Bibliocommons: Building Community into Library Websites

Library websites are now essential for patrons and staff alike to create community and contribute to library culture. One particular kind of website that our local library system utilizes is the Bibliocommons site. This is a new breed of website designed with libraries in mind, which makes community creation and interaction within a library system, and with other library systems, more accessible in the digital arena.

What is Bibliocommons anyway?

Bibliocommons is essentially a webiste-building tool (much like Wix or SquareSpace) that is marketed to public library systems. This website builder offers various applications and options for online community building. I'll be analyzing the Pima County Public Library's site created with Bibliocommons, but there are many other libraries that have Bibliocommons sites.

 Power to the patrons!


This community interaction has many levels and forms on the patron level. The building block that is key in community interaction is that each patron has their own profile on the website. This immediately gives each user the ability to check on their accounts remotely, but to also create their own content. Users can provide community feedback on materials in various ways: items can be rated, commented on, given suggested age ranges for consumption, or even tagged with terms for easy searching. Patrons can even create their own lists to share with the community if they so choose, and provide recommendations based on a particular item as well! There is also the option for messages to be sent between patrons in this platform, as well as the cultivation of a publicly-visible account 'dashboard' if patrons so choose.

 More staff sharing power

On the library level, these tools are also utilized by staff to help guide patrons to exciting content that they will enjoy. However, the site also has the excellent built-in ability for patrons to search for events system-wide. If a parent is interested, for example, in attending a storytime on a particular day, but there isn't one available at their local location, they might search for a storytime event at another location, and even things to do in order to enhance such a trip. Staff can also blog about various currently relevant topics and content, in order to make certain programs more visible to the patrons who may need it. And, of course, the library includes their more popular social media streams in the website, as a method of introduction for new patrons, and an easy way for patrons to keep up with what's happening at the library.

 The future of library website design?

So, not only is Bibliocommons made with a built-in social media platform, it makes it quite easy for libraries to showcase their other social media to patrons, in the hopes that this will engender a following in these other places as well. This creates more opportunities and potential for patrons to discover each other, and become more involved in their local community, through social media connections and interactions with similar content and programming.

Take some time to browse these different websites created with the same tool, and also note how each system can customize the social experience and presentation of the system for their patrons.

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