Before
Plastic cards, email punch cards, paper vouchers.
Lost, forgotten, ignored. No data on who came back.
For libraries
A library card that lives in Apple Wallet.
Give borrowers a library card in their phone wallet. The barcode is on the phone, and the library can update the pass instead of posting a new card.
No card to sign up · 14 days · Cancel anytime
Harbour Library
Member
Card no.
2048 1177
After
Wallet passes on every phone.
Live on the lock screen. Pushed when it matters. Tracked end-to-end.
A plastic card is forgotten at the desk or in a drawer. A wallet pass is on the phone the borrower already has in hand.
The card is on the phone
Borrowers show a barcode from their wallet at the desk or self-checkout.
Match your borrower numbers
Set the barcode value yourself through the REST API on Growth and above so it can match the number your system uses.
Updated, not replaced
Change a name, expiry or status and the pass updates on the phone.
How it works
Three steps from idea to lock screen.
Step 01
Create the card
Add the library's name, colours and logo.
Step 02
Join from a link
Borrowers add the pass from a QR code at the desk or on the website.
Step 03
Update and message
Change status and expiry, and announce hours changes.
What is a library card in Apple Wallet?
A library card in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet is a membership pass that shows the borrower's name and card number with a barcode. It sits on the phone next to payment cards, so the borrower does not need the plastic card at the loans desk or self-checkout. Shakewell issues and updates the pass. It is not a library management system and does not record loans.
How it works for a library
- Issue: create a membership card with the library's name, colours and logo. Borrowers join from a link or QR code at the desk, on the website or in the welcome email. No app is involved.
- Check-in: the barcode on the pass has to match the number your library system expects. Through the REST API (Growth and above) you can set the barcode value yourself, up to 64 printable characters and unique on your account, so it can match the borrower number. Shakewell does not connect to library management software, so issuing from your records is a small integration your team or a developer builds. Test a trial pass on your self-checkout scanner first.
- Update: change a name, expiry or status in the dashboard or API and the pass updates on the phone. A lapsed or suspended membership shows the correct status without a new card being posted.
- Push: tell installed passes about a holiday-hours change, a school holiday program or a branch closure. You write each message, and it reaches installed passes only.
Wallet pass, app or plastic card?
Most libraries already have an app for browsing the catalogue, and a plastic card for the desk. A wallet pass fills the gap between them: it is the card, always on the phone, and it needs no download. It does not replace the catalogue app, and it is not an identity document. For council-run libraries, see councils and tourism, and for school libraries see schools.
Starting small
A library does not have to move every borrower at once. Start with a pilot: a branch, a group such as teenagers or mobile library borrowers, or new members only. Issue the pass alongside the plastic card, test the barcode at the desk and the self-checkout, and keep the plastic card as the fallback. Once staff are confident, offer the pass to everyone who joins.
Most of the work is in matching the pass to your borrower records. Decide who owns that step before you start, because it is where a library's own system and the pass meet.
Starter — perfect for getting started
$49/mo USD
$79 AUD / month
- 500 active passes
- Push notifications + hosted signup forms
- Visual template builder
Questions, answered.
Does it connect to our library management system?
No. Shakewell does not connect to library management software and does not record loans. The REST API on Growth and above lets your team or a developer issue passes from your records.
Will the barcode scan at self-checkout?
It carries a barcode or QR code. Whether your scanner reads it depends on the hardware and the barcode format, so test a trial pass on your self-checkout first.
Is the pass an identity document?
No. It shows a member and a card number. Identity checks stay with your own process.
Do borrowers need an app?
No. The pass goes into Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.
Can we tell borrowers about a closure?
Yes. A push notification goes to installed passes. You write and send each message yourself.
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Ready when you are
Put your library card in the wallet.
Set up takes minutes. No credit card required to start a free trial.