Changes in the Library Management System Landscape

Are we about to see major changes in the way Library Management Systems work?

I've been a bit more interested in the developments around the traditional ILS lately. With the probable demise of Horizon from SirsiDynix there are many libraries who will be looking for a new system and/or supplier over the next little while, MPOW included.  And from what I'm reading and hearing, there could be a great deal more variety in the market in coming years.

There seem to be a number of themes emerging, such as:

1. The rise of Open Source alternatives such as Koha and Evergreen, and the associated challenges that Open Source presents for libraries and commercial vendors.
2. Exciting developments in the way an ILS works, typified by the Open Library Environment (OLE) project. Especially the restructuring of the ILS using the principles of Service Oriented Architecture and Web Services.
3. Vendors offering the ILS as a hosted service (SAAS) and the intention of the OCLC in the US to enter the ILS market with a cloud based product.
4. Libraries implementing discovery layer products as a replacement for their vendor supplied OPAC. Especially those products that have been developed from the ground up to take advantage of social data typical of Web 2.0 such as Bibliocommons and SOPAC 2.0.

One of the best resources I have discovered for making sense of all this is the Library 2.0 Gang podcast.  Over the last few months they have discussed most of these issues. They make some complex stuff fairly accessible.  If you're interested I can highly recommend taking a listed to some or all of the following (in order):

1. Library 2.0 Gang 03/09: Open Library Environment (OLE)
2. Library 2.0 Gang 07/09: Library Mashups
3. Library 2.0 Gang 08/09: Social OPACs
4. Library 2.0 Gang 05/09: Cloud Computing Libraries and OCLC
5. Library 2.0 Gang 06/09: Library System Suppliers view of OCLC Web-scale
6. Library 2.0 Gang 10/09: Can the Open Source ILS Business Scale?

Happy listening!

Library Management Systems: Building the 21st Century Library

A recently released JISC report examining the role of the LMS in the future of library services raises some timely questions for libraries. The report titled: JISC & SCONUL Library Management Systems Study, examines the state of LMS software and the wider information environment in which library services exist. There are a number of recommendations for Libraries considering the future of their LMS. I, however, particularly like this section from the Executive Summary:

1.6 Service Developments
1.6.1
The ability to aggregate user behaviour has significant implications for the potential relevance and immediacy of resource discovery services based on click streams, data aggregation, personalisation and contextual information searching.
1.6.2
Libraries are not yet exploiting the metadata they are able to collect about user habits and needs as an asset in a network economy to consolidate their position in the information value chain.
1.6.3
Libraries are increasingly aware of the need to 'liberate' their data to allow users to create new and innovative services and applications. To do so their platforms will require easy-to-use and accessible services for discovery and delivery.
1.6.4
Once open to that model, services such as the individual institutional OPAC will become seriously challenged. The LMS may be reduced to a set of back-of-house systems.

I think this is an area that libraries haven't kept pace with the wider information landscape. John Blyberg had some sage words regarding the future of the LMS in his ILS Customer Bill-of-Rights.

What do you think of your LMS?