[OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Why Evergreen?

[Rogan Hamby]

Why Evergreen, and was it a hard decision?

Yes, it was a hard decision.  We looked at many options when we decided to 
upgrade out ILS.  One was an entirely different software package from the 
same vendor.  That would have saved us a lot of paperwork by doing a same 
vendor upgrade but it was in fact a whole new system with all the hassles 
that involves.  One was an excellent software package from a wonderful 
closed source vendor.  But, as great as they are, will they always?  Would a 
venture capitalist one day buy them out and hold them hostage?

For us the choice for Evergreen came down not just to what things look like 
today but assessing risk 5 and 10 years down the road.  We also looked at 
features and speed of development.  So far, two years down the road I think 
we were 100% correct in our decision to go to Evergreen.  Were we always 
sure?  Absolutely not.  We took risks, risks that are getting smaller every 
month but when we went live a lot of the big players that are now joining 
and features available weren't.  So, I think it's an easier analysis to 
someone to do now than it was two years ago when we had to be a bit of 
prophets.
Rogan Hamby

Systems Administrator, FCLS

Systems Librarian, SCLENDs

509 S. Dargan Street

Florence, SC 29506

843-413-7069



-----Original Message-----

From: "Mary Toma" <headlib at scrlibrary.mb.ca>

To: "'Evergreen Discussion Group'" 
<open-ils-general at list.georgialibraries.org>

Date: Tue, 1 Mar 2011 09:01:33 -0600

Subject: Re: [OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Why Evergreen?




In my 11 year tenure as head librarian we are now on our 4th ILS.  The only 
one who knew anything about the first ILS died suddenly, the second one was 
sold to a company that wasn’t interested in the concerns of a regional 
library and didn’t have Z39, which became a grant requirement, the 3rd one 
couldn’t figure out how to co-ordinate loans between a multi-branch system 
so we switched to Evergreen and have never regretted it.  No one person can 
die and take all the information with them, it can’t be sold and Evergreen 
was originally set up as a consortium.  We considered Koha but as we are a 
multi-branch regional Evergreen suited our needs much better.

Mary TomaSouth Central Regional Library160 Main StreetBox 1540Winkler, MB 
R6W 4B4204-325-5864204-822-4092headlib at scrlibrary.mb.ca



From:open-ils-general-bounces at list.georgialibraries.org 
[mailto:open-ils-general-bounces at list.georgialibraries.org] On Behalf 
OfBuster
Sent: March 1, 2011 8:22 AM
To: open-ils-general at list.georgialibraries.org
Subject: [OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Why Evergreen?

Hello, group. My system is currently evaluating both Koha and Evergreen as 
our open source alternatives. We are installing both on computers here in 
our library in order to test them out, visiting other libraries, reading 
this list as well as the one for Koha, and speaking to other librarians 
using one of these systems.

It occurred to me that it might useful to know why other library system 
chose one system over the other.

So, why did you choose Evergreen, and are you happy with your choice? Was it 
a difficult decision?

You may write to me off-list if you are more comfortable with th
at. 

Thanks in advance,
--Jim Maroon

storypage at gmail.com [http://gmail.com/]

--
==================================================
"The man, who, by his own and his family's labour, can provide a sufficiency 
of food and raiment and a comfortable dwelling place, is not a poor 
man."--William Cobbett, Cottage Economy, 1826.
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