Libraries Hacked

Promoting open data and digital prototypes in libraries

3 minute read

Back in 2020, a Library data blog post on digital transformation proposed that rather than just a single digital presence for public libraries, long-term digital transformation would enable multiple digital presences, through shared services and data.

What if the Reading Agency want to put a search for UK libraries on their website? Great, that sounds like a good place for it. Delivery of those websites and apps should be out of the hands of library services.

Digital Transformation, Library data blog

The British Library’s implementation of the single digital presence, the LibraryOn website, provides a library finder and map, as an entry point for a user finding their local library and then delving into the services and magic within.

But importantly, they have also delivered an API (Application Programming Interface). This allows other websites and services to make use of the same underlying data. In other words, enabling multiple single digital presences.

Full kudos to the BL LibraryOn team, and Jonno Witts, the technical lead, for delivering this. It should be a standard for any digital service to have reusable services and data. In fact it is a standard - building APIs has long been in government service design documents (also adopted by local government). This includes specifications on API and data standards. But what is written in standards isn’t often followed, particularly in the library technology sector. The BL team leading the way provide a great example to follow.

Anyway, so far so congratulatory. But what can we do with this API?

Embedding a library finder

How about that idea of putting a library finder into any website that may want it? That could be third party sites: The Reading Agency, The Bookseller, or even the BBC. Or it could be big library organisations: Libraries Connected, the Library Campaign, CILIP, or the Arts Council. Or it could be library services themselves. Most will have some kind of listing of libraries on their main website, but not necessarily on their catalogue website. A library finder could fill that gap of providing a quick way for users to find their local library.

The more digital services that use the data and API, the more exposure libraries will get. And the more that the data is used, the more likely it is to be maintained and improved. We need good data to provide good digital services that are widely used, but there is no incentive to maintain the data if the digital services aren’t being used. The whole sector needs to be involved in this, and push for quality data.

A quick and easy way of embedding services on websites is through a widget. A widget is a small piece of code that can be added to a website, to display some content or functionality. For example, a Twitter feed or a weather forecast.

A new Libraries Hacked widget will allow any website to embed a library finder, powered by the LibraryOn API. The widget will be a small search box allowing the user to search by place or postcode, and a listing of the libraries found. The widget will be customisable, so that it can be styled to fit in with the website, such as changing the colours and size.

Here is a simple version of the widget, embedded in this blog post. As it’s developed it will get better! But the idea is for something small and lightweight that can be added to any website.

The only code needed on a website to embed the widget is the following:

<script
  type="module"
  crossorigin
  src="https://widget.librarymap.co.uk/libraryfinder-widget.js"
></script>
<div
  id="libraryfinder-widget"
  data-width="340px"
  data-height="700px"
  data-primary="#632279"
  data-secondary="#f8ab89"
></div>

Is this something that services would like to use? Get in touch if so, and we’ll get it on your site.

Full embed instructions coming soon with a demo website.