The Next Generation Integrated Library System: A Promise Fulfilled?

Abstract

The adoption of integrated library systems (ILS) became prevalent in the 1980s and 1990s as libraries began or continued to automate their processes. These systems enabled library staff to work, in many cases, more efficiently than they had in the past. However, these systems were also restrictive—especially as the nature of the work began to change—largely in response to the growth of electronic and digital resources that they were not designed to manage. New library systems—the second (or next) generation—are needed to effectively manage the processes of acquiring, describing, and making available all library resources. This article examines the state of library systems today and describes the features needed in a next-generation library system. The authors also examine some of the next-generation library systems currently in development that purport to fill the changing needs of libraries.