BiblioCommons is a portfolio company of the Volaris Group, one of the operating divisions of Constellation Software.

Breeding, Marshall. New General Manager for BiblioCommons. January 2021. Smart Libraries Newsletter. BiblioCommons has named a new general manager, its top executive position. When Volaris Group purchased the company in February 2020, Matt Goddard was appointed as its general manager to lead the company through its initial phase of business integration. As of December 1, 2020, Sebastien Lopes has assumed the role of general manager, following a three-month recruitment process. This transition in leadership was expected and does not necessarily portend any major changes in product or business strategies.

Breeding, Marshall. Consolidation Takes a New Form: BiblioCommons Acquired by Constellation Software. March 2020. Smart Libraries Newsletter. BiblioCommons, a Toronto-based company providing a suite of applications and interfaces for public libraries, has been acquired by Volaris Group, one of six operating companies of Constellation Software, Inc. BiblioCommons has become established as a major force in the public library sector, and its products have been implemented by an impressive list of libraries and consortia in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. This transaction marks a departure from its status as a founder-owned company. Though BiblioCommons will continue to operate independently, it now falls under the ownership of a large multinational technology firm managing a diverse portfolio of technology and software companies. But unlike general private equity firms, Constellation has never sold the companies it acquires.

Breeding, Marshall. BiblioCommons Launches BiblioOmni. August 2018. Smart Libraries Newsletter. BiblioCommons continues to expand its portfolio of products and services for public libraries. The company has recently developed a new marketing platform to enable libraries to create and distribute content to promote its collections, services, and events. This new product aims to help libraries increase awareness of their services by the communities they serve using some of the techniques that have been well established in the marketing and communications activities in other commercial and non-profit sectors.

Breeding, Marshall. BiblioCommons Launches E-Book Lending Integration. May 2012. Smart Libraries Newsletter. BiblioCommons announced in January 2012 a major initiative to integrate e-book lending into its socially-oriented library discovery platform.

Breeding, Marshall. New York Public Library Partners with BiblioCommons. September 2011. Smart Libraries Newsletter. The New York Public Library plans to make a major change in the way it offers access to its collections to patrons. This fall, NYPL will implement BiblioCommons, shifting from its current Encore-based catalog.

New York Public Library. New York Public Library and Bibliocommons partner to create a new innovative, interactive online experience. June 20, 2011. . The New York Public Library has partnered with Toronto-based software company Bibliocommons to completely transform its current online catalog, making it easier to discover the Library’s vast collections while also giving users the power to create reading lists, rate the latest books, and organize groups.

Vermond, Kira. Toronto startup drags NY libraries into the future. Tuesday, Jun. 07, 2011. The Globe and Mail. BiblioCommons, an 18-employee company from Toronto, is trying to bodycheck the library industry into the information age in such places as New York, Chicago and Ottawa. Taking the lead from social media, BiblioCommons, which launched in 2006 with funding from Knowledge Ontario, private investors and subscriptions, brings book readers, movie watchers and music listeners together.

Breeding, Marshall. BiblioCommons Prepares for next phase of Roll-out. August 2009. Smart Libraries Newsletter. After a long period of development, testing and some delays, BiblioCommons appears poised to move forward as a contender in the arena of discovery interfaces. Developed by a Toronto-based company of the same name, BiblioCommons offers a new approach to the discovery interface that fully embraces social networking as a fundamental component in the way that patrons find and select resources from library collections.

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April 3, 2026. How BiblioApps is redefining the mobile library experience. New BiblioApps enhancements from BiblioCommons bring the One-Click Experience into the everyday moments where patrons interact most with their library. BiblioCommons continues to advance the One-Click Experience, a platform vision focused on making it easier for patrons to discover, access, and engage with the library from a single, connected system. With the latest BiblioApps enhancements, that vision is now more fully realized on mobile, bringing core library services into the moments where patrons are most likely to use them.

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April 3, 2026. AI for libraries, grounded in trust: what we've learned and what's next. BiblioCommons is advancing its exploration of artificial intelligence with a focus on what sets libraries apart: trust. As AI adoption accelerates, public libraries are uniquely positioned to lead with an approach grounded in privacy, transparency, and community accountability. While large technology companies often prioritize scale and growth, libraries continue to center their work on public trust. This creates an opportunity to adopt AI in ways that strengthen, rather than erode, that relationship. BiblioCommons partnered with four public libraries on a proof of concept examining how large language model applications could support discovery and engagement. The initiative focused on technical feasibility, patron value, responsible AI use, and risk mitigation.

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March 25, 2026. Toronto Public Library launches a unified digital experience platform powered by BiblioCommons. Toronto Public Library launched a new Digital Experience Platform powered by BiblioCommons, providing a more unified, accessible, and modern platform to deliver online experiences for one of the most diverse cities in the world. As the largest public library system in Canada, TPL serves millions of residents across 100 branches, offering multilingual collections, access to cutting-edge technology, and community programs that support literacy, employment readiness, and lifelong learning. With a strong commitment to accessibility and equity, TPL's digital presence must reflect the same sense of welcome and inclusion that defines its physical spaces. This launch brings together BiblioCommons products, BiblioCore, BiblioApps, BiblioWeb, and BiblioEvents, into one cohesive Digital Experience Platform. For patrons, this integrated system offers a catalog, website, mobile app, and events registration tools that simplify discovery and engagement.

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June 30, 2025. Personalization designed to connect patrons to the library. BiblioCommons continues to develop new ways to simplify the online experience, making it easier for patrons to engage with their library and find what matters to them most. Personalization has become one of the central pillars of the BiblioCommons platform. It enables libraries to surface content that's not just available but relevant, transforming passive browsing into active discovery. BiblioCommons is making it clear what data informs personalization so patrons can decide with confidence. By giving patrons control over their experience and putting recommendations in the right place, at the right time, personalization helps libraries stay connected in a world of constant digital noise. One of the first touchpoints for this work is the new Centralized Patron Profile, where users can explicitly share their preferences, such as genre or age group, which are then used to tailor their experience across the BiblioCommons suite, including BiblioCore, BiblioApps, BiblioWeb, and BiblioEvents.

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June 29, 2025. AI built for libraries: centered on trust, simplicity, and impact. As public libraries continue to evolve in a rapidly changing digital landscape, BiblioCommons is advancing efforts to simplify the patron experience and reaffirm the library's role as a trusted source of information. The latest area of exploration is artificial intelligence. At BiblioCommons, we believe that technology should remove barriers, not create them. That belief is at the heart of our approach: bringing patrons closer to the library, one click at a time BiblioCommons' approach to AI is grounded in this philosophy and in the core values that make public libraries the most trusted civic institutions. As we explore AI capabilities, we are focused on intentional, thoughtful experimentation that upholds accuracy, privacy, and equity.

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June 28, 2025. BiblioCommons brings the one-click experience to life with new enhancements. BiblioCommons is introducing a suite of powerful new enhancements designed to simplify and unify the online library experience

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June 26, 2025. New library partners subscribe to BiblioCommons. BiblioCommons welcomed six new library systems to its growing community of partners across North America. Toronto Public Library (Ontario), Burlington County Library System (New Jersey), Lake County Library (California), Fort Vancouver Regional Library District (Washington), Coquitlam Public Library (British Columbia), and Guelph Public Library (Ontario) have all recently joined the BiblioCommons platform. The BiblioCommons team is excited to collaborate with these forward-thinking libraries to enhance their digital services and support more connected, engaging, and user-friendly experiences for their patrons.

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June 4, 2025. BiblioCon '25 to bring together public library professionals for a hybrid conference this fall. BiblioCommons is pleased to announce that registration is now open for BiblioCon '25, an annual conference designed to connect public library staff across roles, departments, and geographies. Taking place October 8–10, 2025, this year's event will offer both in-person and virtual attendance options, making it easier than ever for teams to learn, connect, and collaborate.

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May 1, 2025. 2024 Year in Review. In 2024, BiblioCommons focused on helping libraries enhance their online experience to match modern users' expectations and boost patron engagement through improved discovery, personalization, research, and analytics. The BiblioCommons community continued to collaborate, grow, thrive, and stay connected through webinars, virtual meetups, and BiblioCon '24.

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February 11, 2025. BiblioCommons partners with Unique Management Services to enhance patron communication through BiblioApps. BiblioCommons, a leading provider of public library software, announced a new partnership with Unique Management Services to offer push notifications in BiblioApps, and SMS, voice, and email notifications in BiblioCore, powered by MessageBee. This collaboration combines the best in patron experience with the best in patron communication to create a more unified, proactive, and personalized library experience. Through this integration, libraries using BiblioApps can seamlessly connect with their patrons via personalized messaging that is pushed to their mobile devices. These notifications can be managed directly by the patron, the same way patrons manage all other push notifications.

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Feb 10, 2020 BiblioCommons acquired by Volaris Group
Volaris Group finalized the acquisition of BiblioCommons. Volaris is a Canadian software success story that is focused on acquiring, strengthening and growing vertical market software companies. Volaris is a worldwide software organization which operates as a division of Constellation Software, one of Canada’s largest technology success stories. BiblioCommons will operate independently while advancing via the guidance and expertise of the Volaris network. Two of the founders, Beth Jefferson and Patrick Kennedy have decided to transition from BiblioCommons but will continue as advocates.

Sep 2011 New York Public Library partners with BiblioCommons
NYPL chose to invest in a company that brings technologies to the table beyond what they would be able to create internally. By subscribing to BiblioCommons and making investments in the company, NYPL will be able to accelerate its development roadmap.

2007 BiblioCommons founded by Beth Jefferson and Patrick Kennedy

2025 BiblioCommons Accomplishments Narrative

Simplifying the Online Experience to Bring Patrons Closer to the Library

In 2025, BiblioCommons focused on a clear and increasingly urgent challenge facing public libraries: reducing friction in the online library experience. As digital services expand, patrons are often asked to navigate multiple platforms, manage separate accounts, and move between disconnected systems to complete even simple tasks. Over time, this complexity can create barriers to engagement.

Guided by close collaboration with library partners, BiblioCommons advanced a platform vision we refer to as the One-Click Experience. The goal is straightforward: make it easier for patrons to log in, explore, discover, and engage with your public library by reducing unnecessary steps and bringing more of the experience into a single, cohesive journey.

Exploring AI with Care, Transparency, and Library Values

In 2025, BiblioCommons began intentional exploration of artificial intelligence as another way to simplify the online library experience while upholding the values that make libraries trusted institutions. Rather than adopting AI for its own sake, this work focused on careful experimentation grounded in accuracy, privacy, equity, and transparency.

Working in collaboration with a small group of strategic partner libraries, BiblioCommons identified early use cases where AI could help make complex tasks easier for patrons and staff alike.

Initial areas of exploration included:

• Ask the Library: A conversational tool designed to help patrons quickly find answers to common questions
• AI-powered catalog discovery: Enabling patrons to describe interests or moods and receive curated title suggestions in a conversational format
• AI-summarized reviews: Supporting quicker, more confident decision-making during discovery

Each of these efforts shares a common objective: reduce complexity while keeping patrons within a single, cohesive experience. As this work continues, BiblioCommons remains committed to shared learning with library partners and to being transparent about how AI is used and why.

Personalization That Respects Patron Choice

Personalization remained a central pillar of the BiblioCommons platform in 2025, with a focus on clarity, patron control, and relevance. New tools were designed to make it easier for patrons to shape their own experience while giving libraries effective ways to connect people with content, programs, and resources. A centralized patron profile allows users to explicitly share preferences, such as genres or age groups, which inform recommendations across the BiblioCommons suite. These preferences can be updated or removed at any time, ensuring patrons remain in control of how personalization is applied.

Personalization was also introduced into key moments of the discovery journey. For example, when patrons encounter long wait times for popular titles, the system can offer alternative suggestions aligned with their stated interests. For libraries, these enhancements support more relevant outreach with less manual effort. For patrons, they create a clearer, more meaningful connection to the library’s collections and services.

Making Search More Relevant with Enhanced Content Promotions

As part of the broader effort to reduce friction, BiblioCommons enriched how libraries connect patrons to services, programs, and resources at the moment of discovery. Content Promotions surface relevant library content directly within search results and title pages, allowing patrons to uncover events, blogs, and online resources without leaving their search flow. By placing contextual information where patrons are already looking, libraries can create more meaningful connections with less effort and fewer clicks, turning routine searches into opportunities for deeper engagement.

Expanding Discovery Through Browse & Discover

Building on early work introduced in 2024, the Browse & Discover experience continued to evolve in 2025. Initially launched in the catalog, this library-curated browsing experience expanded to the mobile app, allowing patrons to explore collections, lists, and pathways across platforms in a consistent way.

Browse & Discover was designed to support both intentional searching and open-ended exploration. With staff-curated content presented in clean, modern layouts, patrons can move easily from searching for a specific item to discovering something new. This approach supports deeper engagement with collections and helps libraries surface the full breadth of their offerings. Ongoing testing and measurement using the BiblioCommons Analytics Platform ensures that these discovery experiences continue to improve based on real patron behavior and outcomes.

Strengthening Patron Communication with Message Bee and Unique Management Services

Clear, timely communication is essential to helping patrons stay connected to their library. To support this need, BiblioCommons partnered with Unique Management Services to expand how libraries communicate with patrons across the digital experience.

Through this partnership, libraries can offer SMS, voice, and email notifications within the BiblioCore experience using MessageBee, alongside push notifications in BiblioApps that are currently in development. These communication options allow libraries to reach patrons through the channels they already use, while giving patrons control over how and when they receive messages.

For library staff, the integration reduces complexity by centralizing notification management in a single interface. Messages can be customized, automated using ILS data, and delivered in multiple languages, helping libraries communicate more effectively with less ongoing effort. Reporting tools also provide visibility into delivery and performance, supporting continuous improvement. By integrating patron communication more closely with accounts and discovery, libraries can create a more cohesive, responsive online library experience that benefits both patrons and staff.

Reducing Friction from Login to Discovery to Checkout

One area of focus in 2025 was improving how patrons enter, move through, and complete tasks within the online library experience. Enhancements to onboarding and account access were designed to provide faster, clearer entry points and a more intuitive way to navigate library services once signed in. A personalized dashboard brings key account activity together in one place, helping patrons better understand and manage their relationship with the library.

These improvements extend through the checkout process as well. With the introduction of library cards in Apple Wallet for BiblioApps, patrons can access their digital library card just as easily as they do other passes and credit cards. Library cards for the whole family can be stored in one place and are available even when offline, making in-branch visits and self-service interactions easier and more reliable.

Together, these updates are especially meaningful for patrons who use more than one library system or manage accounts for family members. By simplifying how users sign in, switch between accounts, and access their library card when needed, libraries can reduce friction throughout the entire journey and help patrons stay connected across service areas.

Making Library Events Easier to Find, Plan, and Attend

From discovering an event to showing up on the day, small moments of friction can make the difference between interest and participation. Updates to BiblioEvents focused on smoothing that path, helping patrons stay oriented, informed, and engaged throughout the event journey.

Patrons can now save events they are interested in and see everything they have registered for or are waitlisted for in one place. Having a single view of upcoming plans makes it easier to manage schedules and return to events without starting over. Planning for events also became more flexible this year. Patrons can create printable PDFs of upcoming events tailored to their interests, making it easy to share plans, bring a schedule along, or move between digital and print. Staff can also generate these printouts on behalf of patrons, supporting different planning needs and preferences.

Clear, consistent information helps patrons feel prepared. Libraries can now display accessibility and language accommodations directly on event detail pages, so patrons know what support is available before they attend. Making this information visible reduces uncertainty and helps more people feel welcome. Together, these updates help library events feel easier to discover, simpler to plan for, and more approachable to attend, strengthening the connection between programs and the communities they serve.

Supporting Library Staff with the New Learning Lab

In 2025, BiblioCommons introduced the new Learning Lab as a central place for library staff to build skills, revisit key concepts, and get oriented to the platform. As digital services grow and expectations change, libraries are balancing day-to-day work with the need to stay confident using tools that continue to evolve. The redesigned Learning Lab was created to support that reality, offering guidance that is easy to access and simple to fit into existing workflows.

The Learning Lab brings together training for BiblioCore, BiblioApps, BiblioWeb, BiblioEmail, and BiblioEvents in a single, easy-to-navigate space within the Partner Portal. Whether staff are brushing up on a specific task or getting up to speed in a new role, the Learning Lab is designed to meet them where they are and support learning without adding unnecessary complexity.

Bringing the Library Community Together at BiblioCon ’25

Three days, participation from 131 public libraries, dozens of sessions exploring how the online public library experience is evolving. BiblioCon ’25 marked an important milestone for the BiblioCommons community as we hosted it in a hybrid format for the first time, bringing library staff together both in person in Toronto and virtually from across North America. This expanded approach allowed more voices to take part while preserving the collaborative, peer-driven spirit that has long defined BiblioCon.

Across sessions and discussions, library professionals explored how emerging technologies, including AI, personalization, and eReading, can be applied in ways that reinforce public library values such as privacy, accessibility, and trust. Conversations balanced strategic thinking with practical examples from libraries of all sizes, offering ideas participants could adapt within their own organizations. For library leaders attending in person, BiblioCon ’25 also introduced an Executive Strategy Track, creating space for CEOs, CIOs, and senior leaders to engage directly with one another and with the BiblioCommons team. These facilitated discussions focused on prioritizing strategic work related to AI, personalization, and the future of eReading, and reflected a shared interest in shaping long-term digital direction with intention and care.

The hybrid format broadened opportunities for connection overall. In-person conversations and informal gatherings complemented live virtual sessions, office hours, and Q&As, reinforcing a shared learning environment that extended beyond physical walls. Whether attending on-site or online, participants contributed to a forward-looking community focused on the future of the online library experience. For a deeper look at the sessions, themes, and community moments that defined BiblioCon ’25, read the full recap on the BiblioCommons blog.

Learning Together Through Virtual Meetups and Webinars

Shared learning helps libraries respond to evolving patron needs. Throughout the year, BiblioCommons hosted virtual meetups and webinars that brought library staff together to exchange ideas, explore emerging topics, and share practical approaches that strengthen the patron experience.

Virtual meetups offered an open forum for public library staff to learn directly from product managers and subject-matter experts. Sessions covered topics such as readers’ advisory, website management, email marketing, catalog discovery, events management, and analytics, with a focus on strategies libraries can adapt to their own communities. Webinars complemented this work by providing on-demand learning for library staff at all levels. Featuring both BiblioCommons team members and public library staff, these sessions shared real-world examples and actionable insights, helping libraries apply what they learn in meaningful ways. Together, these learning opportunities support more informed decision-making and help libraries continue to evolve their services to serve their communities better.

Welcoming New Libraries to the BiblioCommons Community

Throughout 2025, public libraries across North America joined the BiblioCommons community, reflecting continued interest in building cohesive, patron-centered online library experiences. A big welcome to: Lake County Public Library (CA), Poudre River Public Library District (CO), Jersey City Free Public Library (NJ), and Cooperative Computer Services (IL) for subscribing to the BiblioCore Discovery layer, and to Fort Vancouver Regional Library District (WA), Napa County Library (CA), and Guelph Public Library (ON) for subscribing to the complete BiblioCommons Digital Experience Platform.

These new partnerships represent a wide range of library sizes, service models, and community contexts, each bringing unique perspectives that strengthen the broader BiblioCommons network.

In addition to welcoming new library partners, many existing libraries expanded their use of the platform to support deeper integration across their digital services. Libraries newly subscribing to BiblioWeb included Hamilton Public Library (ON), Coquitlam Public Library (BC), and Northbrook Public Library (IL). And libraries adding BiblioApps to their subscriptions including Lawrence Public Library (KS) and Oshawa Public Libraries (ON).

These libraries continue to shape the platform through collaboration, feedback, and shared learning.

Looking Ahead

Across onboarding, discovery, personalization, improved staff workflows, and early AI exploration, the work of 2025 reflects a consistent theme: bringing patrons closer to the library by making the digital experience simpler, more connected, and easier to navigate. By reducing friction and designing with intention, BiblioCommons continues to support libraries in meeting modern expectations while staying true to public library values.

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