Montgomery County Public Libraries to Launch New Catalog Monday

For Immediate Release: Thursday, September 30, 2021

On Monday, Oct. 4, Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) will transition to Aspen Discovery, a brand-new library catalog providing customers with a new suite of features and a better online experience.

As part of this transition, from the evening of Friday, Oct. 1, until the morning of Monday, Oct. 4: 

• The catalog search functionality will be limited or unavailable;
• Online library card applications will be unavailable;
• Online resources, including databases and e-books, will experience disruptions; and
• Customers will be unable to place holds or renew items checked out to their accounts. 

Library branches will be open for in-person service on Saturday, Oct. 2, but service will be limited to the checking out of materials. Any items returned to library branches after Friday evening, will not be checked in until Monday. This means they will continue to show up on customer accounts, but they will be back dated when cleared.  

 “I thank our customers for their patience as we launch Aspen Discovery,” said MCPL Director Anita Vassallo. “We know they will be pleased with our new catalog once this transition is complete.”  

With Aspen Discovery, customers will be able to:

• Access the public catalog via any mobile device
• Search the E-book and print collection simultaneously 
• Browse all formats (print, e-book, audio book etc.) of a title within one search result  
• Receive suggestions for other related titles to check out while waiting for a hold to be filled 
• Review current checkouts, renew materials, and place holds online for physical and electronic materials  
• Manage their own privacy settings for reading and search history 
• View and pay fees online
• Save search alerts for arrival of new materials
• Select and change notification preferences (text, email)
• Add star ratings to titles 
• Make purchase suggestions online 
• Create, manage and share lists of favorite books 
• Seamless integration of news, events and other communication 
• And much more! 

All customers’ current account information (checkouts, holds, fines, address and phone, etc.) will be available on the new system. Individuals’ library barcodes and personal identification numbers will remain the same.  

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Release ID: 21-781
Media Contact: Monika Hammer 240-463-2442
Categories: Library