Guest Post from Koios and Their New Tool to Make Your Library More Visible on the Web

Today I have a guest post from a company I met at ALA, Koios. They were a part of the "app" section of the exhibit floor where smaller companies could have a mini-booth. While visiting them, I learned all about Libre, a new, and easy way for libraries to make digital display, but the cool thing here is, Libre also positions your lists on the Internet in a way that allows patrons to more easily find you with a general Google search. This is what interested me so much-- making libraries and the great work with do for readers more visible to the general public.

After hearing their pitch, I was intrigued and asked them to contribute a post here on RA for All. I realize that most of my readers either did not go to ALA or didn’t have as much time as I did to roam the floor looking for new ideas and products. Also, I wanted to shine a spotlight on some of the smaller companies who took the time to come to us. Thank you Koios. We appreciate your interest in helping us be more visible on the web.

I suggest you read their post and then poke around on the site for yourself. I have a bit. It is definitely new and growing, but the interface is very easy to use. And more libraries are being added to their roster of clients all the time.

In fact, Koios is so interested in showing you what they can do that at the end of this post they have included a link for FREE early access to Libre. So you have nothing to lose. At the very least go poke around their website and see the great ways they can help you market your collections and services to the general public. As they say, “You know collections. We know digital marketing.” Let’s work together!

Back Monday with a new Call to Action. Have a great weekend.

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New tool from Koios links readers advisory with social media

Author - Sarah S. Davis, MSLS, Content Strategist / Librarian at Koios

With sites like Amazon and Goodreads offering bottomless options in book recommendations, librarians inevitably have to compete with algorithm-based and user-generated book discovery. Yet librarians have the subtle nuances of reader’s advisory expertise that goes beyond a code. Facing a rotating wheel of book covers on Amazon, readers can find an overwhelming amount of content—without context. While an algorithm generates multiple Stephen King novels in a row as readalikes, librarians bring the deft knowledge of what book to read first. How can patrons find book recommendations built on librarian knowledge outside the library? And how can those patrons connect the books they want to read with the library’s catalog?

The Challenge

Today, many readers encounter book discovery through Amazon’s algorithm based recommendations, such as “Customers who bought this item also bought.” Amazon links to content in usually understable ways. For instance, suggested books in the “Customers who bought this item also bought” feed for George Saunders’ Lincoln in the Bardo include several other works by Saunders (author-related), books about American history (topical), and titles that were released in the same month (proximity of publication). 

However, the recommendation algorithm used by Amazon is informed by sales data to influence sales data, not necessarily influence appropriate or informed reading recommendations. Publishers and authors can also now pay for greater prominence as a “sponsored” listing, which, while helping indie authors find customers, inevitably corrupts reading discovery with commerce. On Amazon, readers are customers first and readers second. 

Goodreads, the social reading site owned by Amazon, is a favorite among readers. One of Goodreads’ biggest resources is its Listopia database of thousands of lists. Goodreads houses lists for every imaginable theme: “Art & Artists in Fiction,” “Buffy Academia,” and “Arsenal Pulp Press” are just three available. Drawing upon collective niche interests and specialties, Goodreads can help readers find recommendations within an otherwise obscure topic.

On the other hand, at Goodreads, the populism of the list feature is both a blessing and a curse. For lists that other readers can vote on, lists often dissolve into popularity contests, with a book rising to the top. This can lead to confusing and misleading choices. Twilight, the first novel in Stephenie Meyer’s paranormal young adult romance series, epitomizes this paradox. The novel appears in several lists, including both “Best Books Ever” (#5) and “The Worst Books of All Time” (#1). Subjectivity clearly drives many lists. In theory, Goodreads Librarians can help with some ability to edit records, but ultimately Goodreads lists have to be taken with a grain of salt.

What both of these book discovery tools lack is context and an expert touch. Amazon’s business-driven model remains inherently linked to driving sales while Goodreads suffers from no guiding critical standards.

That’s where we come in.

Libre — The Opportunity

Koios helps libraries show up in local Google search results. A Google search for a book title will usually link to Wikipedia, Amazon, Goodreads, publisher websites, book reviews, and others as top results. Koios places the library side-by-side with these other sites to engage the community and increase circulation.

Our newest service is the list database, Libre Lists & Social. Through Libre Lists, libraries can create and share visually stunning, highly customized lists that connect each book to the library’s catalog. In just five minutes, your staff can build a list that reflects your organization’s unique collection tailored to the books your patrons actually want to read, no tech-savviness required. Libre helps you find your readers, and your readers find you, converting transactions into trust, and clicks into circulation.

Libre offers readers an intuitive and sophisticated interface. The list-building platform is user-friendly for librarians too. Library staff can customize their lists with drag-and-drop layout components, vivid backgrounds, and high-definition cover images.. Librarians can opt to build a list from scratch or adapt an existing template to personalize the content. 

Let me take you through the basics on how to get started and show you just how easy it is.

Working within the Content area of the list builder, staff start building a list by choosing a layout and then searching by title, author, or ISBN to add books. In the Settings tab, librarians can add a title, description, custom image, and background color. Lists can be saved as Draft or Public, and users have the option to allow other librarians on their team to access it. Coming soon, librarians will be able to share their templates with librarians at other libraries and add custom metadata (e.g. Category, Tags, etc.) to their lists.

(Writer’s note: Fig. 1-3 are intended to display in a slideshow or carousel if possible)

Building a List from Scratch

Fig 1. Creating a list from scratch

Fig. 2. Building a list with the Section Editor. 

Fig. 3. Coming soon: Making a list into a shared template with option to add metadata

Libre also comes preloaded with professionally designed templates that can be completely customized to each library’s preferences. For example, libraries can easily adjust the books and style options from Libre’s Banned Books template. For instance, libraries can swap pre-selected titles with others in their collection and edit the title and description.

Building a List from a Libre Template

Fig 4. Choosing the Banned Books template provided by Libre

Fig. 5. Customizing the layout in the Libre-supplied Banned Books template

Fig 6. Adjusting the books that are preloaded in the Banned Books template

Fig 7. The published Banned Books list as users see it

Libre lists can be embedded in your website and integrated with your online catalogue so patrons can find their item in one place. Libraries are encouraged to get social and share lists on social media. 

Fig 8. Share your lists with your patrons on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest with a rich card.

Librarians should also feel free to incorporate patron feedback. Why not take that Goodreads list of “Best Books Ever” and make it your patron’s best books ever? Lists of personalized picks from staff or a rotating list of “What We’re Reading” are also popular.

Here’s the exciting part. As a reader of RA for All, you can get free early access to Libre Lists & Social by signing up here. You’ll get 3 lists free forever and can earn more free lists by inviting your friends and coworkers. Or, subscribe to a paid plan for unlimited lists and team members. How can we help you reach your patrons? How do you think about organizing reading recommendation information? What features would you like to see? We welcome a dialogue to learn how to best help librarians reach their patrons through customizable book lists. Tweet to us at @koioslib, or email us at lists@koios.co. We’d love to hear from you.

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