circulations before deleting them.
2022-03-29	Holds are not captured for items checked in from an unholdable status (like Missing, Damaged, etc.)	• Wait until the holds targeter runs. The holds targeter runs every each hold every 24 hours on a hold and will target items made available within the past 24 hours. • If you know of a hold for the item, manually retarget the hold by selecting Actions > Find Another Target while viewing a patron's or title's holds or while using the Hopeless Holds interface. • Check in the item a second time.