“An Astoundingly Elegant Solution” E-Content Seamlessly Integrated into Library Catalogs

In response to requests from partner libraries and patrons, BiblioCommons has developed a seamless integration of e-books and other digital content lending within existing public library catalogs.

Scot Colford, Web Services Manager at Boston Public Library, commented on the new BiblioCommons functionality, “It’s an astoundingly elegant solution to a problem we’ve had for years. With all our physical collections available in one database and our circulating digital content in another, our users have had to become accustomed to using a library with a split personality.”

By significantly reducing the total number of steps and clicks a patron has to navigate in order to successfully download and check-out e-content, BiblioCommons continues to expand and deliver an integrated experience for public library patrons.

The initial BiblioCommons integration includes e-content provided by OverDrive and features:
Requesting and downloading e-content directly from catalog search results
E-content holds and checked out items displayed alongside physical items on My Account pages
Managing e-content lending within the OPAC (e.g. canceling holds, downloading titles)

View a PDF Comparing the “Old” and “New” Options for Accessing a Library’s E-Content

After using the new BiblioCommons integration, Colford added, “It’s unbelievably simple. It just works. I think that in a few weeks time, we’ll be wondering how we ever got by without this functionality in our main discovery platform.”

The new integration launched on January 12, 2012 for Boston Public Library, New York Public Library, and Seattle Public Library.  Other BiblioCommons libraries will have the new functionality implemented in the upcoming months.

Integration News Release (PDF)

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