Meet BiblioBoard, the “PatronsFirst Mobile Library”

BiblioBoard, the flagship product of BiblioLabs, LLC, of Charleston SC, made its debut in March 2013 as the culmination of efforts by its creators to bridge what they saw as a growing gap between the user experiences offered by libraries and such companies as Amazon and Apple.

BiblioLabs determined that over the past two decades, innovations in the use of technology to enhance the user experience – embraced by media- and customer-savvy companies but less so by libraries – was largely responsible for the gap. As an example, the company cites the growing use of mobile devices such as tablets to access information. The problem for libraries is the perception among library vendors that libraries are slow – and feel little urgency – to adopt innovative practices for their users. BiblioLabs believes this user experience gap represents the greatest competition – and threat – to the role of libraries in the future.

Enter BiblioBoard, which BiblioLabs calls "the PatronsFirst mobile library."

BiblioBoard is comprised of two key components. The first is a vast database of more than 4.5 million pieces of content – documents, letters, maps, audio, video, etc. – organized into easy-to-search categories, called anthologies, accessible on all major tablet devices. Biblioboard listed more than 400 anthologies by the end of 2013 in literature, history, philosophy, religion, science, nature, Native American studies, women's studies, music, sports, drama, games, crafts, cooking, and children's literature. Each anthology is carefully chosen by its curators and includes e-books, streaming videos, audio, art, and articles.

The second component is the BiblioBoard Creator publishing tool, which allows libraries that purchase BiblioBoard to add their own digital special collections in the same sophisticated multi-media environment. Using the Creator tool, libraries can easily upload photos, letters, newspaper clippings and other items residing in the public domain or with cleared rights to tell a story that can be shared within their communities or around the world.

In a recent press release, BiblioLabs announced major platform upgrades to BiblioBoard and the addition of thousands of new, recently published books from publishers in areas of high library patron demand, including graphic novels, comic books, manga, romance, and children's books.

BiblioBoard quickly garnered attention and recognition following its launch, winning a Publishing Innovation Award and Quality Excellence Design seal of approval, and being named Best New Mobile App for Libraries by The Charleston Advisor.

BiblioLabs founder and Chief Business Officer Mitchell Davis says of his product, "BiblioBoard is designed to give libraries a sophisticated and intuitive interface for delivering all kinds of digital content, including e-books, images, audio, and video. We believe libraries need to be able to offer media experiences that rival those of Amazon, Apple, and Netflix. BiblioBoard makes it easy and affordable for them to do so. Today, there are great apps and platforms for just about everything. Why not libraries?"

Davis adds, "The bar for the mobile user experience is being set by consumer companies, and libraries have to meet very high patron expectations. Our platform creates a thrilling web and mobile experience across all media types in a unified and elegant interface. BiblioBoard makes libraries competitive for the attention of patrons in a fast moving digital world."

For more information about BiblioBoard program offered by Amigos, contact Christopher Burke, 800-843-8482, ext. 2805, or burke@amigos.org.