18.12.19
Bridgeall Libraries Books Into New Office
With international expansion aspirations and ambitious product development plans in the pipeline, specialist software development company Bridgeall Libraries was on the lookout for new office space to support its growing staff numbers.

So when Frasers Property started the refurbishment and conversion of excess meeting space on Hillington Park Innovation Centre’s ground floor, the opportunity to create Bridgeall Libraries’ ideal space downstairs from their current office proved the perfect solution.

Founded in 2006, Bridgeall Libraries develops software for public libraries and related industries to help them make informed and efficient decisions to manage stock, save time and money, and increase the number of check outs. In 2012, the company was purchased by Baker & Taylor, a global bookseller headquartered in North Carolina.

The company’s latest technology called Evidence-based Selection Planning (ESP) harnesses the same predictive algorithms as Netflix and Amazon to recommend which pre-published titles to purchase and how many to allocate to each library branch.

Alan Gibson, Director of Operations & Project Management at Bridgeall Libraries, said: “The company has had strong growth over recent years resulting in our current 36 employee headcount and I see further potential for expansion as we continue to move into new international markets. For a few years, our staff were split into two offices to accommodate our numbers, so when the new space at the Innovation Centre became free, we jumped at the chance to bring our team back together in one office. It helps to boost the morale and productivity of our staff.

“We’ve come a long way since we founded nearly 14 years ago. At that time librarians were buying books and auditing their collection based on gut instinct and what they felt their customers wanted to read. Our technology – collectionHQ – is the first of its kind in the public library market and still remains unique in that it is the only solution based on a proven methodology of using records of past usage and marketing experiments to make more informed stock management decisions. Our second product, ESP, has been revolutionary in introducing Machine Learning to the public library industry.

“Hillington Park’s location remains ideal for our business because it is perfectly positioned between the airport and city centre which makes it easy for our colleagues from the USA and Bicester to visit our office. The ample parking at the Innovation Centre is also a huge positive for our staff.”

Grant Edmondson, Commercial Director at Hillington Park, said: “Bridgeall Libraries is a real Hillington Park success story. It is a long term occupier after first moving into the Innovation Centre in 2006 and has expanded significantly since. We’re delighted to have been able to retain its business by taking the time to understand its occupational needs, working up the right scheme with contractor S&D Developments, another Hillington Park business, for the new 3,660 sq ft office and agreeing a lease package that enabled a seamless relocation within the building.”

For more information on Bridgeall Libraries visit: https://www.collectionhq.com/

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