Project Conifer: Open Source ILS

Thursday January 29, 2009
[614] Project Conifer: Evergreen Library System for Ontario Universities
John Fink, McMaster and Dan Scott, Laurentian University

For me, this was a nice followup from the 2007 Digital Odyssey (http://odyssey2007.wordpress.com/ ) where I first heard about Open Source Integrated Library Systems, namely the [State of] Georgia Pines Consortium’s Evergreen Project. At that time, Art Ryhno from University of Windsor, and Dan Scott from Laurentian University were writing an Acquisitions module to go with the circulation and OPAC modules already available from Evergreen/ PINES.

Project Conifer has since added Northern Ontario School of Medicine, McMaster and Algoma Universities, and is projecting a May 2009 live date.
Lessons learned so far:
- it’s not cheap
- Return On Investment is the carrot: you get exactly what you want, you control the programming
- it’s hard to find contractors to write the code for you
- get cost-sharing processes and decision-making processes nailed down early
- pay someone to sample and set up a test database early in the process

Other Open Source ILS projects:
University of Prince Edward Island went live with Evergreen May 2008
Project Sitka: 15 BC Public Libraries. Prince Rupert PL went live November 2007, the 13th, Salmo PL, went live January 20 2009. http://sitka.bclibraries.ca/
Michigan Library Consortium (600 member libraries): 4 pilot project sites live November 2008. http://www.mlcnet.org/evergreen/?m=200811
Tsuga: Innifsil Public Library “quietly launched” its Evergreen ILS October 2008 http://www.innisfil.library.on.ca/tsuga/
Saugeen Library Consortium: six Grey, Dufferin and Perth libraries are developing an ILS using KOHA 3. http://www.koha.org/
Good background article on Open Source ILS in Art Ryhno’s blog: http://www.osbr.ca/ojs/index.php/osbr/article/view/691/657

For RWL: Open Source ILS bears watching – unless or until SirsiDynix becomes more responsive to the Ontario Library Consortium. OLC has already worked through a lot of the process issues facing Project Conifer, but would likely also have problems hiring programmers. Note that Innisfil has a couple of programmers on staff or close at hand ….