Year in Review Returns for 2025, Along with Record Locking and 120+ Additional Updates in the Aspen 25.12 Release

December 16, 2025 12:03 PM - By Jordan Fields

Grove announces the release of Aspen 25.12, bringing back the popular Library Year in Review feature along with more than 120 enhancements designed to give libraries greater flexibility, control, and community-driven improvements.

Library Year in Review: Back for 2025

Library Year in Review, Aspen’s “Spotify Wrapped” style experience, returns in the 25.12 release, giving libraries a fun slideshow personalized for each patron based on their library usage throughout 2025.

New this year, libraries can choose from two additional visual themes: Folk and Holiday Wrapping, in addition to the Modern and Festive themes introduced last year. This allows libraries to better match the look and feel of Year in Review to their community and seasonal programming.

As with last year’s release, Library Year in Review was built as a community effort. The 2025 version was led by Aspen community member Mark Jarrell (Richland Library), with contributions from Lauren Connley (ByWater Solutions) and Mark Noble (Grove for Libraries).

"It was a lot of fun working with the development team and getting to contribute some code and design to Year in Review this year. I'm brand new to Aspen and really enjoying all of the innovative features like Year in Review that the system provides. Open source is a wonderful ecosystem and very rewarding. I'd definitely encourage other library staff using Aspen to jump in and be a part of the community in some way if you're not already!"

Mark Jarrell, Richland Library

Greater Administrative Control with Record Locking

Aspen 25.12 introduces the ability for administrators to lock individual records directly within the administration interface. This enhancement is especially valuable for consortia, allowing administrators to protect specific records from editing without restricting access to entire features or workflows for member libraries.

Additional Enhancements

Aspen 25.12 also includes a wide range of updates and improvements, including:

MessageBee Self Registration integration
Display updates informed by recommendations from the Aspen Catalogers Group
New options allowing libraries to prioritize which shelf locations appear at the top of lists
120+ additional enhancements and refinements across the platform

Each Aspen release is shaped by collaboration with libraries and the broader Aspen community. With the 25.12 release, Grove continues that partnership by delivering new features, refinements, and community-led innovations that support both library staff and patrons.

See all of Grove's video demonstrations in our 25.12 playlist

Full 25.12 release notes can be found at https://demo.groveforlibraries.com/Admin/ReleaseNotes?release=25.12.00

We’d like to thank the following libraries for sponsoring development from Grove for Aspen 25.12:

CLEVNET Library Cooperation
Colorado Library Consortium (CLiC)
Nashville Public Library
Orange County Library System
SHARE
SWAN Library Network
Wyoming State Library (WYLD)

Jordan Fields

Co-Founder