The Open-ILS blog (official blog of the Evergreen open source integrated library automation system) announced yesterday that the University of Windsor has partnered with the Georgia Public Library Service to work on Evergreen's acquisitions module.
Beginning in January 2007, staff from Windsor and GPLS will begin to collaborate on software specifications and development, and the blog notes that a possible "building block" could be provided by the Open Source ERP program OFBiz.
One of the special strengths of open source projects is that the code of other open source projects can be incorporated and used to provide a head start for later projects. Open source programs become constellations of projects working together, and this extension to Evergreen represents a key event.
Another key advantage for open source projects is the ability of users to drive the process. Successful OS projects need an active user community to keep them alive and moving forward. As Evergreen expands its functionality, it will need strong support from all levels of the library world to help it succeed. This move is a great step forward. Happy New Year, indeed!
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