BiblioCommons continues to expand its portfolio of products and services for public libraries. The company has recently developed a new marketing platform to enable libraries to create and distribute content to promote its collections, services, and events. This new product aims to help libraries increase awareness of their services by the communities they serve using some of the techniques that have been well established in the marketing and communications activities in other commercial and non-profit sectors.
BiblioCommons has developed BiblioOmni as an extension of BiblioWeb, a library-specific content management system for deploying a full-featured website. BiblioWeb provides tools that enable library personnel to configure engaging website designs and create content without technical expertise. It follows a “card architecture,” where content can be stored as small blocks with appropriate metadata that can then be organized and presented in different ways on the website. These products are based on the overarching concept that content should be created once and then be available to be published or distributed in many ways. BiblioOmni will also be available to libraries that do not use BiblioWeb.
BiblioOmni leverages the technical infrastructure for BiblioWeb, but instead of presenting the content on the website, it can be distributed through multiple communications channels directly and via APIs. Typical distribution channels might include newsletters distributed via email, digital signage within the library or in remote locations, presentations on self-service kiosks, as well as printed flyers that may be posted within the library or sent via physical mail. BiblioOmni can tap into many different content sources, such as news announcements, events, book lists created in BiblioCore, lists of new acquisitions, and other programming content. Data from BiblioEvents, for example, can flow into BiblioOmni.
BiblioOmni creates customized marketing channels based on the themes of the current marketing campaign and on the recipients personalized profile. Marketing content can then be customized according to the recipients nearest branch location as well as by interest topics and demographic data. Blending the context of the marketing agenda and personalized user information, the specific content is assembled and distributed through each communication channel.
BiblioCommons positions BiblioOmni as a library-specific marketing automation platform. It puts tools into the hands of libraries that are commonplace in the business world to help them increase awareness of library services, which in turn should increase engagement with library services and the use of library resources.
BiblioOmni is currently in its development phase with expected availability later in 2018. For more information, see http://www.loveyouronlinelibrary.com/.
