This article details the advancement of Integrated Library Systems (ILS) and how they are able to index a multitude of different media platforms. These new systems are able to provide users with cross referenced information from all different types of media and databases. The idea being finding a way to better manage the vast amount of information that's available today.
I think that my only problem with the article, and I suppose the industry, as described, is the fragmentation of the various systems. Given the nature of libraries, it would make a lot more sense to establish and foster an open source program which can be shared, modified and improved on freely. I think that projects such as this is optimal for open-sourced solutions, because it would give the end user a consistent experience. I find the demands for ILS much like was for web hosting, an environment that Apache, an open-source web hosting software, has thrived.
So my question is given the amount of multiple proprietary solutions available, how is this going to effect the end user and client? And what about those libraries stuck with inferior solutions, how are they going to manage in the near future?
*M. Deddins (2002). "Overview of ILS" EDUCAUSE
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