ProQuest and bibliotheca Enhance selfCheck Experience
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, October 17, 2017 – ProQuest and bibliotheca are teaming to integrate the power of the Syndetics Unbound™ service into the library selfCheck experience.
The Syndetics Unbound™ enrichment service integrates seamlessly with a library’s existing catalog to provide interactive exploration, increasing circulation of the library collection. Backed by comprehensive data from ProQuest and LibraryThing, Syndetics Unbound™ provides the highest quality enrichments and best coverage for both public and academic libraries.
Through ProQuest plus bibliotheca, libraries around the world will provide personalized, curated book recommendations and ratings to patrons directly at the point of borrowing or returning items. This will allow patrons to easily place recommended titles on hold, paving the way for future library circulation.
Libraries that already subscribe to recommendations through Syndetics Unbound or LibraryThing for Libraries will receive the added benefit of sharing recommendations at bibliotheca selfCheck kiosks. This capability offers library customers the ability to boost the circulation of their collections and expose great backlist items that are similar to best-selling titles.
When items are read at the selfCheck kiosk, the screen will display cover images, titles, and ratings for other relevant recommended books. Patrons will have the option to print the information on their receipt for later or place items on hold directly from the selfCheck software.
“There’s a natural synergy between our selfCheck experience and the wealth of information that Syndetics Unbound offers,” said Jim Hopwood, bibliotheca’s Chief Technical Officer. “We are able to combine the fascinating world of book recommendations with our physical checkout process, providing extra value to library patrons by enhancing the borrow and return experience with targeted crowd-sourced guidance, helping them find their next read.”
“We think this is the perfect way to put our vast reserves of book data to immediate use at the exact point that it’s most needed,” said Kevin Sayar, Senior Vice President and General Manager, ProQuest Books. “This new service dovetails perfectly with library patrons’ need to simplify the process of finding the books they really want and the library’s goal to make the user experience more rewarding.”
The Syndetics Unbound™ service utilizes LibraryThing® recommendations that originate from book lovers around the world. In addition to libraries in North America, those located in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand can also benefit from local English language book recommendations for local publications.
About bibliotheca
For over 45 years, bibliotheca has dedicated research and development efforts to serve the evolving needs of libraries around the world. We have offices in all the major continents and support more than 30,000 libraries in 70 countries through dedicated distributors.
Our dedicated staff and innovative solutions connect libraries and their users wherever they happen to be, encouraging unique interactions, driving user participation, and expanding the overall reach of libraries in communities. Our goal is to empower libraries to reinvent their offerings and to encourage lifelong learning today and well into the future.
About ProQuest (http://www.proquest.com)
ProQuest is committed to supporting the important work happening in the world’s research and learning communities. The company curates content that matters to the advancement of knowledge, assembling an archive of billions of vetted, indexed documents. It simplifies workflows so that people and institutions use time effectively. And because ProQuest connects information communities, complex networks of systems and processes work together efficiently. With ProQuest, finding answers and deriving insights is straightforward and leads to extraordinary outcomes.
ProQuest and its companies and affiliates – Ex Libris, Alexander Street, Bowker – stand for better research, better learning, better insights. ProQuest enables people to change their world.