 |
 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
New website offers a starting point for librarians interested in Open Source Integrated Library Systems
Knoxville, TN, September 5, 2012
A new website, Open Source ILS (http://opensourceils.com), is now available as a resource for librarians and anyone interested in open source software integrated library systems (OSS ILS). OSS ILS
are exciting new developments in the library world and offer libraries the chance to control their data, customize their software, and choose from multiple support sources. Open Source ILS seeks to be a starting point for librarians who are new to OSS ILS
and is the first website to consolidate resources on systems such as Evergreen and Koha in a single place.
Open Source ILS is the product of an IMLS grant-funded study of technical support options for proprietary and open source ILS. Dr. Vandana Singh, assistant professor at the School of Information Sciences at the University of Tennessee,
Knoxville, is the lead researcher on this multi-year project. Each phase collected data about support channels for various ILS and included interviews with librarians who shared their experiences and recommendations. Researchers analyzed the collected data
to determine the technical support expectations of librarians and the realities of the support received.
In the third year of the project researchers interviewed adopters of OSS ILS in order to find out more about the process of migrating to an open source solution. The site offers best practices gleaned from these interviews with open source
ILS adopters on subjects such as evaluating, migrating to, and customizing and maintaining these systems. In the course of the study, researchers also found that while there are a number of resources available about OSS ILS, finding them is often not easy
and requires visits to several different websites to compile information.
Choosing an ILS is a major step for any library system and requires librarians to evaluate the features, costs, and ongoing maintenance requirements of the system. Open Source ILS is an effort to create a portal that will contain useful
information about different systems and the steps necessary to migrate to them. Links to additional information are included for each subject. These sources include vendor websites, community documentation, and a variety of technical support resources. Open
Source ILS lists these resources for each facet of the ILS migration process so that librarians can easily access them from a single location. Other features of the website include an internal blog, forum, and screencast tutorials.
For more information, please visit the website at
http://opensourceils.com.
The School of Information Sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is recognized nationally and internationally as an interdisciplinary program of excellence in the information sciences. It is located at 451 Communications Building,
1345 Circle Park Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37996.
Dr. Vandana Singh
Assistant Professor
School of Information Sciences
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Ph: (865) 974-2785
449 Communications Building
1345 Circle Park Drive
Knoxville, TN 37996