LibraryAId FAQs

LibraryAid is an AI-powered library management system designed specifically for schools. It combines traditional library management tools with AI-driven book recommendations, reading analytics, and student engagement features.

Our AI analyzes student reading preferences, reading level, and interests to suggest books they might enjoy. It also considers curriculum requirements and educational goals. All recommendations are meant as suggestions only and should be reviewed by educators for appropriateness.

No separate subscription is needed. Claude AI is built directly into LibraryAid on the backend — it powers catalogue analysis, book recommendations, AI-generated comprehension quizzes, and purchase recommendations automatically. There is nothing extra for you to set up or pay for; it is all included in your LibraryAid subscription.

Yes! We offer different plans to accommodate schools of all sizes, from small primary schools to large districts with multiple campuses. Our pricing plans are designed to scale with your needs.

Yes — LibraryAid includes a District Dashboard that gives district coordinators and IT administrators a single login to view all schools in their district simultaneously. From one screen you can see active student counts, books read this month, average VIPERS comprehension scores and checkout activity across every school. You can also push reading challenges to all schools at once. Each school subscribes at the standard school rate and the district dashboard is set up personally by our founder. Learn more about the district dashboard →

Yes — this is completely supported and was actually the original version of LibraryAid before cataloguing was added. If your school already uses a system like Follett Destiny or Mackin, LibraryAid can run alongside it purely as a recommendation and reading engagement layer, without needing you to change how you manage your collection day to day.

LibraryAid is a cloud-based solution that works on any device with a modern web browser, including computers, tablets, and smartphones. We also offer optional barcode and QR scanning capabilities for easy book check-in/check-out.

Absolutely! LibraryAid supports importing catalog data via CSV or spreadsheet. Only title and author are required — ISBN is not required. LibraryAid automatically finds missing ISBNs, cover images, and genre classifications for you.

No — either way works with LibraryAid. If your books already have reference numbers or barcodes (Dewey Decimal, genre-based, or your own system), LibraryAid can use those as-is. If they don't, LibraryAid can generate QR codes or barcodes for you as part of setup.

We take data security very seriously. All data is encrypted both in transit and at rest. We are fully COPPA and GDPR compliant and never share personal data with third parties without explicit consent. We also offer detailed privacy controls for student information. Read our full Privacy Policy for details, including our data breach notification commitments.

You'll be billed either monthly or annually, depending on your selected billing cycle. We accept all major credit cards. Educational institutions can also request invoice billing for purchase orders.

Yes, you can change your plan at any time. When upgrading, you'll be prorated for the remainder of your billing cycle. When downgrading, changes will take effect at the end of your current billing cycle.

Yes, we offer a 30-day free trial with full access to all features. No credit card is required to start your trial.

Yes — gamification is fully live. Students earn genre-specific points by reading, reviewing, and completing AI-generated comprehension quizzes on the books they read. Points unlock accessories for their personal worm companion in the rewards shop — each of the 21 genres has its own unique accessory set, which encourages students to explore widely rather than sticking to one genre. Game time itself is deliberately brief: around 10 seconds of gameplay per correct comprehension answer, so there's no shortcut to it without actually reading and understanding the book first.

Genres themselves are broad categories (for example, Sports covers all sports rather than being split into soccer, gymnastics, wrestling etc). However, students and teachers can search the library index page by keyword or topic — for example searching "football" or "basketball" — and add results directly to their "next read" or "want to read" list, which then appears on their homepage.

Teachers can browse the library and recommend specific books either to their whole class or to individual students — it's targeted recommending, not just a general list of personal favourites.

The account admin (whoever you designate) can add classes and teachers directly from their homepage once the catalogue is set up. Teachers or admins can then create student accounts from their own homepages too — so day-to-day account management doesn't require contacting us once the initial setup is complete.

All plans include email support, with a real person replying — not a help centre labyrinth. We help with imports, setup questions, and anything else you need.

Yes, we offer parent portal access where parents can view their child's reading progress, see recommendations, and get insights into reading habits. This feature is included in all plans.

Simply sign up for a free trial on our website. Send over your library catalogue (title and author is all that's required) and we'll handle the setup for you — uploading your catalogue, matching covers, and getting everything ready to go.

LibraryAid provides estimated reading levels (ATOS scores, Lexile levels, reading ages, and grade levels) that are generated using artificial intelligence technology. These are clearly labeled as "AI Estimates" within our platform.

When available, we also display reading levels from official sources like Renaissance Learning (ATOS) or MetaMetrics (Lexile), which are labeled with their respective sources.

AI-generated reading levels are estimates only and should be used for general guidance. For critical educational decisions, we recommend verifying reading levels with official sources such as Renaissance Learning's AR BookFinder or the Lexile Framework.

Our system applies validation to ensure all reading level estimates fall within reasonable ranges for the intended audience.

Some books may not have reading levels because:

• The book is too new or obscure to have established reading metrics
• Our AI system couldn't generate a reliable estimate
• Official reading level data is not available from trusted sources

We prioritize accuracy over completeness, so we prefer not to display reading levels when we can't provide reasonably reliable information.

Our Reading Level Match feature aligns books with each student's reading ability, offering appropriate challenges to promote growth without frustration:

• Books are matched to student reading age measures
• The system provides targeted reading challenges to expand skills
• It avoids content that's frustratingly difficult or too easy
• Perfect matches receive bonus scoring in recommendations

While we strive for accuracy, reading level matches based on AI estimates should be considered general guidance rather than definitive educational assessments.

We recommend that educators:

• Use AI-estimated reading levels as a starting point, not as definitive assessments
• Consider multiple factors beyond just reading level when recommending books
• For high-stakes educational decisions, verify with official sources
• Remember that student interest and motivation are crucial factors in reading success
• Check the source label of reading level data to understand its origin

LibraryAid automatically checks the book back in and counts it toward your inventory in one scan — no extra steps needed. You'll see a confirmation message showing which student had the book. This means you can run your inventory and clear overdue books at the same time, without switching between screens.

Yes! LibraryAid is built on Google's cloud infrastructure, which handles multiple users scanning simultaneously without any conflicts. You can have your entire team scanning different sections of the library at once and every scan will be recorded correctly. No books will be missed or duplicated.

Nothing. Unlike desktop library systems, LibraryAid stores all your data in the cloud automatically — there's nothing saved locally on your computer. Every scan, checkout, and catalogue entry is backed up in real time on Google's secure servers. A computer crash, a school IT update, or switching to a new device won't affect your library data at all.

Just open the scanner on your device, point the camera at the QR code on the book's spine, and LibraryAid does the rest. For checkouts, the book is automatically selected and you just choose the student. For check-ins, LibraryAid finds the active checkout and identifies which student had the book — all from a single scan. If your device doesn't have a camera, you can also search by title or use a barcode scanner.

Every date in LibraryAid is labelled in plain English so you always know exactly what you're looking at. "Currently Out" shows books checked out right now. "Overdue" shows books past their due date. "Returned" shows books that have been brought back. There's no ambiguous "date last accounted for" — just clear, straightforward labels a non-technical librarian can understand at a glance.