About BookBrowse for Libraries

BookBrowse for Libraries is an award-winning, reader-focused, and user-friendly readers' advisory resource featuring more than 20 years of the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction across a range of genres.

Because there are far too many books published for anybody to read about all of them, let alone read them all, BookBrowse is a highly curated resource that seeks out and recommends only the best and gives readers the information they need to decide which are just right for them.

Exceptional books do more than entertain, they also engage, enlighten and make us step outside of ourselves. BookBrowse seeks out these books and links each book page to the corresponding book in the subscribing library's OPAC so patrons can check availability with one click.

BookBrowse's editorial focus coupled with extensive reading group resources (see below) make us a particularly valuable destination for book club members and those who read to expand their horizons, as well as librarians responsible for collection development and book club organization.

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Chart comparing free vs. premium features

Features Include

Reading Resources

• Original, in-depth reviews of the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction for the past 20 years.
• "Beyond the book" articles that explore historical, cultural or contextual aspects of each featured book. These are particularly valued by book clubs and those who read to learn new things.
• The BookBrowse Review, our twice-monthly online magazine highlighting much of the latest content (with opt-in email notifications).
• Excerpts of almost all featured books so that patrons can browse for themselves and decide which are right for them.
• Author interviews, biographies and a pronunciation guide for author names.

Book Discovery & Collection Development

• Read-alikes — created by hand, not computer algorithm — for more than 4,500 contemporary books and 3,500 authors based on the book's story, character, setting and language. Linked book to book and author to author, both fiction and nonfiction.
• Browse and cross reference over 150 categories broken out by genre, time period, geographical setting and a wide range of themes.
• Previews of the top books publishing each month (varies by month, usually 70-100), including reviews from multiple pre-pub sources. Each review is abbreviated to the reviewer's salient opinion thus avoiding plot spoilers and repetition.
• Downloadable spreadsheets of past and upcoming books including publication date, genre, ISBN, publisher and page count, with a link to the full data on BookBrowse. Useful for collection development and for librarians wanting an "at a glance" guide to notable books recently published or publishing soon.

Resources for Book Clubs

• Book club discussions open to patrons.
• Over 1,600 reading guides for recommended books, searchable by genre and theme.
• Weekly Top 10 most popular book club reads.
• Advice on starting and running a book club supported by BookBrowse's more than 15 years of research into readers and book clubs (including our most recent report, The Inner Lives of Book Clubs).

Library Integration

• Website branding: "BookBrowse for Libraries brought to you by [Library Name]" on every page.
• Links from each book to the relevant search result in the library's OPAC (searches by title and author so displays all formats).
  
  Go to to bookbrowse.com/myt to see an example of branding and links.
• BookBrowse supports library authentication systems such as EZ Proxy or BookBrowse can authenticate (based on standard parameters of the library's card numbers).
• BookBrowse's proprietary login-free access system allows remote patrons to enjoy the same library-branded experience as those who are fully logged in, including one-click links to their library's OPAC.
• Librarians can link direct to any page on BookBrowse, providing great flexibility to link to specific content, both from the library's website and from newsletters.
  
  More about login-free access and direct links.
• Apps enabling patrons to browse directly from library website, no login required, including: read-alikes by title & author, weekly top reviews & articles, top book club recommendations.
• Opt in newsletter for patrons, branded for the library.

Support

• An engaging animated video to introduce patrons to BookBrowse.
• A wide range of free electronic resources including web graphics and embeddable apps.
• Free print materials including posters, bookmarks, table tents and shelf talkers inserts.
• Free support for both librarians and patrons.
• Online usage stats.

Subscription Options

BookBrowse offers some content for free, but full access is only for subscribers. To fit the varying needs of public libraries, BookBrowse offers two subscription options. Subscriptions for academic libraries and individual memberships are also available. More information

Brochure

You can download our 4-page brochure here. Please do contact us if you would like us to mail you one or more print copies.

Contact, Quotes, Demos & Free Trials

If you are interested in BookBrowse for your library, please complete the form, or just call us:
toll free US & Canada: 1800-745-5306 x 103 or +1(408) 867 6500