Tuesday, November 3, 2009

SirsiDynix VP of Innovation Stephen Abram fires a shot over the bow of open source ILSs

Stephen Abram, VP of Innovation for SirsiDynix, has written a paper called "Integrated Library System Platforms on Open Source" in which he "set[s] out to clarify what open source is, how it is different from proprietary software platforms, and why Integrated Library Systems (ILS) are not ready for open source at this point." Accused of spreading fear, uncertainty and doubt, Abram defends the report on his blog, saying, "I call it critical thinking and constructive debate—something that everyone in libraries should embrace and engage in."

For a good overview of the controversy, see Josh Hadro's article in Library Journal: "SirsiDynix Report on Open Source: Promoting Debate or Sowing Fear?"

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