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Solano County libraries seek BiblioCommons website and catalog upgrade to improve discovery and access
Summary
Library staff proposed adopting BiblioWeb and BiblioCommons to unify Solano County library websites and catalogs for better search, multilingual access and program promotion; year‑one costs (implementation + subscriptions) were presented and are included in the library’s requested budget.
Library staff presented a proposal on June 9 to replace the county’s temporary website and to overlay a modern catalog discovery platform, BiblioCommons/BiblioWeb, in order to improve public access, search and program visibility across Solano County libraries.
Assistant Director Megan Wong and Deputy Director Melissa Podaka described the current website as a temporary solution put in place in 2020; they said user expectations now favor a single, Amazon‑like discovery experience that displays all formats (print, ebook, audiobook), integrates staff recommendations and community lists, and supports language translation and accessibility features.
Staff demonstrated example interfaces from other California jurisdictions, highlighting unified search results that show multiple formats in one record, left‑hand facets for refined searching (language, format, availability), and community features such as star ratings and staff book lists. Library staff cited MarinNet’s experience, noting a reported 20% increase in users finding and requesting materials shortly after deploying BiblioCommons.
Costs presented: a three‑year contract with year‑one implementation fees and subscription totals split between website and catalog. Year‑one combined cost presented was approximately $161,333 (implementation fees plus first‑year subscriptions); library staff said funding for the proposal is already included in the library’s requested budget and therefore the board’s approval was not required at the meeting.
Supervisors asked about accessibility options, translations, and whether a library card is required to place holds (staff said browsing is available without a card; holds and checkouts require an account). Supervisors welcomed the proposal and praised libraries’ community outreach and event programming.
Next steps: staff will proceed with procurement and implementation per the library budget and timeline.
