Sole Source BiblioCore Letter for Denton
119 Spadina Ave., Unit 1000 ⚬ Toronto, Ontario, CANADA M5V 2L1 ⚬ Tel: (647) 436-6381
Tuesday October 1, 2019
Denton Public Library
502 Oakland Street
Denton, Texas 76201
To whom it may concern;
BiblioCommons, Inc. provides a suite of services for public libraries, including the BiblioCore catalog
and BiblioApps, through a multi-tenant software-as-a-service (SaaS) model from a proprietary
codebase. Many of its features, which enable public libraries to achieve critical strategic goals, are
provided by no other supplier.
In addition, the features are built on a set of proprietary purpose-built connector technologies that use
a combination of methods to establish communication with all major ILSs. No service from another
supplier supports interoperability with all major Integrated Library Systems (ILSs) in the United
States. In addition to undergirding the proprietary user-facing features of the service, this ILS
interoperability gives the library the unique possibility of changing its underlying ILS without
changing the patron experience. BiblioCommons works with all major ILSs, including Innovative
Interface’s Sierra and Polaris, SirsiDynix’s Symphony and Horizon, Evergreen, and TLC’s Carl.X.
Unique features, available through BiblioCore but offered by no other supplier, include:
Broadly-integrated user experience
BiblioCommons is the only supplier that supports:
● Catalog login that enables:
○ Access to patron functions in the ILS from a user-name/PIN log-in,
○ List creation for sharing with others, and
○ Personal “For-later” and “Completed” virtual shelves;
● Catalog-integrated browsing and discovery that includes:
○ Natural-language search (e.g. “new Spanish movies”),
○ Virtual shelf browser,
○ A built-in Awards and Bestsellers data-base, with full historical data for awards,
○ “In the meantime” suggestor feature that displays read-alikes in-line for titles
in search results for which no copies are currently available, and
○ An in-catalog promotion tool for uncatalogued resources
Impact
These integrations allow public libraries to deliver:
● Ease of use that mirrors user-experience standards on the rest of the Internet;
● New points of access to the collections;
● Load-balancing of hold-requests across related editions within the collections; and
119 Spadina Ave., Unit 1000 ◊ Toronto, Ontario, CANADA M5V 2L1 ◊ Tel: (647) 436-6381
● Improved visibility and use of library resources.
Grouped formats and editions display (FRBR)
BiblioCommons is the only service provider that intuitively groups a title’s different formats.
• FRBR logic for grouping search results.
o When a search returns a title that is held in multiple formats, they will be grouped
into a single search result (that displays all held formats and their availability status).
• FRBR display of all formats on each title’s bibliographic record page.
o Bibliographic record pages include a “format chooser” displaying all formats of the
title that are held by the library, as well as their availability status.
Impact:
• Immediately displays the full breadth of a title’s held formats.
o Removes the need to toggle facets on and off to see all formats of a particular title.
o Ensures that (for example) patrons with disabilities who need large print know that
it’s available.
• Allows users to compare availability across formats.
o Makes for easier format-agnostic borrowing, which corresponds to most users’
habits.
• Allows patrons to view formats and availability at a glance.
o Lets patrons select title format based on their needs, their preferences, or what will
be available soonest.
• Helps the library to spread attention across all of their held formats, not just what appears
first in search results.
Built-in community content creation
BiblioCommons is the only supplier that supports:
● Tools that allow logged-in patrons to curate, tag and comment on the library’s
collection;
● A legal framework for community contributions that includes:
○ Patron-facing Terms of Use that secure a license from the patron to display
the contributions they mark as public,
○ A First-Amendment-compliant system for flagging and removing
unprotected, inappropriate speech, and
○ Patron-validation that is aligned with the federal requirements of COPPA
(the Child Online Privacy Protection Act).
119 Spadina Ave., Unit 1000 ◊ Toronto, Ontario, CANADA M5V 2L1 ◊ Tel: (647) 436-6381
Impact
These features allow libraries to:
● Provide opportunities for users across a broad socioeconomic spectrum to develop
voice and engagement in their community; and
● Provide new points of access to the collection for users across a broad socioeconomic
spectrum.
The features allow libraries to comply:
● With ALA principles addressing patron privacy;
● With First-Amendment requirements regarding free expression; and
● With FTC best-practices for dealing with users under the age of 14.
Shareable lists
BiblioCommons is the only supplier that supports:
● Permanent URLs for lists;
● Automatically-generated, appropriately-sized jacket-image thumbnails for lists;
● Annotation fields for both the list and each listed title;
● Display logic that highlights staff-created lists when they appear amid user lists;
● A “semi-private” setting that provides for the sharing of lists via URL (for RA
purposes) without making those lists visible to all in the catalog; and
● Dynamic integration of list-names onto the bibliographic record pages of every listed
title.
Responsive, mobile-friendly catalog interfaces and Apps
BiblioCommons is the only supplier that supports:
○ One-stop content updates by staff; and
○ Consistent user experiences on desktop, tablet and mobile; and
○ A consistent range of services on desktop, tablet and mobile devices.
An intuitive and easy-to-use calendar interface
BiblioCommons is the only supplier that provides and supports BiblioEvents, which offers:
• The ability for staff to easily add catalog items to event pages;
• Online registration that automatically fills in a patron’s information if they are already
logged in to their catalog account;
• True facets, not filters, ensuring browsability and ensures patrons never get to zero search
results;
• A direct share to social media widget, and a download to calendar link;
119 Spadina Ave., Unit 1000 ◊ Toronto, Ontario, CANADA M5V 2L1 ◊ Tel: (647) 436-6381
• Staff created custom taxonomies for events, the ability to create event series or set up
recurring events. Staff can also manage event attendance and registration.
BiblioCommons software fees are determined on a fixed pricing model based on the legal service
population of the library, and pricing is not negotiated, regardless of the procurement mechanism.
We are pleased that we’ve been able to partner with Denton Public Library over the past three years,
and are looking forward to continue our work together to create a best-in-class online digital
experience for the patrons of Denton Public Library.
Sincerely,
Patrick Kennedy Co-Founder and President