It’s really hard to believe that it has already been one year since PINES implemented Evergreen. So much has changed in the past year, and Evergreen has already grown up so much.
The 1.2 series of the software is on the cusp of going gold, with the 1.4 series following shortly after later this year. We expect Evergreen 2.0, with a robust serials and acquisitions system, to be ready by this time next year.
The PINES consortium itself has grown. Since migrating to Evergreen, three more Georgia library systems have joined the consortium: Thomas County Public Library, South Georgia Regional Library System, and Troup-Harris Regional Library System. With those systems, we’re up to 270 total locations, and further, there are two more library systems lined up to migrate later this year or early next. The PINES database has also grown: we’re up to over 8 million items and almost to 2 million titles.
Externally, the Evergreen project has gained partners and many individual contributers. First, the University of Windsor and their commitment, followed by the huge announcement by British Columbia and their decision to migrate the province to the software. The Evergreen mailing lists are always full of activity and energy, and we have multiple individual volunteer contributers. There are also outside funders looking for ways to help.
In fact, due to our growth and maturation, we’re opening up this blog to the larger Evergreen community. Do you have something to say? Are you a blogger-type? Would you like to write for the open-ils blog? If so, drop me a line.
Internally at GPLS, there have also been significant changes. Given the demand for Evergreen services, the core software development team has formed a support and development company, named Equinox Software, which GPLS and other folks such as British Columbia contract with for support and software development services. Equinox is a conduit for sharing our experience and knowledge of the Evergreen software.
The maturation and growth of the Evergreen community strengthens GPLS’s investment in the software, making it a viable long-term solution.
Happy Birthday, Evergreen.