As libraries are currently not satisfied with the vendors developing and supporting their integrated library systems (ILS), they are looking for alternative ways this crucial element can be provided. This final applied project investigates the possibilities of open source software with the traditional standardized data of libraries in order to determine if an open source ILS is a viable alternative to a consortium-provided, proprietary ILS for a library in a higher education institution.

Methods to make this determination centered around an eight-step systems analysis process starting with scope definition and ending with the decision analysis. Deliverables included such project management tasks as writing a statement of work (SOW), developing a problems, opportunities, objectives and constraints (POOC) matrix, and collecting stakeholder needs for a requirements matrix, which are common in the information technology realm but not typically used in libraries.

After weighing the criteria required by the stakeholders and the system against the feasibility of an open source ILS, the outcome of the project determined that open source is a viable option for higher-education libraries in a consortium, and this might become a reality sooner than thought possible at the outset of this project.