Open Source Library Systems

Robert Wilson is systems librarian and assistant professor at Middle Tennessee State University’s Walker Library. He has worked with library systems since 2011 in school, public, and academic libraries as well as the vendor side as an analyst and implementation manager. He has an MS in information systems from Middle Tennessee State University and an MSLIS from Drexel University. He’s implemented dozens of open and closed source library systems at the libraries he's worked with and as a support analyst and later as an implementation manager worked with hundreds of libraries in implementation and integration of dozens of types of library software and applications. James Mitchell is systems librarian at the University of North Alabama’s Collier Library, where he additionally serves as manager of Collier Experimental Learning Lab (CELL), Collier Library’s makerspace. Since 2012, James has been responsible for implementing technology solutions within archives and libraries in both public and academic libraries. He holds an MLIS from the University of Alabama.

• PrefaceAcknowledgments1: Open Source Software: A Reorientation2: OSS in Libraries3: Open Source and the ILS4: Open Source and Digital Repositories5: Open Source Discovery6: Open Source Resource Sharing7: Open Source Electronic Resource Management8: Additional Open Source Systems9: Libraries, Open Source Software, and the FutureAppendix A: Notes on Library System ImplementationsAppendix B: ILS Selection & Migration Example

The bulk of the book details the history, technical aspects, licensing issues, and major service providers of open source digital repositories, discovery layers, resource sharing platforms, and electronic-resource-management software. Specific examples of library organizational experiences with different systems provide practical insider information... This book is an even-handed overview of past and current open source library management systems, backed up by extensive references. They caution about implementing and supporting such software, but also note trends that make open source solutions less risky nowadays. The technical aspects of this book are not for the faint-hearted, but librarians will be better informed about this important management decision as a result of reading it.