Great piece by Andrew Pace:
http://blogs.ala.org/pace.php?title=all_sirsidynix_roads_lead_to_rome
Golden Opportunity?
SirsiDynix sounds sincere about its direction. I spoke to several principals, including Martin Taylor, John Dixon, Berit Nelson, and Tom Gates—they seem confident in this road to Rome. I am going to reserve the bulk of my judgment for a few months. But I also wonder how this might be playing out in Rome, Georgia.
As many a blogger and library developer has said, the release of the open source Evergreen System by the Georgia PINES group has the potential to change the library automation landscape. “Salivating” was the word I used with a colleague to describe the open source community’s reaction to this plan. That salivation might not start until the news of Horizon 8’s death sinks in, but I think it will hit them sooner rather than later.
I will be watching these developments closely. My first thought — coming from my current POV — library schools should be creating classes devoted to the OSS ILS. Test beds, pilot installations and such would acquaint LIS students with what an OSS might be.
Thanks for the insights Andrew!