Article on Evergreen, Open Source ILS

Linux.com is carrying a great article on Evergreen, the leading open source library ILS.  As the article says, this "may revolutionize the way large-scale libraries are run."  November saw the 1.0 release of the software, and it is being used at PINES (Public Information Network for Electronic Services), a network of 44 public library systems in 123 counties in Georgia, with 252 member libraries, 8.8 million items, and 1.6 million active cardholders total.  Yay open source!

A paragraph from the article made me smile and grimace at the same time, if such a thing is possible:

It's an open secret that ILS systems today are a frustrating mess for smart librarians (and patrons). Asked what problems he had with prior systems, [Brad] LaJeunesse is quick to tally off a list: "Scalability. The ability to treat organization units as individual entities. Lack of granular permissions. Poor customer service. Lots more," he says.

The word is out to the rest of the world folks that our ILSes stink.  And now the word is out to all the coders and techies who read things like Linux.com.  Hopefully, it's only a matter of time before more codemonkeys devote their time and energy to projects like Evergreen, the potential salvation of library catalogs everywhere.