Maplewood Public Library

What Maplewood Public Library does

Maplewood Public Library is a single-branch municipal public library serving the residents of Maplewood, Missouri, a municipality in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Founded in 1935, the library operates as a government entity providing free library services to local patrons. Its service portfolio spans physical and digital collections, community programming, and civic meeting space, anchored by a 47-person meeting room and a full schedule of youth and adult programs.

The library's core products and infrastructure include: a shared online catalog (modiscovery.org) accessed via membership in the Metropolitan Library System, a 9-library cooperative; eMaterials and subscription research databases; interlibrary loan; a Library of Things collection lending non-traditional physical objects; meeting room rentals; home delivery services for patrons unable to visit the branch; and dedicated youth and adult services. The library maintains a social media presence on Facebook and Instagram and is supported by an affiliated Friends of the Library volunteer group. The technology stack is conventional library automation — shared ILS, e-resource platforms, and digital lending — with no proprietary AI/ML components described.

The library's business model is non-commercial: it is funded by municipal tax appropriations and supplemented by grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the Missouri State Library (LSTA program). There is no pricing model, paid subscription, or revenue-generating product; all services are free at point of use to residents. Strategic partners include the cooperative, the state library, IMLS, and the Friends of the library, which collectively provide shared infrastructure, funding, and community support.

Name

Maplewood Public Library

Legal name

Maplewood Public Library

Website

https://maplewood.lib.mo.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Maplewood Public Library is a single-branch municipal public library in Maplewood, Missouri, founded in 1935, providing free books, eMaterials, programming, meeting space, and home delivery to local residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (519210), Libraries and Archives (51921), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO), Library User Services & Information Support (Reference, Research Help, Instruction Support) (EDAEAGAL), Interlibrary Loan (ILL) & Resource Sharing Operations (EDAEAGAK), Library-Based Learning Programs (Public Libraries) (EDAAAFAA)

Keywords

• Public library services
• Library materials lending
• Community programming
• Digital library access
• Interlibrary loan

Headquarters

HQ city

Maplewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Library Funding: Funded through public tax revenue and government grants. Purchase of computers and wireless services supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under Library Services and Technology Act as administered by Missouri State Library.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Maplewood Public Library is a free public library serving Maplewood, Missouri (near St. Louis) that lends physical and digital materials (books, magazines, newspapers, DVDs, books on CD, downloadable books/music/video), provides access to subscription research databases, offers interlibrary loan through a nine-library cooperative, lends non-traditional items via a Library of Things program, and runs youth and adult programming alongside a reservable meeting room and home delivery service. Founded in 1935, it is funded by municipal tax revenue and federal/state library grants.

Product overview

Maplewood Public Library operates as a single-branch public library serving the Maplewood, Missouri community near St. Louis. Founded in 1935, it is one of the oldest libraries in the St. Louis area and belongs to a nine-member cooperative of independent libraries with reciprocal borrowing privileges. The library's product portfolio consists of physical and digital library services centered around its online catalog (powered by MoDiscovery), eMaterials and subscription databases for digital access, a Library of Things collection for non-traditional items, interlibrary loan, a reservable meeting room, home delivery, and a range of youth and adult programming. These offerings are unified under the library's mission to provide diverse print and electronic materials, services, and opportunities for learning, entertainment, and social interaction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Catalog Searchable digital catalog allowing patrons to find and reserve library materials by title, author, subject, and other criteria across the nine-member cooperative collection. Accessible to library cardholders.
• eMaterials Digital lending platform providing library cardholders with downloadable books, music, and video content.
• Databases Subscription research databases giving patrons access to periodicals, scholarly articles, and reference materials for research purposes.
• Interlibrary Loan Service enabling patrons to borrow materials from other libraries within the cooperative network when items are not held locally.
• Library of Things Collection of non-traditional lending items including tools, instruments, and equipment available for patron checkout.
• Meeting & Study Rooms Public meeting and study rooms available for reservation, with a maximum capacity of 47 persons, supporting community gatherings and study activities.
• Home Delivery Services Delivery service bringing library materials directly to patrons' homes, expanding access for those with mobility or transportation barriers.
• Library Cards & Cooperative Lending Free library cards for Maplewood residents, with reciprocal borrowing available to St. Louis City or County residents through a nine-member cooperative of independent libraries.
• Wireless Printing Printing service enabling patrons to send print jobs wirelessly from personal devices to library printers.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Metropolitan Library System (MLC)coreTechnology or IntegrationNine-member cooperative of independent libraries providing shared catalog platform (modiscovery.org) and reciprocal borrowing privileges among member libraries.
• Friends of the Maplewood Public LibrarysupportingOthersSupport organization for the library with dedicated page on the website, likely involved in fundraising and advocacy.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• OverDrive / Libby: Dominant digital lending platform (Libby app) used by libraries worldwide including via the Maplewood eMaterials offering; comparable as the underlying infrastructure for the library's digital lending product, though operating at vastly larger scale as a commercial vendor.

Emerging players

• BiblioCommons: Library catalog and discovery platform used by many public library systems; comparable as an alternative vendor for the type of online catalog experience Maplewood provides through modiscovery.org.
• Hoopla: Library-focused digital content platform (eBooks, audiobooks, video, music) commonly bundled into public library eMaterials offerings; comparable as an alternative/complementary technology peer for the library's digital lending arm.

Direct peers

• St. Louis Public Library: Municipal public library serving the City of St. Louis; operates the same public library funding model and overlapping reciprocal borrowing geography, making it the most directly comparable service peer.
• Richmond Heights Memorial Library: Nearby suburban public library in the same nine-member cooperative; same scale tier, funding model, and cooperative catalog — a close functional peer.
• St. Louis County Library: The neighboring large public library system serving St. Louis County; the largest peer in the immediate cooperative/regional network and the closest direct comparator for service mix, funding model, and catchment dynamics.
• Kirkwood Public Library: A nearby suburban St. Louis public library within the same nine-member cooperative; nearly identical scale, municipal funding profile, and cooperative catalog access, making it a tight direct peer.
• Webster Groves Public Library: Adjacent suburban public library in the same cooperative; comparable single-branch suburban service profile and shared modiscovery.org catalog platform.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/maplewoodpubliclibrary
• Instagraminstagram.com/maplewoodpubliclibrary
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maplewood-public-library

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Maplewood Public Library