Evergreen

• http://open-ils.org/
• License: GPL

Evergreen is a consortia-level ILS that allows clustering and other enterprise-level options, including fault tolerance and redundancy. The system was designed to use commodity hardware allowing cost savings and the ability to scale gradually with demand. Multiple open source technologies are used including Jabber and PostgreSQL. The staff client uses the XUL language which allows cross-platform access using a Mozilla-based browser.

The system currently includes circulation, cataloging and a robust OPAC which includes FRBR-like groupings and faceted search. The addition of other modules, such as acquisitions and serials management, is planned for future releases. The project is currently young and is in use by the Georgia Public Library Service, powering 44 library systems and over 250 locations. Other institutions such as the University of Windsor are actively working with the project. Commercial support is also available.

User Comments

Dusty Gres, director of the Ohoopee Regional Library System: “For my system—rural small libraries, many of them staffed by one person, relying solely on my small professional staff and me for training, computer expertise, and backup—I have had less trouble with this system in the two months we have been in operation than I did in the first two weeks when we automated on a commercial system.”