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Scout Market Opportunity
The Numbers
Everything you need to know about the library discovery market
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The Problem
$1.2B+
Annual spend on library collections
Billions invested in books, media, and databases that patrons can't discover
Source: IMLS Public Libraries Survey
The Failure
35%
Drop in reference desk visits
Since 2012, fewer patrons seek help. They're not finding help elsewhere—they're giving up.
Source: Pew Research Center 2016
Library Budgets
$408K
Average library tech budget per year
Libraries have real money to spend on technology solutions
Source: Library Journal 2024
Discovery Spend
$135K
Allocated to catalog & discovery software
About a third of the tech budget goes directly to what Scout replaces
Source: Library Journal 2024 (33% of tech budget)
Total Market
$1.2B
US library enterprise software spend
The total pie for library technology vendors annually
Source: Calculated from LJ 2024 data
Our Category
$200M+
Discovery layer segment
The specific market segment Scout is built for
Source: American Libraries Magazine 2024
Scout's Opportunity
$180M
Addressable market at Scout's pricing
Across 9,100 library systems in the United States
Source: IMLS PLS × Scout pricing
Customer Base
9,238
Library systems to sell to
Not branches—systems. One deal can mean multiple locations.
Source: IMLS FY 2022 Public Libraries Survey
Grant Funding
$266.7M
Federal library grants awarded in 2024
Libraries can write Scout into LSTA and IMLS grant applications
Source: IMLS Grants to States 2024
Price Advantage
BiblioCommons
$30K–$100K
vs
Scout
$8K–$40K
40–80% less for better discovery
And we have AI. They don't.
Source: Public library contract data
Scout Pricing Tiers
Small
$10K
<25K patrons
Mid-Size
$13K
25K–75K
Large
$40K
75K–250K+
Annual SaaS subscriptions
Competitive Landscape
Zero
Full-catalog LLM competitors for public libraries
OverDrive "Inspire Me" is digital-only. Ex Libris Primo is academic-focused. BiblioCommons has no AI.
Source: 2025 Library Systems Report
The Ask
$60K
To build proof of concept with 8 pilot partners
Introductions matter as much as funding. Know a library director? Let's talk.
Sources & References
Library Journal Budgets & Funding 2024
$408K avg tech budget, 33% to enterprise software, materials spending data
libraryjournal.com/story/a-complex-landscape-budgets-and-funding-2024
IMLS Public Libraries Survey (FY 2022)
9,238 library systems, collection expenditures, operating data
imls.gov/research-evaluation/surveys/public-libraries-survey-pls
IMLS Grants to States 2024
$266.7M in federal library grants awarded
imls.gov/find-funding/funding-opportunities/grants-to-states-overview
Pew Research: Library Usage & Engagement (2016)
35% decline in patrons seeking librarian help since 2012
pewresearch.org/internet/2016/09/09/library-usage-and-engagement
American Libraries Magazine: Library Systems Reports
ILS market landscape, vendor data, competitive analysis
americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2025/05/01/2025-library-systems-report
BiblioCommons Contract Data
Pricing from Richmond Public Library, Alameda County contracts
Richmond Public Library Contract (2023)