Charleston Digital Corridor And Bibliolabs Launch Area-Wide Digital Library Service

Reacting to an immediate need for vetted learning materials and curated entertainment during the COVID-19 isolation period, the Charleston Digital Corridor Foundation (CDCF) announced they have teamed with local software company, BiblioLabs, to launch a digital library for all Charleston County residents. As more libraries take precautions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, often resulting in a ceasing of in-person patron services and events, digital libraries have never been more important.

"We have been talking to the City of Charleston and BiblioLabs for several years about a modern, geolocated Charleston county-wide digital library for residents and visitors alike," said Ernest Andrade, Executive Director of the Charleston Digital Corridor Foundation, "but we could never find the partners or funding to make it happen. When the new social distancing and stay home guidelines, I knew I could not let funding be the blocker to pulling it together. The team at BiblioLabs worked quickly to get this library up for Charleston residents and is working directly with publishers and authors to ensure we can keep it regularly updated during the COVID-19 crisis. We want this library to serve all residents of Charleston County whether you have a library card or not."

BiblioLabs, via their public library platform BiblioBoard, provides mobile library services to city, state, and national libraries around the world, but this is the first time this service has been available to Charleston County residents.

"We live and work here and we were incredibly motivated to pull this together after Ernest called us" said BiblioLabs Founder & CEO, Mitchell Davis, "after talking about it for years, we were able to put it together in less than 24 hours once we had the go-ahead from a motivated local partner. We are hopeful that this digital library can serve as a valuable community resource when it is needed most."

(1) Anyone in Charleston County can seamlessly access materials without visiting the physical library or even having a library card. The community can access the digital library by visiting https://library.biblioboard.com/ on their phone, tablet, or computer. Anyone physically located in the library service area (Charleston County) will have seamless access to all content at all times.

(2) Users will not be turned away or waitlisted -

Every electronic resource (eBooks, audio clips, videos, images, and more) is offered in an unlimited, simultaneous use model. Readers can access an unlimited number of books during this time away from the physical library. They will never be faced with waitlists, holds, or checkout limits.

(3) What is in the digital library?

The library contains over 30,000 curated items, including digital historical materials, children's books, and comics from leading authors and publishers. It also includes award winning Fiction, YA, Science Fiction, and works from local Charleston authors and archives.

To use the CHS Geo Library, just open a web browser on your phone, tablet, or computer to https://library.biblioboard.com