Biblionix, the company behind the Apollo ILS for small public libraries, has created a variety of new enhancements that provide better integration between its catalog and the library's website.
Developed as a multi-tenant platform, libraries have until now accessed their version of the Apollo ILS through a URL referencing Biblionix's own domain (example https:// mylibrary.biblionix.com/catalog/). The company now offers libraries the capability to deploy their catalog via their own domain name (example: https://catalog.mylibrary.org). The ability for a library to provide both its catalog and its website via its own domain name strengthens its brand and identity.
This approach provides an opportunity for the library to avoid using a domain that associates its catalog as a commercial service (.com). It has become an almost universal practice for library vendors that host library catalogs to deploy the catalog using their company's domain name. Biblionix has set an important precedent by creating an option for libraries to both benefit from a fully hosted service and maintain this key aspect of their virtual identity.
Biblionix was also one of the first library technology vendors to deploy both its staff and public web interfaces through mandatory HTTPS, providing a high level of privacy and security for patron data and other sensitive operational data.
The company also introduced a new single sign-on capability for access to subscribed electronic resources. Library patrons can use their user and password credentials from Apollo to sign in to the website and access any restricted resources without the need to re-authenticate.
Biblionix has also created a widget that enables the library to present a moving carousal of book cover images on its website. Clicking on an image takes the patron to the corresponding record in the Apollo catalog. This widget provides an interactive way to feature collection items.
All of these new features are optional and available to Biblionix customers without additional cost. As a system designed and priced for small public libraries, Apollo has gained a set of features that aim to help improve their presence on the web without undue burdens of cost or complexity.