An integrated library system (ILS), also known as a library management system (LMS), is an enterprise resource planning system for a library, used to track items owned, orders made, bills paid, and patrons who have borrowed.
An ILS usually comprises a relational database, software to interact with that database, and two graphical user interfaces (one for patrons, one for staff). Most ILSes separate software functions into discrete programs called modules, each of them integrated with a unified interface. Examples of modules might include:
- acquisitions (ordering, receiving, and invoicing materials)
- cataloging (classifying and indexing materials)
- circulation (lending materials to patrons and receiving them back)
- serials (tracking magazine, journals, and newspaper holdings)
- online public access catalog or OPAC (public user interface)
History
Pre-computerization
Prior
to computerization, library tasks were performed manually and
independently from one another. Selectors ordered materials with
ordering slips, cataloguers manually catalogued sources and indexed them
with the card catalog
system (in which all bibliographic data was kept on a single index
card), fines were collected by local bailiffs, and users signed books
out manually, indicating their name on clue cards which were then kept
at the circulation desk. Early mechanization came in 1936, when the
University of Texas began using a punch card system to manage library
circulation.
While the punch card system allowed for more efficient tracking of
loans, library services were far from being integrated, and no other
library task was affected by this change.
1960s: the influence of computer technologies
The next big innovation came with the advent of MARC standards in the 1960s, which coincided with the growth of computer technologies – library automation was born.
From this point onwards, libraries began experimenting with computers,
and, starting in the late 1960s and continuing into the 1970s,
bibliographic services utilizing new online technology and the shared
MARC vocabulary entered the market; these included OCLC (1967), Research Libraries Group
(which has since merged with OCLC), and the Washington Library Network
(which became Western Library Network and is also now part of OCLC).
1970s–1980s: the early integrated library system
Screenshot of a Dynix menu
The 1970s can be characterized by improvements in computer storage, as well as in telecommunications. As a result of these advances, ‘turnkey systems on microcomputers,’ known more commonly as integrated library management systems
(ILS) finally appeared. These systems included necessary hardware and
software which allowed the connection of major circulation tasks,
including circulation control and overdue notices. As the technology developed, other library tasks could be accomplished through ILS as well, including acquisition, cataloguing, reservation of titles, and monitoring of serials.
1990s–2000s: the growth of the Internet
With the evolution of the Internet throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, ILSs began allowing users to more actively engage with their libraries through an OPACs
and online web-based portals. Users could log into their library
accounts to reserve or renew books, as well as authenticate themselves
for access to library-subscribed online databases.
Inevitably, during this time, the ILS market grew exponentially. By
2002, the ILS industry averaged sales of approximately US$500 million
annually, compared to just US$50 million in 1982.
Mid 2000s–present: increasing costs and customer dissatisfaction
By
the mid to late 2000s, ILS vendors had increased not only the number of
services offered but also their prices, leading to some dissatisfaction
among many smaller libraries. At the same time, open source ILS was in
its early stages of testing. Some libraries began turning to such open source ILSs as Koha and Evergreen. Common reasons noted were to avoid vendor lock in, avoid license fees, and participate in software development.
Freedom from vendors also allowed libraries to prioritize needs
according to urgency, as opposed to what their vendor can offer.
Libraries which have moved to open source ILS have found that vendors
are now more likely to provide quality service in order to continue a
partnership since they no longer have the power of owning the ILS
software and tying down libraries to strict contracts. This has been the case with the SCLENDS consortium. Following the success of Evergreen for the Georgia PINES library consortium, the South Carolina State Library
along with some local public libraries formed the SCLENDS consortium in
order to share resources and to take advantage of the open source
nature of the Evergreen ILS to meet their specific needs.
By October 2011, just 2 years after SCLENDS began operations, 13 public
library systems across 15 counties had already joined the consortium,
in addition to the South Carolina State Library.
Librarytechnology.org does an annual survey of over 2,400 libraries and
noted in 2008 2% of those surveyed used open source ILS, in 2009 the number increased to 8%, in 2010 12%, and in 2011 11%
of the libraries polled had adopted open source ILSs. The following
year's survey (published in April 2013) reported an increase to 14%,
stating that "open source ILS products, including Evergreen and Koha,
continue to represent a significant portion of industry activity. Of the
794 contracts reported in the public and academic arena, 113, or 14
percent, were for support services for these open source systems."
2010s–present: the rise of cloud based solutions
The use of cloud-based library management systems has increased drastically since the rise of cloud technology started.
Many modern cloud-based solutions allow automated cataloging by scanning a book's ISBN.
Software criteria
Distributed software vs. web service
Library computer systems tend to fall into two categories of software:
- that purchased on a perpetual license
- that purchased as a subscription service (Software as a service).
With distributed software the customer can choose to self-install or
to have the system installed by the vendor on their own hardware. The
customer can be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the
application and the data, or the customer can choose to be supported by
the vendor with an annual maintenance contract. Some vendors charge for
upgrades to the software. Customers who subscribe to a web (hosted)
service upload data to the vendor's remote server through the Internet
and may pay a periodic fee to access their data.
Data entry assistance based on ISBN
Many applications can reduce a major portion of manual data entry by populating data fields based upon the entered ISBN using MARC standards technology via the Internet.
Bar code scanning and printing
With
most software, users can eliminate some manual entry by using a
bar-code scanner. Some software is designed, or can be extended with an
additional module, to integrate scanner functionality. Most software
vendors provide some type of scanner integration, and some print
bar-code labels.
