Open source library management systems are free alternative to costly commercial library systems.  It helps to automate library functions and give a tremendous savings on library automation expenses.  User ’s participation in all stages of software project ensures the development of the features that the library really wants.  Lack of awareness and knowledge in open source technology among library professionals restrict wide adoption of open source library management system.  This article gives an insight into  the  use and maintenance of  open source library management systems

Abraham, Thomas

Vimal Kumar, V.

English

E-LIS

 1 Eight Things you should Know about Open Source Integrated Library Systems.  Vimal Kumar V. 1 and Thomas Abraham 2  1 Asst. Librarian Asian School of Business Technopark, Trivandrum-695581 Vimal0212@gmail.com  2 Open Knowledge Society thomuhs@gmail.com   Abstract:  Open source library management systems are free alternative to costly commercial library systems. It helps to automate library functions and give a tremendous savings on library automation expenses. User’s participation in all stages of software project ensures the development of the features that the library really wants. Lack of awareness and knowledge in open source technology among library professionals restrict wide adoption of open source library management system. This article gives an insight into the use and maintenance of open source library management systems.      Key words: open source, library management system, library automation    Introduction   Open source is becoming a trend setter in libraries. Lots of open source softwares are available for various automation purposes in libraries. Open source digital library and institutional repository softwares are very popular among librarians. But such softwares are mainly used to preserve and dis seminate scholarly literature and other digital content. Digital libraries and institutional repositories have relevance only in big library systems. Circulation, cataloging, acquisition and serial control are common basic functions in all types of libraries.  Automation of basic house keeping operations is the first priority of most of the libraries. Open source ILS (Integrated Library Systems) help to make automation of basic library functions affordable.    Library professionals like to see open source ILS through different perspectives. Some people are attracted to open source ILS due to its philosophy. Another segment is tech savvy librarians who try open source ILS because of openness in source code and support towards open standards. Small and medium size libraries feel automation of house keeping operations as a financial burden due to the high price of proprietary Library Management Systems. Libraries in developing countries show interest in open source ILS because of its economic feasibility; i.e. free availability. Open source library management systems give effective way to automate their library operations without much financial investment.  Principles and practices of open source software are very similar to the principles and practices of modern librarianship. Both value free and equal access to data, information and knowledge. Both strive to promote human understanding and to make our lives better. Both make effort to improve society as a whole [1].   What is open source ILS?    An integrated library system, or ILS, is an enterprise resource planning system for a library. An ILS is designed to coordinate and automate such library functions as the online catalog, the circulation system, and the acquisitions system [2]. An ILS improves the efficiency of house keeping operations. Use of ILS requires only the one time entry of the data (bibliographic and user) and the same can be made use for all other purposes. Proprietary ILS is costly and protected by copyright and has strict restrictions on use and distribution. Open source ILS is a free alternative to proprietary integrated library management system. Libraries can obtain open source software freely and can use for the automation purposes.  Open source software’s are available with source code and if necessary libraries can make changes in software.  There are no differences between features and functions of commercial and open source ILS. The fundamental difference is visible in the development process and distribution. Group of people or institutions contribute resources (time, money and skill) into the development of  2 open source library management system for their library automation.  Open licenses are adopted for the free distribution of software. Most of the open source ILS projects are licensed under GNU (General Public License). Koha, Evergreen, PMB, Newgenlib, and OpenBiblio are the popular open source integrated library systems.   Who is doing it?   Open source softwares are developed for the goodness of the community and ownership rest with public. Openness and cooperation in all stages of software development expands opportunity for collaborative work. So professionals and users attracted to open source software projects and make use their spare time for creative contribution.  In the case of popular open source ILS, most of them were initially developed for individual library purposes. Later stages, they moved to open source platform and released software in public domain. Koha ILS was developed in 2001 for Harovenua Library Trust and released under open source license in 2003. Koha gained rapid attention among library professionals and softare developers because of its open source nature. Now Koha development activities are coordinated by Liblime, a software company providing open source software services in United States. NewGenLib is another mature open source ILS developed in India released in public domain in 2008. Kesavan Institute of Information and Knowledge Management and Verus Solutions Pvt. Ltd. started NewGenLib as proprietary initiative and they gained substantial user base. They adopted General Public License, popular free software license with the hope of getting more customers and to ensure community participation in development.  In certain instances, a group of libraries with similar functional requirements developed ILS for their consortium operations. Evergreen library management system originated for the use of PINE (Public Information Network for Electronic Services) consortium of 257 libraries in Georgia State, United States. Member libraries in consortium can pool their resources including technology, money and human resource for the development and maintenance of their own ILS without buying commercial ILS. In such cases they can also save a significant amount of money for library  automation.   How does it work?   Development and maintenance of open source software project is the responsibility of public, especially the concerned user group. Always software projects in public domain start as a solo initiative. OpenBiblio developed byFrédéric Descamps for the automation of a school library where his wife worked [3]. Later more people joined with the OpenBiblio project and contributed to the development process.  Programmers, users and funding agencies jointly take part in the various activities for the software development. Online communication tools like wiki, online discussion forums, and blogs are used for the interaction between members in software community. Users and developers interact through discussion forums to report  errors, giving suggestions and to clear doubts regarding the operation of software. Open source ILS projects ensure the users participation in the preparation of technical documentation, language translation and user manuals. Day by day request for new features are received from libraries and they are  trying to incorporate into these existing software with the help of community members. Active open source projects usually have regularly updated web pages and busy development email lists. They usually encourage the participation of those who use the software in its further development. If everything is quiet on the development front, it might be that work has been suspended or even stopped [4].  Why is it significant?  Main attraction of open source ILS is t hat it charges no license fee. Investing in a proprietary library ILS is a never ending process. In addition to huge initial investment, libraries are compelled to shell out money to retain the ILS service. Purchase of a proprietary ILS does not mean that library have full control over the software. Ownership of the software will rest with the company and libraries should be continuing as mere users. If libraries dare to stop the service of commercial ILS, they will face the severe consequences including loss of control over bibliographic data. In such cases companies may charge a good amount to give bibliographic records back to libraries.  Local technical support can be sought for the installation and maintenance of open source software in libraries. Technical specifications and other details are available for public and it help to deploy open source ILS with the help of technical service providers either from library or locally available. It ensures access of technical help for the trouble shooting of ILS without any delay. Most of the open source ILS projects make use open standards and tools for software development. MySQL. Perl, PHP, Zebra and Apache are the favorite tool kit for the development of popular open source ILS. Z39.50, SRU/W, OpenNCIP, OpenSearch, and XML are the examples of open standards utilized by open source ILS projects for data exchange and retrieval. “We needed the freedom to change things, to change the code if necessary, because the types of things we want to do are not going to appear in commercial library software for years”[5].          3 Where is it going?    We can observe that popular open source ILS projects started with minimum functional features. Consecutively more features are added to existing software receiving the contributions from developer and user community. For example, MARC support, z39.50 server and NCIP modules in Koha were developed initially for Nelsonville Public Library, US. Later these modules were made available with the main software release. The Crawford County Libraries in Pennsylvania chose to support the integration of the Zebra XML storage and retrieval environment into Koha. The Westchester Academic Libraries Director Organization (WALDO) contracted to introduce many features into Koha required for academic libraries. Contributions from many libraries to the software development have led to the expansion of Koha from a very simple ILS to one with a competitive set of features suitable for many small and medium-sized libraries [6].   Open source ILS projects are expanding its features list receiving the advantages of innovative technology and growing number of users. Each successive version of open source ILS tries to manifest user requirements based on suggestions. Koha and PMB adopted web 2.0 technology to enhance the user experience. Latest version of Koha has provisions for RSS, federated searching, tagging and reviews by users. It also adopted zebra plug-in for efficient text indexing and retrieval from large bibliographic record collection. Open source ILS have to achieve the capability to handle digital content in near future. They initially developed  were to handle the automation purpose of libraries with small collection. Now they are in progress on the way to take place in the list of enterprise class library automation systems.   What are the selection criteria?   Selection and evaluation of open source software is different from proprietary programs. A key difference for evaluation is that the information available for open source programs are usually different than for proprietary programs; source code, analysis by others of the program design, discussion between users and developers on how well it is working, and so on [7]. Open source ILS is free and libraries can try full version of the software. It is possible to install and test more than one open source ILS to find the suitability against the library requirements. All types of technical information related with open source ILS is available for free access. Technical documentation, bugs information, users queries in discussion forums are open for public and it provides valuable information for ILS selection and maintenance. Certain features or functional modules essential for day to day work may not be available with the initial development stages  of open source ILS. In such cases, libraries have to purchase additional modules from open source service providers or making use the in-house expertise to build the required features. It is essential to read release notes of latest version and software road map to know which features are already available and are expected in future. Ensure the availability of standards (e.g. MARC, Z39.50, NCIP etc) which are essential for data exchange.   What are the downsides?  Even though open source ILS are available free, it is not ready to use. Many features in ILS are generalist and must be either customized before use or adjusted with existing features. Open source ILS available with standardized features majority of libraries required.   If technical expertise for installation and maintenance are available in the library itself, open source ILS is free from initial investment and other ongoing expenses . Other wise, library has to hire technical support of  software service provider for services such as installation, data migration and maintenance. Initial investment on open source ILS is probably less than the annual maintenance of commercial ILS. Many libraries simply do not have the in-house expertise to support open source software development, and also don’t have the ability to train staff on the use of the new technologies [8]. Libraries should make a good home work before the adoption of open source library management system.  Lack of awareness and knowledge in open source technology and software among library professionals restrict widely adoption of open source ILS in libraries. Marshal Breeding says “support is a significant impediment to the implementation of open source software. The software license fees represent only one component of the overall costs that a library bears in its automation effort. The personnel required for the initial implementation and system administration is a major consideration”[9]. Knowledge in Linux administration is essential for effective deployment of open source ILS in production library environment. In the Indian context majority of library professionals lack the facility for training in Linux operating system and related application softwares. In such cases, commercial open source service providers can help libraries to host ILS and provide continuous support. In India, very few companies provide commercial support for open source solutions in libraries.    What is your commitment?  Open source software is highly depended on users for its development and maintenance. In a typical open source project, community members have varying levels of participation, ranging from passive users to core developers. Library professionals and software developers are involved in the open source ILS projects. High involvement of library professionals is necessary to fulfill the functional requirements of an ideal ILS. So effort and expenses of open source ILS is equally distributed among user community. Open source software projects expect user participation in [10]:   1.     To f ind bugs, 2.    To find usability problems,  4 3.     To suggest new features, 4.    To review and inspect source code 5.     To submit source code, 6.    To offer project administration assistance, and 7.     for documentation. Direct investment of money for the development of entire software packages is not necessary in the context of open source software project. Libraries can pay money to develop additional features required by the library and missing in current software release. Next release onwards, newly developed features will be available with main software distribution. With commercial software a big portion of the license fee goes to research and development over which the library has no control, while with open source that same money can be funded for the development of the software modules that the library really wants [11]. Open source software projects opened up wide range of options for user contributions and participation in software development process.  Conclusion  Impact of open source movement made positive effects in libraries. Library professionals are recognizing the impact of open source softwares and began to adapt in library automation purposes. Open source culture empowers libraries to try innovative technologies in their working environment. In addition, libraries have started to develop their own tools  such as meta search and social functionality tools to integrate with open source ILS. This practice helps them to develop solutions to solve their technology related problem within the walls of libraries.      In a certain extent, open source library management system help to solve common problems  faced by libraries such as  fewer budgets for proprietary ILS, management of increasing number of records, large number of members, and lack of powerful administration over all modules in library. Open source library management systems provide access to library-owned data and provide much more flexibility for your library than commercial ILS [12]. It is necessary to make awareness among library professionals about the advantages of open source softwares. Then only libraries can attain tremendous savings on library automation and to achieve increase in performance at the same time.               References  [1]. Morgan, Eric Lease. “Open source software in librar ies”. http://infomotions.com/musings/biblioacid/  [2]. "Integrated library system." Wikipedia. 28 October 2009. Wikipedia. 13 Jul 2006 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_library_system  [3]. Frédéric Descamps, OpenBiblio  http://openbiblio.sourceforge.net/indexeng.html  [4]. “Top tips for selecting open source software”. OSS Watch, www.osswatch.ac.uk/resources/tips.xml  [5]. “ Questions and answers about Koha”, Athens County Public Libraries   http://www.athenscounty.lib.oh.us/koha_questions.html  [6]. Breeding, Marshall “The Viability of Open Source ILS”, ASIS&T Bulletin, December 2008/January 2009.           http://www.asis.org/Bulletin/Dec-08/DecJan09_Breeding.html  [7]. Wheeler, David A. “How to evaluate open source software/free software (OSS/FS) programs”, www.dwheeler.com  [8]. Ferraro, Joshua. “Why your library needs open source” http://liblime.com/welcome.html  [9]. Breeding, Marshall. "An update on open source ILS: Marshall Breeding reviews three open source projects. Information Today, Vol-19,      Issue-9, October 2002. http://www.infotoday.com/IT/oct02/breeding.htm  [10]. Zhao, Luyin, and Fadi P. Deek. 2004. User collaboration in open source software development. Electronic Markets 14 (2): p.p.89-103.  [11]. Questions and answers about Koha, www.myacpl.org/about/koha/qa, January 30, 2009.  [12]. Ayre, Lori Bowen, "Open source ILS Add-ons", Infopeople Webinar, 12pm-1pm PDT, Thursday, October 22, 2009. http://infopeople.org/training/webcasts/webcast_data/354/index.html 

An update on open source ILS: Marshall Breeding reviews three open source projects. Information Today,

Eric Lease. “Open source software in libraries”.

How to evaluate open source software/free software (OSS/FS)

Integrated library system.&quot;

Marshall “The Viability of Open Source ILS”,

Open source ILS Add-ons&quot;, Infopeople Webinar,

Questions and answers about Koha, www.myacpl.org/about/koha/qa,

Questions and answers about Koha”, Athens County Public Libraries http://www.athenscounty.lib.oh.us/koha_questions.html

Top tips for selecting open source software”.

User collaboration in open source software development.

Eight Things you should Know about Open Source Integrated Library Systems.

E-LIS repository

 1 
Eight Things you should Know about Open Source Integrated Library Systems. 
 
Vimal Kumar V. 1 and Thomas Abraham 2 
 
1 Asst. Librarian 
Asian School of Business 
Technopark, Trivandrum-695581 
Vimal0212@gmail.com 
 
2 Open Knowledge Society 
thomuhs@gmail.com 
 
 
Abstract:  Open source library management systems are free alternative to costly commercial 
library systems. It helps to automate library functions and give a tremendous savings on library 
automation expenses. User’s participation in all stages of software project ensures the 
development of the features that the library really wants. Lack of awareness and knowledge in 
open source technology among library professionals restrict wide adoption of open source library 
management system. This article gives an insight into the use and maintenance of open source 
library management systems.  
 
 
 
 
Key words: open source, library management system, library automation 
 
 
 
Introduction 
  
Open source is becoming a trend setter in libraries. Lots of 
open source softwares are available for various automation 
purposes in libraries. Open source digital library and 
institutional repository softwares are very popular among 
librarians. But such softwares are mainly used to preserve 
and dis seminate scholarly literature and other digital content. 
Digital libraries and institutional repositories have relevance 
only in big library systems. Circulation, cataloging, 
acquisition and serial control are common basic functions in 
all types of libraries.  Automation of basic house keeping 
operations is the first priority of most of the libraries. Open 
source ILS (Integrated Library Systems) help to make 
automation of basic library functions affordable.  
  
Library professionals like to see open source ILS through 
different perspectives. Some people are attracted to open 
source ILS due to its philosophy. Another segment is tech 
savvy librarians who try open source ILS because of 
openness in source code and support towards open standards. 
Small and medium size libraries feel automation of house 
keeping operations as a financial burden due to the high price 
of proprietary Library Management Systems. Libraries in 
developing countries show interest in open source ILS 
because of its economic feasibility; i.e. free availability. 
Open source library management systems give effective way 
to automate their library operations without much financial 
investment.  Principles and practices of open source software 
are very similar to the principles and practices of modern 
librarianship. Both value free and equal access to data, 
information and knowledge. Both strive to promote human 
understanding and to make our lives better. Both make effort 
to improve society as a whole [1]. 
  
What is open source ILS?  
  
An integrated library system, or ILS, is an enterprise resource 
planning system for a library. An ILS is designed to 
coordinate and automate such library functions as the online 
catalog, the circulation system, and the acquisitions 
system [2]. An ILS improves the efficiency of house keeping 
operations. Use of ILS requires only the one time entry of the 
data (bibliographic and user) and the same can be made use 
for all other purposes. Proprietary ILS is costly and protected 
by copyright and has strict restrictions on use and 
distribution. Open source ILS is a free alternative to 
proprietary integrated library management system. Libraries 
can obtain open source software freely and can use for the 
automation purposes.  Open source software’s are available 
with source code and if necessary libraries can make changes 
in software.  There are no differences between features and 
functions of commercial and open source ILS. The 
fundamental difference is visible in the development process 
and distribution. Group of people or institutions contribute 
resources (time, money and skill) into the development of 
 2 
open source library management system for their library 
automation.  Open licenses are adopted for the free 
distribution of software. Most of the open source ILS projects 
are licensed under GNU (General Public License). Koha, 
Evergreen, PMB, Newgenlib, and OpenBiblio are the popular 
open source integrated library systems. 
  
Who is doing it? 
  
Open source softwares are developed for the goodness of the 
community and ownership rest with public. Openness and 
cooperation in all stages of software development expands 
opportunity for collaborative work. So professionals and 
users attracted to open source software projects and make use 
their spare time for creative contribution. 
 
In the case of popular open source ILS, most of them were 
initially developed for individual library purposes. Later 
stages, they moved to open source platform and released 
software in public domain. Koha ILS was developed in 2001 
for Harovenua Library Trust and released under open source 
license in 2003. Koha gained rapid attention among library 
professionals and softare developers because of its open 
source nature. Now Koha development activities are 
coordinated by Liblime, a software company providing open 
source software services in United States. NewGenLib is 
another mature open source ILS developed in India released 
in public domain in 2008. Kesavan Institute of Information 
and Knowledge Management and Verus Solutions Pvt. Ltd. 
started NewGenLib as proprietary initiative and they gained 
substantial user base. They adopted General Public License, 
popular free software license with the hope of getting more 
customers and to ensure community participation in 
development. 
 
In certain instances, a group of libraries with similar 
functional requirements developed ILS for their consortium 
operations. Evergreen library management system originated 
for the use of PINE (Public Information Network for 
Electronic Services) consortium of 257 libraries in Georgia 
State, United States. Member libraries in consortium can pool 
their resources including technology, money and human 
resource for the development and maintenance of their own 
ILS without buying commercial ILS. In such cases they can 
also save a significant amount of money for library  
automation.  
 
How does it work?  
 
Development and maintenance of open source software 
project is the responsibility of public, especially the 
concerned user group. Always software projects in public 
domain start as a solo initiative. OpenBiblio developed 
byFrédéric Descamps for the automation of a school library 
where his wife worked [3]. Later more people joined with the 
OpenBiblio project and contributed to the development 
process. 
 
Programmers, users and funding agencies jointly take part in 
the various activities for the software development. Online 
communication tools like wiki, online discussion forums, and 
blogs are used for the interaction between members in 
software community. Users and developers interact through 
discussion forums to report  errors, giving suggestions and to 
clear doubts regarding the operation of software. Open source 
ILS projects ensure the users participation in the preparation 
of technical documentation, language translation and user 
manuals. Day by day request for new features are received 
from libraries and they are  trying to incorporate into these 
existing software with the help of community members. 
Active open source projects usually have regularly updated 
web pages and busy development email lists. They usually 
encourage the participation of those who use the software in 
its further development. If everything is quiet on the 
development front, it might be that work has been suspended 
or even stopped [4]. 
 
Why is it significant? 
 
Main attraction of open source ILS is t hat it charges no 
license fee. Investing in a proprietary library ILS is a never 
ending process. In addition to huge initial investment, 
libraries are compelled to shell out money to retain the ILS 
service. Purchase of a proprietary ILS does not mean that 
library have full control over the software. Ownership of the 
software will rest with the company and libraries should be 
continuing as mere users. If libraries dare to stop the service 
of commercial ILS, they will face the severe consequences 
including loss of control over bibliographic data. In such 
cases companies may charge a good amount to give 
bibliographic records back to libraries. 
 
Local technical support can be sought for the installation and 
maintenance of open source software in libraries. Technical 
specifications and other details are available for public and it 
help to deploy open source ILS with the help of technical 
service providers either from library or locally available. It 
ensures access of technical help for the trouble shooting of 
ILS without any delay. Most of the open source ILS projects 
make use open standards and tools for software development. 
MySQL. Perl, PHP, Zebra and Apache are the favorite tool 
kit for the development of popular open source ILS. 
Z39.50, SRU/W, OpenNCIP, OpenSearch, and XML are the 
examples of open standards utilized by open source ILS 
projects for data exchange and retrieval. “We needed the 
freedom to change things, to change the code if necessary, 
because the types of things we want to do are not going to 
appear in commercial library software for years”[5]. 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
Where is it going?  
  
We can observe that popular open source ILS projects started 
with minimum functional features. Consecutively more 
features are added to existing software receiving the 
contributions from developer and user community. For 
example, MARC support, z39.50 server and NCIP modules 
in Koha were developed initially for Nelsonville Public 
Library, US. Later these modules were made available with 
the main software release. The Crawford County Libraries in 
Pennsylvania chose to support the integration of the Zebra 
XML storage and retrieval environment into Koha. The 
Westchester Academic Libraries Director Organization 
(WALDO) contracted to introduce many features into Koha 
required for academic libraries. Contributions from many 
libraries to the software development have led to the 
expansion of Koha from a very simple ILS to one with a 
competitive set of features suitable for many small and 
medium-sized libraries [6]. 
  
Open source ILS projects are expanding its features list 
receiving the advantages of innovative technology and 
growing number of users. Each successive version of open 
source ILS tries to manifest user requirements based on 
suggestions. Koha and PMB adopted web 2.0 technology to 
enhance the user experience. Latest version of Koha has 
provisions for RSS, federated searching, tagging and reviews 
by users. It also adopted zebra plug-in for efficient text 
indexing and retrieval from large bibliographic record 
collection. Open source ILS have to achieve the capability to 
handle digital content in near future. They initially developed  
were to handle the automation purpose of libraries with small 
collection. Now they are in progress on the way to take place 
in the list of enterprise class library automation systems. 
  
What are the selection criteria?  
 
Selection and evaluation of open source software is different 
from proprietary programs. A key difference for evaluation is 
that the information available for open source programs are 
usually different than for proprietary programs; source code, 
analysis by others of the program design, discussion between 
users and developers on how well it is working, and so on 
[7]. Open source ILS is free and libraries can try full version 
of the software. It is possible to install and test more than one 
open source ILS to find the suitability against the library 
requirements. All types of technical information related with 
open source ILS is available for free access. Technical 
documentation, bugs information, users queries in discussion 
forums are open for public and it provides valuable 
information for ILS selection and maintenance. Certain 
features or functional modules essential for day to day work 
may not be available with the initial development stages  of 
open source ILS. In such cases, libraries have to purchase 
additional modules from open source service providers or 
making use the in-house expertise to build the required 
features. It is essential to read release notes of latest version 
and software road map to know which features are already 
available and are expected in future. Ensure the availability 
of standards (e.g. MARC, Z39.50, NCIP etc) which are 
essential for data exchange. 
  
What are the downsides? 
 
Even though open source ILS are available free, it is not 
ready to use. Many features in ILS are generalist and must be 
either customized before use or adjusted with existing 
features. Open source ILS available with standardized 
features majority of libraries required. 
  
If technical expertise for installation and maintenance are 
available in the library itself, open source ILS is free from 
initial investment and other ongoing expenses . Other wise, 
library has to hire technical support of  software service 
provider for services such as installation, data migration and 
maintenance. Initial investment on open source ILS is 
probably less than the annual maintenance of commercial 
ILS. Many libraries simply do not have the in-house 
expertise to support open source software development, and 
also don’t have the ability to train staff on the use of the new 
technologies [8]. Libraries should make a good home work 
before the adoption of open source library management 
system. 
 
Lack of awareness and knowledge in open source technology 
and software among library professionals restrict widely 
adoption of open source ILS in libraries. Marshal Breeding 
says “support is a significant impediment to the 
implementation of open source software. The software 
license fees represent only one component of the overall 
costs that a library bears in its automation effort. The 
personnel required for the initial implementation and system 
administration is a major consideration”[9]. Knowledge in 
Linux administration is essential for effective deployment of 
open source ILS in production library environment. In the 
Indian context majority of library professionals lack the 
facility for training in Linux operating system and related 
application softwares. In such cases, commercial open source 
service providers can help libraries to host ILS and provide 
continuous support. In India, very few companies provide 
commercial support for open source solutions in libraries.  
  
What is your commitment? 
 
Open source software is highly depended on users for its 
development and maintenance. In a typical open source 
project, community members have varying levels of 
participation, ranging from passive users to core developers. 
Library professionals and software developers are involved in 
the open source ILS projects. High involvement of library 
professionals is necessary to fulfill the functional 
requirements of an ideal ILS. So effort and expenses of open 
source ILS is equally distributed among user community. 
Open source software projects expect user participation in 
[10]: 
  
1.     To f ind bugs, 
2.    To find usability problems, 
 4 
3.     To suggest new features, 
4.    To review and inspect source code 
5.     To submit source code, 
6.    To offer project administration assistance, and 
7.     for documentation. 
Direct investment of money for the development of entire 
software packages is not necessary in the context of open 
source software project. Libraries can pay money to develop 
additional features required by the library and missing in 
current software release. Next release onwards, newly 
developed features will be available with main software 
distribution. With commercial software a big portion of the 
license fee goes to research and development over which the 
library has no control, while with open source that same 
money can be funded for the development of the software 
modules that the library really wants [11]. Open source 
software projects opened up wide range of options for user 
contributions and participation in software development 
process. 
 
Conclusion 
 
Impact of open source movement made positive effects in 
libraries. Library professionals are recognizing the impact of 
open source softwares and began to adapt in library 
automation purposes. Open source culture empowers libraries 
to try innovative technologies in their working environment. 
In addition, libraries have started to develop their own tools  
such as meta search and social functionality tools to integrate 
with open source ILS. This practice helps them to develop 
solutions to solve their technology related problem within the 
walls of libraries.     
 
In a certain extent, open source library management system 
help to solve common problems  faced by libraries such 
as  fewer budgets for proprietary ILS, management of 
increasing number of records, large number of members, and 
lack of powerful administration over all modules in library. 
Open source library management systems provide access to 
library-owned data and provide much more flexibility for 
your library than commercial ILS [12]. It is necessary to 
make awareness among library professionals about the 
advantages of open source softwares. Then only libraries can 
attain tremendous savings on library automation and to 
achieve increase in performance at the same time.    
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
References 
 
[1]. Morgan, Eric Lease. “Open source software in librar ies”. 
http://infomotions.com/musings/biblioacid/ 
 
[2]. "Integrated library system." Wikipedia. 28 October 2009. 
Wikipedia. 13 Jul 2006 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_library_system 
 
[3]. Frédéric Descamps, OpenBiblio  
http://openbiblio.sourceforge.net/indexeng.html 
 
[4]. “Top tips for selecting open source software”. OSS Watch, 
www.osswatch.ac.uk/resources/tips.xml 
 
[5]. “ Questions and answers about Koha”, Athens County Public 
Libraries   http://www.athenscounty.lib.oh.us/koha_questions.html 
 
[6]. Breeding, Marshall “The Viability of Open Source ILS”, 
ASIS&T Bulletin, December 2008/January 2009.   
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Eight Things you should Know about Open Source Integrated Library Systems.

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