Award-Winning Mobile App: Unifying 12 Libraries, One Experience
How a 12-branch library network transformed user engagement and simplified access for over 16,000 monthly users.
“Phase 2’s approach to software development allowed PLS to become the first library system in the nation to debut one mobile application that allows the 350,000 citizens in our service area to access their library’s physical and digital offerings (from multiple vendors) all in one place.”
Adri Edwards-Johnson
Strategy & Innovation Officer at Pioneer Library System
The Challenge
A 12-branch library system serving 10 communities needed unified digital services that reflected their brand. Customers juggled multiple apps and websites, each with its own look, feel, and navigation, creating a fragmented experience that conflicted with the cohesive brand PLS had built across their website and physical locations. Beyond the branding disconnect, accessing ebooks, audiobooks, and streaming media meant navigating different interfaces and multiple logins, reducing digital adoption and frustrating both customers and staff.
Phase2_Approach
We built a custom mobile app that unified their entire digital ecosystem under one consistent brand experience. Through custom API integrations with multiple content providers, we created an intuitive interface where customers access all services through a single, seamless experience that looks and feels like PLS.
Phase2_Result
One app, one login, one cohesive brand, with full access to diverse content libraries and a user experience designed around how people actually want to interact with their library. We transformed how an entire library network delivers digital services through mobile technology, earning industry recognition and sustaining 11+ years of continuous partnership.
