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There was some discussion on the Koha Mailing List recently about how to go about procuring an open source ILS...or at least, how to remain open to the possibility of moving to either an open source or proprietary ILS.  The thing about the traditional procurement process is that it makes if very awkward (at best) to unmanageable (at worst) for the open source service providers for two reasons:  

It's official....NISO recommends ISO 28560-2.   From NISO Newsline: NISO announced the availability of RFID in U.S. Libraries (NISO RP-6-201x) for a thirty day public comment period, beginning immediately and ending on June 9, 2011.

Mick Fortune, of  RFID-Changing Libraries for Good fame notes that the new data model standard released by ISO just a few weeks ago (ISO 28560) “presents both a threat and an opportunity for suppliers. The threat is obvious. Up until now it has proved too difficult for most libraries to switch suppliers once they have purchased an RFID solution.” With the potential for interoperability between RFID systems, the library RFID marketplace may soon face competition.

On 3/22/211, ISO 28560, the RFID in Libraries Data Model and Encoding Standard was published. It is composed of three parts. Part One describes the data models and data elements while Parts Two and Three provide for two options for encoding the data on the tags. The U.S. will eventually select one of these two models and specify the mandatory and optional data elements to be used in libraries. This will be a NISO standard.

This appears to be the last straw.  Keep struggling with ebook DRM or boycott?

I’m passing along this very important report from the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) as part of their Public Library Innovations grant program funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

I’ve pulled out this excerpt chock full of useful stats for you to use when you talk to people about budget cuts!

Dear Governor Brown,

Every other time we’ve faced budget shortfalls that result in service reductions, disenfranchised and poor people have always been able to count on libraries to access email, get on the Internet, and to find critical information.  Your proposal to cut services AND close libraries hits people with the least the hardest.  And it doesn’t save a cent.

“It’s altogether infuriating, a misguided and disgraceful attempt at salvaging dollars and cents. This city is not tossing away its appendix to save the whole system, instead, it’s puncturing a vital organ.”

Marshall Breeding announced the results of his 2010 ILS Survey and two of the big winners in this year’s report are Koha and Evergreen.  And, interestingly, the big loser was none other than SirsiDynix.  Just sayin.’