Evergreen at ALA Annual: Open-source Software is Not Just for Tech Gurus


One appealing benefit of using open-source software is the many different options available for hosting, support and development.

A library organization with a large technical staff may choose to support the system in house while other organizations might choose to have their system hosted in the cloud by a support vendor. Still others may start with a support system that gradually changes over time as their staffing changes over time.

The Evergreen community will lead a panel discussion at the American Library Association Annual Conference in New Orleans that highlights the many options available to libraries running open-source systems.  Tech gurus optional: Running an open-source ILS your way will feature a panel of three Evergreen users who will discuss  the different ways their systems are hosted and supported, cover the many options that are available to open-source users, and highlight the added security that comes with not being locked into one vendor.

The panelists, who will include Meg Stroup of SC LENDS (South Carolina), Amy Terlaga of Bibliomation (Connecticut), and Elizabeth Thomsen of NOBLE (Massachusetts),  will also answer any audience questions about their experience running an open-source ILS.

Moderated by Evergreen Outreach Committee Chair Kathy Lussier, the panel discussion is scheduled from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, June 23, in Morial Convention Center, Rm 214. All attendees with an interest in open source are invited to join us to learn how these Evergreen users have made open source work for their libraries.