Jan 25, 2024 - News

Here's why Pinellas' library app is down

Kathryn Varn

Illustration of a stack of books with a question mark printed on the pages. — Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios

A dispute between vendors has caused outages of library apps across the country — including one in the Tampa Bay area.

Driving the news: The Pinellas Public Library Cooperative app has been down since late last year. The app's functions, like searching the catalog and placing books on hold, "will not be available for the foreseeable future," per a Q&A on the library's website.

Yes, but: Many of the functions of the app are available on the mobile-friendly library website, Cheryl Morales, the executive director of the Pinellas library system, told Axios.

The big picture: Library systems from Hawaii to Cleveland have reported similar outages, which stem from a dispute between a library catalog company and its third-party app developer.

Solus, the app developer, learned that SirsiDynix, the library system software company, was developing its own app and pulled the plug, according to Morales.
Solus CEO Neil Wishart told Axios that isn't accurate but declined to elaborate.

What they're saying: "We're currently in discussions with Solus to reach a resolution to this situation," SirsiDynix chief marketing officer Eric Keith told Axios. He declined to comment further.

What's next: Morales said Pinellas library staff is working with SirsiDynix to test a new app that's slated to launch in March.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with a response from Solus.

Add Axios on Google

Here's why Pinellas' library app is down

More Tampa Bay stories