Before the spring months are even upon us, many libraries are beginning to prep for summer reading by brainstorming programs, developing display ideas, and starting to reach out to potential community partners. The summer reading extravaganzas that libraries create can also give you an opportunity to showcase various areas of your collection for patrons to explore.
Linked Library Service and Enrichment (LLS and LLE) can help increase the visibility of your library on the web, along with giving you the tools to easily take parts of your collection and promote them on both on your library’s website and those of your community partners. Taking your collection and making it more visible will help your current patrons find new materials but also attract non-patrons to your library for resources and events.
What LLS does is transform your MARC data into linked data that services like Google can then use. For example, Google uses LLS data in its “Get Book” feature. This means a parent searching online for the latest ocean adventure of Narwhal and Jelly by Ben Clanton would see that their local library has a copy, and with one easy click takes them directly to their library’s catalog to place a hold.
LLE includes enriching your data with NoveList's award information, series information, appeal factors, and other reader metadata. Your library’s data is linked to our curated NoveList lists, making it easy to pull specific titles from your collection and create book carousels. These easy-to-embed carousels can be placed on your library’s website or shared with community partners.
Many of our NoveList lists are integrated into LLE including our “For Fans Of...” lists, which pair books with themes or characters that capture what audiences enjoy about popular video games, movies, tv shows, music, and more! NoveList includes a wide variety of trendy content including a “For Fans Of...” list for the hit video game Animal Crossing, performing artist Billie Eilish, popular young adult author John Green, science fiction/horror-drama Stranger Things, and other pop culture favorites. Check out the carousel of books from the Williamsburg Regional Library catalog for the "For Fans Of...Encanto (9-12)” list.
LLE lists also include award winners and genres like fantasy, horror, mysteries, and more, along with lists promoting diverse heroes, families, LGBTQIA, and lives of individuals from all backgrounds. You can search for topics like science, nature, and animals to help accompany library programs like summer reading themes.
Linked Library Service and Enrichment do all the heavy lifting transforming your library’s catalog into a digital gold mine (or an ocean!) of shareable possibilities.
Maria Fonseca-Gonzalez is a NoveList Consultant. She is currently reading The Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno.
