When Iowa’s public libraries faced the sudden loss of a beloved community resource—their statewide Adventure Pass program—they turned to LocalHop not just for software, but for partnership. Within three months, 70 libraries were up and running with a streamlined, customizable, and community-first solution that didn’t just restore access but revolutionized it.

The result? Increased patron satisfaction, operational independence for library staff, and a software experience widely hailed as “better than the previous system.”

This was more than a tech rollout. It was a statewide reimagining of what access and engagement can look like at the community level.

👉 Want to bring this kind of transformation to your library or consortium? Schedule a demo with our team to see how LocalHop can support your goals.

With a shoestring committee of three passionate librarians leading the way, Iowa’s libraries needed a solution that respected their autonomy and centered their patrons. Their previous vendor made basic updates burdensome—libraries had to go through a third party just to reflect pass inventory or venue changes. Every time a venue updated its hours, changes had to be made across all 70 libraries individually.

LocalHop provided a centralized solution. Instead of needing 70 separate updates, venue changes could now be made once and instantly reflected statewide. The team also enabled committee members to manage their own pass availability and offerings—without needing developer support—resulting in reduced overhead and faster responsiveness to community needs.

The proof came fast. One librarian shared, “Thank you so much for your help and thanks for making this program happen. Our team can’t stop commenting on how much better the new system is.”

At the heart of the Iowa Adventure Pass program is access: affordable experiences for Iowans through their local libraries. To safeguard that goal, LocalHop built custom ILS integrations for each of the 70 participating libraries, ensuring policies like age restrictions and account standing were enforced automatically.

Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, LocalHop developed 70 one-to-one ILS connections, tailoring the implementation to each library’s system. In contrast to past solutions, libraries could now configure their own patron rules, like limiting certain passes to once per year per user—an especially powerful tool during high-demand seasons like summer.

These integrations ensured greater compliance with policies, more equitable access for patrons, and fewer errors or miscommunications across the board. It also set a new benchmark for LocalHop’s development approach moving forward.

Despite a tight deadline—just two weeks from the announcement of a go-live date—LocalHop delivered. Pressure mounted as the summer break approached and demand for passes surged. With patrons eager to resume access, urgency spiked, but the team held strong.

Rather than compromise on quality, LocalHop facilitated emergency feedback sessions with stakeholders, prioritized mission-critical bugs, and implemented fixes within days. This balance of agility and thoroughness allowed the project to launch smoothly at the end of May.

And LocalHop didn’t stop there. Weekly support check-ins, proactive communication, and field-level tooltips were added post-launch to support long-term success for all 70 libraries.

The Iowa Adventure Pass project not only improved patron access across 70 libraries but laid the foundation for scalable innovation. Features like pass limits by patrons, adjustable venue radius filters, and customizable search settings are already influencing the design of other LocalHop projects—including those with Washington County and new consortia exploring their first-ever activity pass programs.

It also sparked internal growth. The experience of managing dozens of ILS integrations led to new best practices in documentation, client communications, and support. In the words of one of our lead developers on the project, “You don’t know until you actually do it. Now we know—and we’re better for it.”

💡 Inspired by Iowa’s story? Let’s explore what we can build together. Whether you’re starting from scratch or upgrading your system, LocalHop is ready to help.