Jumping Ship: One Health Science Library's Voyage from a Proprietary ILS to Open Source

Abstract

In 2007, leaders at The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) Library made the decision to migrate to an open source integrated library system. They believed this would provide them with more control to structure and customize its functionality to serve the library's needs and serve as a long-term investment in reducing costs. This article offers a brief overview of the experiences of NYAM staff, describing challenges and lessons learned, with an emphasis on open source development and licensing.

KEYWORDS:

• ILS
• integrated library system
• Koha
• LibLime
• licensing
• open source software

Notes

Both authors contributed equally to this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lisa Genoese

Lisa Genoese, MSLIS ([email protected]) is Electronic Resources Librarian; The New York Academy of Medicine, 1216 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10029.

Latrina Keith

Latrina Keith, MLS ([email protected]) is Technical Services Librarian; The New York Academy of Medicine, 1216 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10029.