Bibliographic Data Services
Bibliographic Data Services (BDS) is a UK-based, privately held metadata and web solutions provider founded in 1995, serving libraries, publishers, the book trade and home entertainment sectors with a proprietary database of over 30 million bibliographic records from nearly 5,000 publishers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersDumfries, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Bibliographic Data Services does
Bibliographic Data Services (BDS) is a UK-based, privately held metadata and web solutions provider founded in 1995 and headquartered at The Crichton, Dumfries, Scotland. The company creates and distributes bibliographic metadata and enriched content for books, home entertainment (film, music, video games) and digital media, maintaining a proprietary database of over 30 million records from nearly 5,000 publishers. Its platform supports the full library and book supply standards stack (ONIX 2.1/3.0, MARC21, UKMARC, UNIMARC, Z39.50, RDA, Dewey, LCC, BIC, Thema, ISNI) and delivers via FTP, API, data feeds and the BDSLive portal. Core products include BDSLive (self-service metadata portal), BDSLink (enriched content delivery), UniCat (academic metadata exchange) and BDS Title Manager (an all-in-one platform for indie publishers and self-published authors); BDSDigital, a wholly-owned subsidiary, provides website design, build and hosting.
BDS's customer base spans four segments: UK public libraries, academic and school libraries, publishers, and the book trade and home entertainment sectors, with named relationships including the British Library (under the CIP/BNB contract), Softlink, Askews & Holts, Gardners, Ingrams, Macmillan Education, Yale University Press, W.F. Howes, BibliU, Kortext, Clarivate, and Blackwell's. Channel partners — library suppliers (Askews & Holts, Softlink), digital platform providers (Kortext, BibliU, Clarivate) and academic stock suppliers (Gardners, Ingrams) — extend reach into school, academic and public library systems without proportional direct sales cost.
The business model combines a freemium cataloguing engine for publishers (free record creation in exchange for ONIX feeds and full-text digital copies) with chargeable metadata feed subscriptions, MARC record sales, custom website builds, SmartCart e-commerce and the UniCat academic exchange. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; metadata services to publishers are free, while subscriptions, website projects and BDS Title Manager are annual or multi-year contracts. BDS is owner-operated, with Eric Green as founder and Managing Director (also MD of BDSDigital), employs approximately 85 staff, holds SCEA and TEiLA industry accreditations, and reports no external funding.
Bibliographic Data Services firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bibliographic Data Services
- Legal name
- Bibliographic Data Services Ltd
- Website
- https://bdslive.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Bibliographic Data Services (BDS) is a UK-based, privately held metadata and web solutions provider founded in 1995, serving libraries, publishers, the book trade and home entertainment sectors with a proprietary database of over 30 million bibliographic records from nearly 5,000 publishers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Bibliographic Data Services is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dumfries
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bibliographic Data Services business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Free Metadata Creation for Publishers: BDS creates catalogue records for publishers' English language content free of charge. Publishers establish ONIX data feeds and provide full-text digital copies. This free service enables BDS to build its database while providing publishers with access to the global library and retail market. BDS creates records before and after publication for physical, digital, and open access titles.
- Metadata Feeds and Data Subscriptions: Publishers and other customers can subscribe to receive BDS metadata feeds to populate their own online catalogues, websites, and systems. This is a chargeable service with prices dependent on the size of the feed. BDS provides feeds in XML, JSON via FTP, API, or direct data feed. Customers can also purchase individual MARC records from BDS.
- Website Design, Hosting and CMS Services: BDS (BDSDigital) builds and hosts websites for publishers, booksellers, and entertainment clients. Services include e-commerce-enabled websites, content management systems, and integration with distributor databases. Pricing based on project scope and requirements.
- BDS Title Manager Platform: An all-in-one book management SaaS platform for indie publishers and self-published authors, offering metadata feeds, catalogue creation, websites, e-commerce, and order fulfillment as a subscription or per-service offering. Available at bdstitlemanager.com with demo requests.
- UniCat Academic Metadata Exchange: UniCat provides standardised metadata records for academic institutions. Libraries, stock suppliers, ebook aggregators and publishers participate in the exchange, with records created once and available to all. BDS provides a dedicated helpdesk for queries.
- Entertainment Metadata Delivery: BDS provides home entertainment metadata (films, music, video games) to content providers, retailers, and libraries via daily data feeds, API, or BDSLive. Delivery includes enriched content such as trailers, cover images, track listings, and production details.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Multi-year contract | Free record creation service for publishers who provide ONIX feeds and full-text digital copies |
| Subscription | Annual | Chargeable metadata feed subscriptions for publishers and booksellers |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Website design, build, and hosting services for publishers and booksellers |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels8 records
Bibliographic Data Services product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BDS creates and distributes comprehensive bibliographic metadata for books, home entertainment, and digital content to libraries, publishers, and retailers worldwide via its proprietary BDSLive platform, UniCat for academic libraries, and BDS Title Manager for publishers. It delivers book-in-hand cataloguing, MARC records, and enriched content data feeds, and through its BDSDigital subsidiary provides website design, hosting, and SmartCart e-commerce platforms tailored to the book trade and entertainment industries.
Product overview
Bibliographic Data Services (BDS) operates as a metadata and web solutions provider with a modular platform architecture. The core offerings include BDSLive (web-based metadata management platform), BDSLink (delivery mechanism for enriched content), UniCat (academic library metadata service), and BDS Title Manager (publisher book management platform). Supporting modules include websites and hosting services for publishers, book trade, and entertainment sectors; enriched content delivery; MARC records creation; and the SmartCart e-commerce platform. BDS specialises in creating and distributing industry-standard bibliographic metadata for books, home entertainment (film, music, video games), and digital content to libraries, publishers, retailers, and e-tailers worldwide. The company maintains over 30 million records from nearly 5,000 publishers, serving the entire book supply chain and library market.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- UniCat: A metadata service developed for academic stock suppliers and libraries, providing standardised catalogue records for English language print, ebook, and open access titles from over 270 publishers and imprints.
- BDS Title Manager
- BDSLive
Products and services
- BDSLive BDSLive is the flagship metadata management platform of Bibliographic Data Services, providing a centralised hub where publishers, libraries, and retailers create, enrich, and distribute bibliographic metadata for books, audio, video, and digital content.
- UniCat UniCat is a metadata service tailored for academic libraries, delivering authoritative bibliographic records and enriched content for higher-education catalogue management.
- BDS Title Manager BDS Title Manager is a publisher-facing book management platform that lets publishers create, enrich, and syndicate bibliographic metadata for their titles to downstream library and retail channels.
- MARC Records MARC Records from BDS deliver standardised bibliographic cataloguing records in MARC21, UKMARC, and UNIMARC formats for integration into library, retailer, and discovery systems.
- Metadata Detail & Delivery - Book Trade A metadata feed and delivery product aimed at book-trade retailers, providing detailed bibliographic and product data for use in catalogues, websites, and e-commerce storefronts.
- Metadata Detail & Delivery - Entertainment A metadata feed and delivery product aimed at entertainment retailers, supplying bibliographic and product data for audio, video, and home entertainment titles.
- Publisher Websites & Hosting Website design and hosting services for publishers, delivered through the BDSDigital subsidiary to give publishers branded web presences and managed hosting.
- Book Trade Websites & Hosting Website design and hosting services tailored to book-trade retailers, providing branded storefronts and managed hosting infrastructure via BDSDigital.
- Entertainment Websites & Hosting Website design and hosting services tailored to entertainment retailers and providers, supplying branded storefronts and managed hosting via BDSDigital.
- Enriched Content Enriched Content from BDS adds covers, sample content, descriptions, and other value-adding assets to bibliographic records so libraries and retailers can present richer catalogue and storefront experiences.
- Retrospective Conversion 2.0 Retrospective Conversion 2.0 is BDS's legacy-cataloguing service that converts older or non-standard library and retailer records into current BDS bibliographic records for modern discovery systems.
- SmartCart E-Commerce Platform SmartCart is BDS's hosted e-commerce shopping-cart platform that lets book-trade and entertainment retailers accept online orders, with integration to BDS metadata feeds for fast product onboarding.
Quantifiable outcome
- Publishers save hundreds of hours each year by offloading labour-intensive cataloguing, catalogue updates, and information gathering to BDS.
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Bibliographic Data Services
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Bibliographic Data Services technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
Feature7 records
Bibliographic Data Services partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ISNI (International Standard Name Identifier) - ISNI-IAcoreBDS (BDSDigital) built and hosts the new ISNI website (isni.org) for the ISNI International Agency. The project achieved three objectives: improved ISNI's main shop window, replaced obsolescent software foundations, and achieved more cost-effective website operation. BDS also transferred existing content from the previous website.
- SoftlinkcoreBDS has worked with Softlink since 2004, providing all fiction and non-fiction metadata for school libraries. BDS data integrates into Softlink's Oliver v5 library management software, reaching school libraries worldwide. This partnership enables super-simple cataloguing, market-leading UK publication coverage, Key Stage tagging, and Accelerated Reader information for millions of students.
- Askews & Holts Library ServicescoreAskews & Holts Library Services distributes BDS metadata as part of its library supply service to UK public and academic libraries. BDS pre-publication records enable Askews to assess library relevance of forthcoming titles using the Cascade automated matching system, which matches library profiles with forthcoming publications.
- GardnerscoreBDS has a longstanding association with Gardners, one of the major UK book distributors. BDS integrates with Gardners' databases via data feeds for book trade websites and catalogue management.
- IngramscoreBDS integrates with Ingrams' databases via data feeds as part of its book trade website solutions, enabling seamless metadata exchange with this major distributor.
- BibliUminorBDS metadata is used by BibliU, a digital platform provider for academic libraries, as part of its e-book and content delivery services.
- KortextminorBDS metadata is used by Kortext, a digital learning platform for universities, as part of its e-book and content services for academic institutions.
- ClarivateminorBDS works with Clarivate, a major information services company serving academic and research communities, as part of the library supply ecosystem.
- Blackwell'sminorBDS metadata is used by Blackwell's, the academic bookseller and library supplier, as part of its catalogue and supply services.
- Browns BooksminorBDS metadata is used by Browns Books for academic and public library supply services.
- Macmillan EducationcoreBDS built and manages a comprehensive, multi-database website for Macmillan Education handling large datasets including sample chapters, videos, spreadsheets, and companion websites. The site loads data from multiple sources automatically each day into multiple databases, managed via BDS's CMS.
- Yale University PresscoreBDS built Yale University Press's UK/Europe website (yalebooks.co.uk) featuring browsing by subjects, formats and classifications, news and events interlinked with titles, an author database creating mini-sites for each author, and shopping cart linked directly to Yale's distributor. The site manages 5,000+ backlist titles with ~450 new titles annually.
- Azhar EnterprisesminorBDS works with Azhar Enterprises to provide basic electronic MARC records for community language books covering Indic, Non-Indic, and Eastern European languages. Libraries can download records using the associated reference code.
- Book Centre BradfordminorBDS works with Bradford Book Centre to provide UKMARC and MARC21 electronic bibliographic records for community language material, ready to load directly onto library systems.
- Books AsiaminorBDS provides MARC records for material from Books Asia covering Indic languages (Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi) and non-Indic languages (Chinese, Arabic, Russian, Farsi, Vietnamese). Records available via BDS Direct Data Feed.
- Grant & CutlerminorGrant & Cutler specialises in Western European languages, Russian, Polish, and dictionaries in 150+ languages. BDS provides MARC records for most titles in their catalogues, available to BDS subscribers.
- HanxinminorHanxin supplies Chinese books along with MARC records via BDS's Direct Data Feed. BDS integrates Hanxin's content into its community language metadata offering.
- Star BooksminorStar Books supplies books relating to the Indian subcontinent. BDS provides MARC records for Star Books collections, downloadable via reference numbers from the BDS website.
- The British LibrarycoreBDS maintains the British National Bibliography (BNB) for the British Library through its CIP (Cataloguing-in-Publication) contract. BDS also serves the British Library as a content distributor, reaching all UK public libraries, academic libraries, and international institutions.
- Shakespeare's Globe TheatreminorBDS sponsored Shakespeare's Globe Theatre touring productions performed in Dumfries over multiple years. The partnership demonstrated BDS's commitment to cultural product and community engagement, receiving recognition including an Arts and Business Award for the BDS design team.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Bibliographic Data Services competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- OCLC: The world's largest bibliographic cooperative, operating WorldCat and providing shared metadata, cataloguing, and library services globally. OCLC is the most direct functional peer to BDS, but operates at significantly greater global scale and through a membership-based model rather than commercial subscriptions.
- Nielsen Book: Provides book industry metadata services including BookData and BookScan, serving publishers, retailers, and libraries with bibliographic and sales data. Directly competes with BDS in the book metadata space, with broader international coverage and Nielsen's data analytics scale.
- Bowker: The official ISBN agency for the English-language US market and operator of Books In Print bibliographic services. Bowker is a direct competitor to BDS in providing book industry metadata, with strong US presence and similar publisher-facing catalogue services.
- Gracenote: The leading entertainment metadata provider for music, film, and TV, owned by Nielsen. Gracenote is the direct peer for BDS's entertainment metadata business, serving retailers, streaming platforms, and content providers with enriched catalogue data at significantly larger global scale.
- Axiell: A Scandinavian-headquartered provider of library, archive, and museum software and metadata services across Europe. Axiell is a direct competitor to BDS in European public and academic library metadata, with comparable scale and a similar public-sector customer focus.
Broad incumbents
- ProQuest (Ex Libris): A major academic information services provider offering research databases, e-books, and library management systems through the Ex Libris brand. Overlaps with BDS in academic library metadata but operates a much broader portfolio across research workflows.
- Ingram Content Group: The largest book distributor in the US, providing publisher services, print-on-demand, and library supply with associated metadata. BDS partners with Ingrams via data feeds and Ingram offers overlapping catalogue enrichment capabilities at much greater scale.
- SirsiDynix: A leading global provider of integrated library management systems (Symphony, Horizon, BLUEcloud) serving public, academic, and special libraries. SirsiDynix competes broadly with BDS's library-side metadata business as part of a wider library technology portfolio.
- Baker & Taylor: A major North American library distributor and content services company providing print and digital content with associated metadata and cataloguing services. Overlaps with BDS in serving public and academic library metadata needs but operates at much larger scale in the US market.
- EBSCO Information Services: A global information services company providing research databases, e-books, and library services with associated discovery and metadata layers. EBSCO competes broadly with BDS in academic and public library metadata as part of a much wider content and research portfolio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Bibliographic Data Services social profiles
Digital presenceBibliographic Data Services compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Bibliographic Data Services financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bibliographic Data Services leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Bibliographic Data Services subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Bibliographic Data Services funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bibliographic Data Services M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bibliographic Data Services
What does Bibliographic Data Services do?
BDS creates and distributes comprehensive bibliographic metadata for books, home entertainment, and digital content to libraries, publishers, and retailers worldwide via its proprietary BDSLive platform, UniCat for academic libraries, and BDS Title Manager for publishers. It delivers book-in-hand cataloguing, MARC records, and enriched content data feeds, and through its BDSDigital subsidiary provides website design, hosting, and SmartCart e-commerce platforms tailored to the book trade and entertainment industries.
Is Bibliographic Data Services a public or private company?
Bibliographic Data Services is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Bibliographic Data Services founded?
Bibliographic Data Services was founded in 1995. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Bibliographic Data Services based?
Bibliographic Data Services is headquartered in Dumfries, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Bibliographic Data Services make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Free Metadata Creation for Publishers are the primary driver. The others are metadata Feeds and Data Subscriptions, website Design, Hosting and CMS Services, BDS Title Manager Platform, uniCat Academic Metadata Exchange and entertainment Metadata Delivery.
Who are Bibliographic Data Services's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are OCLC, Nielsen Book, Bowker, Gracenote and Axiell. Broad incumbents are ProQuest (Ex Libris), Ingram Content Group, SirsiDynix, Baker & Taylor and EBSCO Information Services.
Does Bibliographic Data Services have an API?
Yes. BDS metadata is available through API or the BDSLive service. BDS contains its own data hub API for 3rd party in-bound integrations. The most popular means of acquiring BDS metadata is through data feeds that can be sent daily or weekly, supplied in XML files and placed on FTP servers. BDS metadata is also available through direct API connections. Developer documentation is at elastic.bdslive.com/bds/page/acs-login.