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Wowbrary

Have you played with Wowbrary yet?
“Free Alerts about Your Library’s Newest Books, Movies & Music!
✓ Receive free weekly email alerts or RSS
✓ Discover the latest books, DVDs and CDs
✓ Reserve bestsellers instantly
✓ Enjoy the early notification
✓ Completely private – 100% spam-free
✓ Wildly convenient – view it from home
See what your library’s alerts look like! Just enter your ZIP code.”
What is Wowbrary?
“Wowbrary was created to make public libraries more visible and accessible to everyone.
Wowbrary regularly informs you by email and/or RSS about your chosen public library’s newest books, movies and music. We make it easy for you to browse through the latest additions and place a hold on a new title. This is a free user service supported by grants, donations, sponsorships, book sale commissions and volunteers.
Wowbrary is the brainchild of Jeff Levinsky and Torben Gronning, both avid library fans. It is a special project of Interactive Sciences, Inc., a California nonprofit 501(c)(3) public-benefit corporation that uses technology to help with social needs.”
It appears to just work in the major US cities right now (Since the US is the only place that has zip codes…)
It’s a neat little competitor to LibraryElf too.
We seem to have different business models here. One uses premium subscriptions with the library, another looks for library allied sponsorships, others look more like the LibraryThing for Libraries model.
All interesting. Some duplicate features already available in the library’s ILS.
Stephen

Posted on: February 21, 2009, 12:51 pm Category: Uncategorized

By: stephen

2 comments

2 Responses

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  1. KGray said
    on February 22, 2009 12:29 pm

    Stephen, is there a way to search for new books or RSSify new books using the SirsiDynix Unicorn system? I’d love to do that, and was looking to do it through other apps, but I am having trouble generating a canned search to run through some of the existing RSS-ifyers.
    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    1. RSS feeds are available in the eLibrary portal
    2. You can write an API or have SD consulting write one for your system.
    3. Wowbrary works with Unicorn.
    I’ll ask for more from the development team.
    SA
    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    I asked the team and I amtold that SirsiDynix Enterprise would let you RSS Feed searches, but I think that they may also find some upcoming capabilities in SirsiDynix e-Library 3.3 to their liking: you’ll be able to create permalinks (e.g. to the new book list, bestseller lists, etc.) and you’ll also be able to easily bookmark searches so that you can get the latest search results asap.
    SA

  2. Ross said
    on February 25, 2009 9:56 am

    Not sure what you mean by Wowbrary working only in major US cities… everybody has a ZIP code, and you can always put in the ZIP code of the library that you use. We’re not in a major city and use Wowbrary — we’re quite pleased with it, and so are our patrons!
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    Yep, as long as you use Wowbrary and map it to your zip you’re in. Therefore, it’s mostly larger cites that have done this. A zip code alone isn’t enough.
    BTW, everybody doesn’t have a zip – only Americans.
    SA