I’ll throw in my support for going open source. We are a mid-size library without ILS support staff, so we contracted for that service. It’s worked out pretty well for us, and I’d definitely go open source again if I had it all to do over.
Evergreen is evolving, like any other ILS should, but it seems to me that the enhancements are much more responsive to what the users say they want. On our previous ILS, enhancements were driven by the few largest institutions at the top. With Evergreen, we no longer face that problem. Not that we have lots of money for hiring someone to do custom programming, but if we do suddenly find a pot of gold laying around, we might do a few things. Deanna Deanna Frazee Director of Library Services Killeen City Library System 205 E. Church Ave. Killeen, TX 76541 254-501-8995 [email protected] From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Ian Walls Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2011 1:06 PM To: Evergreen Discussion Group Subject: [OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] ***SPAM*** Re: Brand new to open ILS- questions Cathy, I'm biased. I definitely think you should go open source if at all possible. Both Evergreen and Koha are great choices for an ILS, and you've got lots of options for both paid and free support from either community. You will need a Linux server in either case; you say you don't have an IT person anymore, so I would recommend looking at support partners who could provide you with hosted solution, so you don't have to fiddle with a local server. Once you migrate to an open source ILS, you'll find it MUCH easier to access your data if you ever feel the need to migrate again (though, since YOU have a say in what your open source ILS does, you may never need to!). As a long-term choice, it can't be beat. Cheers, -Ian On Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 1:56 PM, Lori Bowen Ayre <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Cathy, Evergreen (the server side) runs on Linux. The client software runs on Windows 7 just fine. Not sure if the server side is of concern to you. You can, of course, contract with a vendor to host the server (which might be a good idea for you anyway). FYI, you may also want to look at Koha (koha-community.org<http://koha-community.org>). It also runs on Linux (server side) but there is no client software. It is 100% browser based. Lori =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Lori Bowen Ayre // Library Technology Consultant / The Galecia Group Oversight Board & Communications Committee / Evergreen (707) 763-6869<tel:%28707%29%20763-6869> // [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Specializing in open source ILS solutions, RFID, filtering, workflow optimization, and materials handling =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= On Tue, Nov 15, 2011 at 10:50 AM, Pierce, Cathy <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Hello, I am trying to figure out if open ILS will work for my small private school library, but I am completely new to the concept and I'm not a tech expert, so I'm hoping someone out there can give me some advice. I have only recently learned that open ILS exists, and just last week found out that my current library software will probably not be compatible with the upgrade to Windows 7 that my school is working on completing by the end of the year. We no longer have an IT person on staff, so I'm not sure of what questions I need to ask in order to determine whether I should attempt to convert to something like Evergreen, or if I should just stick with an off the shelf product. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thank you in advance for your help. Sincerely, Cathy Pierce CPT Catherine "Cathy" Pierce Librarian/Testing Coordinator Massanutten Military Academy 540-259-2167 ext. 250<tel:540-259-2167%20ext.%20250> Non Nobis Solum -- Ian Walls Lead Development Specialist ByWater Solutions Phone # (888) 900-8944 http://bywatersolutions.com [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Twitter: @sekjal
