01 · Joining and visiting
Make the first visit easy
Explains opening hours, who can join, what ID to bring and how to sign up, straight from your own pages.
- “What are your hours?”
- “How do I get a library card?”
- “What ID do I need to join?”
For public and community libraries
AI Chatbot for Libraries
Patrons ask about hours, renewals, room bookings and kids' events all day. Your bot answers from your library's pages, points to the catalogue and passes research questions to a librarian.
- Trained on your hours, borrowing and events pages
- Points availability and holds to your catalogue
- Passes research questions to a librarian
Fernhill Community Library
Ask your questions here...
fastbots.ai
Example conversation. Your bot answers from the content you give it.
Providing AI Chatbots to Trusted Brands Around The World
What it does for you
From a new library card to a research question
Patron questions usually come when they join, while they borrow, or when they need a librarian's expertise. FastBots handles the routine ones at any hour.
02 · Borrowing and events
Answer the everyday questions
Covers renewals, fines, printing, room bookings and what's on, and points to the catalogue for holds and availability.
- “How do I renew my books?”
- “What's on for kids this week?”
- “Can I reserve a study room?”
03 · Deeper questions
Send research to a librarian
Answers what your pages say about online resources and local history, then passes real research to a librarian.
- “Which resources can I use from home?”
- “Can someone help with my family history?”
- “Do you keep old local newspapers?”
Start Free TrialNo Credit Card Required
Try it free for 14 days. Cancel any time.
Reviews
What community and learning organisations say
“I was looking for a chatbot application for my small genealogy website that would be easy to implement and handle. I was suprised how fast and smoothly I could set up everything with FastBots - just as their name promises!”
“I personally believe that fastbots is one of the best platforms for an individual to provide information to via chats. I would surely prefer fastbots as the best source for providing information.”
“I’ve tried a lot of bot builders and this is by far the most user friendly and easiest to train.”
More than a chatbot
It doesn't just answer. It works as an AI agent for your library.
Connect FastBots to the tools your team already uses, and a patron's question becomes a reference enquiry, a room booking or a chat with a librarian.
- STEP 1
Captures the enquiry
Collects a name, email and the question for reference, local history and event enquiries, without asking for card details.
- STEP 2
Sends it to your tools
Passes enquiries to the right team's inbox, a shared spreadsheet or Slack through Zapier or Make.
- STEP 3
Books the room
Shows your room or event booking page as a button. With Zapier MCP connected, it can book a study room slot during the chat.
- STEP 4
Hands over to a librarian
When a patron needs a person, a librarian can step into the same chat with Live Chat.
Live Chat is on Business plan and above, and buttons are on paid plans. Booking actions during the chat use Zapier MCP and need a quick setup in your Zapier account.
Setup
Live on your library website in three steps
- fernhilllibrary.example/opening-hours/join/borrowing/whats-on
Add your library pages
Point it at your hours, joining, borrowing and events pages. Event listings in Google Sheets and policy PDFs work too.
- Only answer from our library pagesNever ask for card numbers or PINsSend availability to the cataloguePatient, plain-English tone
Set the rules and test it
Choose the tone, decide what goes to a librarian, then ask it the questions patrons ask at the front desk.
- <script defersrc="https://app.fastbots.ai/embed.js"data-bot-id="your-bot-id"></script>
Add it to your site
Paste one line of code on your library website, or share a direct chat link in your newsletter and events emails.
Already use ChatGPT or Claude?
Connect FastBots to the AI assistant you already use, then create, train and update your bot just by asking it.
You stay in control
Clear about what it answers, and what librarians do
Your bot only answers from content you approve. If it doesn't know, it says so and shows patrons how to reach your staff.
Your bot handles
- Opening hours, branches and holiday closures
- Joining, renewals, holds and fines policies
- Printing, Wi-Fi and public computers
- Events, children's sessions and room booking rules
- Capturing reference and event enquiries
It hands to you
- Live availability, which stays in your catalogue
- Individual loans, fines and account details
- In-depth research, which goes to a librarian
- Waiving fines or making exceptions
- Questions your content doesn't cover
Start with your hours, joining and renewals pages
Try FastBots free for 14 days with 1 chatbot and 200 message credits.
FAQ
Questions libraries ask us
Can it check whether a book is available?
No. It doesn't connect to your library management system, so it can't see live stock or a patron's loans. It explains how to search the catalogue, place a hold and renew, and on paid plans it can show a button to your catalogue.
Will it ask patrons for card numbers or PINs?
Not unless you set it up to, and we'd suggest you don't. Tell it never to ask for card numbers, PINs or addresses, and keep the enquiry form to a name and email. Anything about an individual account goes to the catalogue login or your staff.
What happens with research and reference questions?
It answers what your pages cover, like which online resources you offer and how to use them from home. For real research help, it collects the question and contact details for a librarian, or a librarian can step in with Live Chat on Business plan and above.
Can patrons ask in other languages?
Yes. It works in around 95 languages and answers from your English pages, which helps branches serving multilingual communities. Ask a fluent speaker to check a few key answers, like joining and fines, before you go live.
Can patrons talk to it instead of typing?
Yes. Switch on voice and patrons can talk to your bot in the chat window and hear its answers, which suits people who find websites hard to use. Voice is included in the free trial and on Business plan and above, and uses message credits.
Can it book study rooms or event places?
It explains your booking rules and, on paid plans, shows a button to your room or event booking page. With Zapier MCP connected, it can book a room slot in your calendar during the chat. Otherwise it collects the request for staff to confirm.
What do we get in the free trial?
14 days with 1 chatbot and 200 message credits, with no credit card required. That's enough to train it on your hours, joining and borrowing pages and test it with the questions your front desk hears.
How do we keep hours and events current?
Update your website and retrain the bot when hours or events change. On Business plan and above, auto retrain can refresh your website content daily, weekly or monthly, and you can see which questions it couldn't answer, which shows gaps on your site.
Still have a question?
Ask the FastBots chatbot in the corner, or just try it yourself.