Both public and military libraries serve as information hubs for their communities. Libraries on military bases often operate multiple locations: one location serves the technical and research needs of their service members, while another location fulfills the services provided by a public library for the service members and their families. The base library strives to serve as a “third-space for the community”, providing the community with a location to meet, read, relax and share stories outside of home and school.

Like public libraries, military libraries face the challenge of justifying their budgets. The Division Chair of SLA’s Military Libraries Division, Michael F. Moore, stated that military libraries often face the trouble of having to report to decision makers who may not necessarily be familiar with the value of military libraries and librarians. He continues to explain that without military libraries, research and information needs of the base go unfulfilled. Disarming the community of information and knowledge is akin to going into combat unprepared.

Another common issue for both libraries is keeping pace with technology. With new devices constantly launching on different operating systems, it can be quite harrowing to keep up, especially with a constrained budget.

However, technology can also bring significant opportunities to military libraries. Technology, when used well, allows libraries to stay relevant in their communities by enabling libraries to connect with their patrons in new, meaningful ways.. It allows libraries to provide their community access to resources, even when the physical library isn’t open. Technology enables their community members, who are abroad or at home, to access their library’s resources, significantly increasing the value of the resource portfolio.

The simplest way to accomplish both of these is by meeting your community on the devices that they use every day – mobile. Boopsie builds custom-branded library apps, which allow library patrons to access your library while on their smartphones or tablets, anytime, anywhere. The apps provide patrons access to your library’s catalog, their library accounts, branch locations (which include contact information and hours of operation) and more. We have partnered with several popular library resources, such as EBSCO, Gale, OverDrive, Tutor.com, and Zinio, enabling you to provide your community with easy access to your resources. Adding these partners’ integrations helps increase usage of the resources with a seamless user experience. We also provide the usage statistics you need to support your purchasing decision of your current and new resources.

If you are interested in finding out more about a custom-branded mobile application for your library, you can either attend an upcoming webinar or contact our Military Library team.