They were previously involved in development of library management software and a Semantic Web application platform.

[citation needed] BLCMP began a co-operative catalogue of bibliographic data at the start of its work, a database that now contains many millions of records.

This shared approach to creating metadata is the forefather of later, Internet-based, community ventures such as IMDb, Freebase and others.

[citation needed] BLCMP moved into using microfiche and later IBM mainframes with dedicated terminals at libraries in the mid-seventies and was one of the first library automation vendors to provide a GUI on top of Microsoft Windows to provide a better interface for end-users.

[6] As of 2023, Talis Aspire has effectively become the global market leader in reading list software.