Updating Organization Information

This video will demonstrate where to go to update important information about your organization. 

You will learn how to add a logo or image, and where you can post hours and other details. 
 
 
It is very helpful when an organization's information is kept up-to-date. Library staff around Montana use ASPeN to look up a library's hours and services. The following instructions cover how to update your organization's information in ASPeN.

    1. Login to ASPeN at http://aspen.mt.gov/ 
    2. From the Search ASPeN page click on "ASPeN Admin" located on the right-hand side of the screen.
    3. You should see something similar to the following screen:
Example of ASPeN admin page


Difference between update library and update additional information

You might have noticed that there are two options for updating your library's information. To update hours, address, website, and services you will use the first option "Update Library". In this example the menu item is called "Update ASPeN Test Library 1".  To add images for your library or upload policies or other resources about your library you will use the second option "Update Library Additional Information."

Update library hours, website, and services

  1. Click on "Update" beside the name of your library
  2. This takes you to a page where you can edit information about your library.
  3. Simply click in the text field of the items you want to edit and change or delete the text.
  4. NOTE: what is hourly display info type? This field controls who can see information about a position's hourly wage. It defaults to admin which means only people who can edit and administer a library's information in ASPeN can see that information. 
  5. Don't forget to click "Save" when you are done.
  6. A red message shows up at the bottom of the screen letting you know that your changes have been saved.
  7. Click "View Detail" at the top of the screen to see what your changes look like to the public.

Edit additional information about the library

  1. Like any piece of software there are multiple ways to edit additional information about your library. You can click on "Update" beside the name of your library additional information. (See the screenshot above) OR you can click on "Edit Organization Additional Information" from the screen that you see when you edit your organization's information. 
  2. Scroll down to the section you want to edit to make your changes. You are not required to add any of this information. It is nice for people to have. The most critical information about your library is located under "Update Library Information." 
  3. Associated organizations - use this to add branches or bookmobiles.
  4. Organization zip codes - this can be used to keep track of what zip code areas your library serves. This can be useful for mapping services.
  5. Organization Images - use this to upload images of your library or services/programs your library offers.
  6. Organization Resources - use this to upload your policies, board bylaws, or any other documents you want to have handy or share with Montana State Library staff or other librarians around Montana. You can control what is publicly displayed.
  7. Organization specialties - does your library have a lot of expertise in a particular area? You can indicate that here.
  8. Professional organizations - does your library belong to a professional organization such as the Montana Library Association? This is where you can indicate that.

Review information to keep staff and trustee positions current

The following video is an excerpt of a training with a staff member who was appointed by their library administration to take over ASPeN related tasks like adding staff members and keeping ASPeN data current. We will be creating a position and adding her to it. This should illustrate the features discussed as you move through the rest of this lesson. 

This has been shared with the permission of everyone in the video.

   
NOTE: If the person in this position is not already in ASPeN, you will need to add them before adding the position.
  1. Click on Create New Position
  2. Click on Create New Person OR select the person who currently holds this position from the drop down list. We'll assume you are adding a new person for the rest of this article.
  3. From the Persons - Create New page, enter information in all of the fields that have a red asterisk. This is last name, first name, and email.
  4. Click Save
  5. The system will take you back to the position page. Your new person's information should show up in the grey box in the middle of the page.
Example create new person page

Adding a position - completing the process


Idea: 
  • Add hourly info and wage for the position. 
    • This doesn't display publicly. 
  • Adding this information allows Montana State Library staff to share wage information with other libraries. 
    • They anonymize the data before sharing it. 
    • This is very helpful when library directors are trying to negotiate higher wages for staff.

  1. Select the position type from the drop down menu under the grey box.
  2. Enter the position title. It is okay if the title is the same as the position type.
  3. Enter the begin date. This is especially helpful for public library board members or new public library directors.
  4. Enter the phone number. 
  5. Enter the email address, physical address of the library, and mailing address of the library. You can use the drop down menus to have the system automatically populate that information for you.
  6. Enter the number of hours and hourly wage of the person. This information will not be publicly displayed.
  7. Click Save
  8. If you see a pink congratulations box, you were successful in adding the position. Click View Detail to see what your new addition looks like to the public.
example of what you see when record is inserted

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