MobileBridge Features

  • Simple requirements: common LAMP environment (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP)
  • Mobile web pages for your catalog
  • Uses your ILS's Z39.50 interface
  • Reads and displays RSS reading lists from your ILS
  • Webspace for your custom mobile web pages
  • All MobileBridge web pages are accessible by QR Code
  • Catalog Features
    • Search by Keyword, Author, Title, or Series Title
    • Inclusion of enhanced content
    • "More by this Author" link on full record
    • "More with subject x" links on full record
    • Links to additional formats on full record
    • Download link for Audiobooks and eBooks on full record
    • Customizable "look and feel"
    • Easy-to-use administrative application
  • Patron Features
    • Place Hold
    • View Account Information
    • Update selected account information
  • Coming Soon!
    • OAI access for digital archives and repositories
    • E-commerce for digital collections
    • Support for patron services on additional ILS products
    • Support for checkout/renewal of catalog items
    • Support for "feature" phone browsers

What is MobileBridge?

MobileBridge is a web application that can provide mobile web pages for your catalog or collection that can be viewed in the browser of a smartphone. It can run on any Linux or UNIX server with an Apache webserver, MySQL, and PHP (LAMP).

MobileBridge communicates with your catalog through your existing Z39.50 server, providing the ability to search your catalog and view full records, including enhanced content.

It can access and display any book lists you have created in your ILS as RSS feeds.

It can provide links for the immediate download of Audiobooks or eBooks to a user's smartphone.

It can also provide a mobile-accessible webspace for any other web pages you want to create for your mobile users. For example, a mobile page listing all of your branches' locations and hours.

All web pages created by MobileBridge can be accessed using a QR Code.

Currently, patron functions like placing a hold, viewing account information, and updating selected account information is only supported on TLC's Carl.X ILS product.

MobileBridge was developed in cooperation with Contra Costa County Library as part of a project to support the use of QR Codes. The project was funded by a BALIS Innovation grant.

In Development

We are currently working on patron functions through standard SIP/SIP2 servers already provided by most ILS vendors.

Support for checkout/renewal of catalog items.

Also in the works is an OAI component that would allow MobileBridge to provide mobile web pages for digital archives and repositories, along with an e-commerce service for purchasing reproductions from an archive's collection.

Support for the smaller displays of "feature" phone browsers.