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State libraries serve millions of residents but struggle with a persistent engagement gap: the resources are there, but patrons either do not know they exist or cannot find them on sprawling government websites. This AI agent addresses that gap head-on by proactively engaging website visitors, guiding them toward relevant programs and digital collections, and converting passive browsing into active participation. Modeled on the Indiana State Library (in.gov/library/), the agent initiates conversations that connect patrons with services matched to their interests — whether that is a genealogist who does not realize the library offers free Ancestry Library Edition access, a small business owner unaware of the business research databases available, or a parent looking for summer reading programs. Rather than waiting for patrons to call or email, the agent meets them where they already are: on the library website. The Institute of Museum and Library Services reports that U.S. public libraries see over 1.3 billion in-person visits annually, yet digital engagement with licensed databases and online services remains significantly underutilized relative to the investment libraries make in those resources.
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State libraries are under constant pressure to demonstrate value during budget cycles. An engagement-focused AI agent generates the usage data and patron participation numbers that justify continued investment.
Licensed databases represent one of the largest line items in a state library's budget, often running into hundreds of thousands of dollars annually for statewide access to platforms like EBSCO, Gale, and Ancestry Library Edition. Yet utilization rates frequently disappoint, with many patrons unaware these resources exist or unable to navigate remote access procedures. By proactively recommending databases during patron conversations and walking users through access steps, the AI agent drives measurable increases in database sessions and unique users. Even a 15-20% increase in database utilization can make the difference between a licensing renewal and a cut during tight budget years. The agent provides the documentation that connects investment to usage in a way that web analytics alone cannot.
Government web forms see abandonment rates as high as 70% for complex submissions, and event registration on state library websites is no exception — especially when the registration process involves navigating away from the page where the patron first learned about the program. The conversational agent promotes programs contextually and captures registrations within the same interaction, eliminating drop-off. Libraries using conversational registration flows report significantly higher completion rates compared to standalone web forms. For a state library running 50-100 programs annually, each with 20-50 available seats, even modest improvements in fill rates mean hundreds more patrons served per year and stronger justification for programming budgets.
State libraries report to legislatures and funding bodies on patron engagement, and the traditional metrics — door counts and circulation numbers — have been declining for years as patron behavior shifts online. The AI agent generates a new category of engagement data: conversational interactions, resource recommendations delivered, digital access sessions initiated, program registrations captured, and patron interest profiles created. The State of Indiana documented over $500,000 in savings after deploying Tars-powered conversational AI across citizen-facing services, and Missouri's Secretary of State automated over 200,000 customer service conversations. For state librarians presenting annual reports to oversight committees, these numbers tell a compelling story about digital modernization and constituent reach that static website traffic numbers cannot match.
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features
Every capability addresses a specific barrier between state library resources and the patrons who need them.
State libraries invest heavily in licensing digital databases — EBSCO, Gale, ProQuest, LexisNexis, and specialized platforms like HeritageQuest and Ancestry Library Edition — yet usage metrics consistently fall short of what the investment warrants. The problem is not that patrons do not want these resources; it is that they do not know they exist or how to access them. This agent proactively surfaces relevant databases during conversations based on patron interests, provides step-by-step remote access instructions, and troubleshoots common authentication issues on the spot. Libraries that actively promote digital resources through conversational channels see measurably higher database session counts, which strengthens the justification for continued licensing expenditure during budget cycles.
State libraries run dozens of programs annually — summer reading challenges, genealogy workshops, digital literacy classes, author talks, small business seminars, and professional development for member librarians. Promoting these programs through static website listings and social media posts reaches only a fraction of the potential audience. The AI agent promotes upcoming programs contextually during conversations: a patron asking about genealogy resources gets told about the next genealogy workshop, a parent exploring children's services hears about story time schedules. The agent handles registration on the spot through a conversational flow that captures attendee details and feeds them into event management systems, eliminating the friction of separate registration forms that government website visitors frequently abandon.
Most state libraries have limited data about what their website visitors actually want. Analytics tools show page views but not intent. The AI agent captures structured interest data during every conversation — which service categories each patron cares about, which resources they did not know existed, and what brought them to the library website in the first place. This data flows into the library's CRM or analytics platform and enables audience segmentation that was previously impossible: the library can identify how many visitors are genealogists versus job seekers, which regions generate the most interest in business databases, and which programs have unmet demand. Tars provides analytics dashboards and API integrations that make this data actionable for programming decisions and budget justification.
State libraries serve diverse populations, including non-English-speaking residents who are among the most underserved by traditional library websites. The AI agent supports multilingual conversational flows, allowing libraries to offer Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin, or other language options based on their service area demographics. Combined with the conversational interface itself — which is inherently more accessible than navigating complex government websites with nested menus and PDF-heavy content — the agent lowers barriers to engagement for patrons who would otherwise never discover available services. For state libraries operating under ADA compliance requirements and state accessibility mandates, the conversational format provides an alternative navigation method that complements screen readers and other assistive technologies.
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The agent transforms one-time website visits into ongoing patron relationships by matching visitors with the library services and collections that matter to them.
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FAQs
A customer support bot is reactive — it waits for a patron to ask a question and answers it. This engagement agent is proactive. It initiates conversations with website visitors, identifies their interests, recommends specific resources and programs they may not have known about, and captures their contact information for ongoing outreach. The goal is not just answering questions but converting passive website visitors into active, returning library participants. It addresses the engagement gap that exists between the resources state libraries invest in and the patrons who would benefit from them but never discover them through self-directed browsing.
Yes. Library administrators can configure the agent to highlight specific programs, seasonal campaigns, and new resource launches at any time. When the summer reading program opens, the agent promotes it to every visitor with children's interests. When a new business database becomes available, it tells visitors who expressed interest in career or business resources. These promotional flows are managed through a no-code interface, so library staff can update them without IT support. The agent also tracks which promotions generate the most engagement, giving program managers data on what resonates with patrons.
Yes. Tars is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant, ISO certified, and GDPR compliant. All data is encrypted in transit and at rest. Importantly, the agent collects patron interest data and contact information only with explicit opt-in consent, and library administrators can configure data retention policies that align with their state's library confidentiality statutes. Forty-eight U.S. states have laws specifically protecting the privacy of library patron records. Role-based access controls and audit logs ensure the platform meets the privacy standards that state library systems require.
Tars integrates with the tools state libraries already use. For government-specific platforms, that includes Tyler Technologies and CivicPlus for web content management. For library operations, the agent connects via webhooks and APIs with integrated library systems like SirsiDynix, Ex Libris, and Koha. For outreach and analytics, it integrates with Google Sheets, Zapier, Airtable, Slack, and email marketing platforms. Patron interest data and program registrations captured by the agent flow directly into existing workflows, so library staff do not need to manually transfer information between systems.
Most state libraries can have the engagement agent live within days. The conversational flows come pre-configured with common state library engagement scenarios — digital resource promotion, program discovery, interest capture — and can be customized through a no-code interface to match your specific collections, programs, and service areas. No IT development resources are required. Tars provides onboarding support to help library staff map their engagement priorities into the agent's conversational structure, and the agent can be embedded on any government website regardless of the underlying CMS platform.
This is one of the primary use cases the agent is designed for. State libraries license expensive databases that patrons frequently underuse because they either do not know the databases exist or cannot navigate remote access procedures. The agent identifies a patron's research interest during conversation and recommends the specific database that matches — EBSCO for academic research, Ancestry Library Edition for genealogy, LexisNexis for legal research, Gale for newspaper archives — then walks them through remote access step by step, including library card authentication. Libraries using proactive resource promotion through conversational AI see measurable upticks in database sessions, which directly supports licensing renewal justification.
The State of Indiana saved over $500,000 and reduced inbound calls by more than 4,000 per month after deploying Tars for citizen-facing services. The Missouri Secretary of State automated over 200,000 customer service conversations while maintaining high satisfaction scores. Workforce Solutions of Central Texas fully automated their L1 citizen support online. Gartner predicts that 80% of governments will deploy AI agents for routine decision-making by 2028. The AI in Government market is projected to grow from $25 billion in 2025 to over $109 billion by 2035 at a 16% CAGR, reflecting broad recognition that conversational AI delivers measurable ROI in public-sector environments.
The agent uses explicit opt-in language before collecting any personally identifiable information. It asks patrons whether they would like to receive updates about programs and resources matching their interests, and only captures email addresses and contact details from those who consent. Interest category data — such as which types of resources a patron explored — can be collected in aggregate without personal identifiers for programming analytics. Library administrators control exactly what data is collected, how long it is retained, and who has access, with all settings configurable to comply with their specific state's patron confidentiality statutes. Tars maintains SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO compliance with encryption in transit and at rest.
Privacy & Security
At Tars, we take privacy and security very seriously. We are compliant with GDPR, ISO, SOC 2, and HIPAA.
Email - sales@hellotars.com
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