OpenShelves turns slow, legacy academic catalogs into a fast, beautiful discovery experience
built for the students, researchers, and librarians who use them every day.
Most library systems were built for librarians, not for the people searching them. Finding a book means fighting clunky filters, cryptic call numbers, and pages that haven't changed in twenty years.
We think that should change. OpenShelves is an open platform that gives every academic library a modern front door, without asking them to give up the reliability of a scholarly archive.
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Search the full catalog, journals, and digital resources in one place, with fast results and filters that make sense. |
See your loans, renew in a click, place and track holds, and settle fines without visiting the front desk. |
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Build reading lists for projects and courses, keep your borrowing history, and cite resources instantly. |
Give librarians a clean workspace for cataloging, circulation, and keeping the collection up to date. |
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The platform itself: the backend API, the web app, and infrastructure, all in one repository. Start here if you want to follow along or contribute. |
An early prototype built on sample data, showing where the product experience is headed. A glimpse of the vision, not the final product. |
OpenShelves is in early, active development. That means it's the perfect time to get involved and help shape what academic discovery looks like next.
Whether you write code, design interfaces, work in a library, or just love the idea, there's a place for you.
👉 Read the Contributing Guide to get started.
© 2026 OpenShelves Labs · Built with ❤️ for the academic community