The Open Library Environment (OLE) Project, a new initiative funded by the Mellon Foundation, launched its website this week. The group aims to develop plans for the next generation of library automation systems build upon a modular SOA approach. Quoting from their Project Overview: The group “will convene the academic library community in planning an open library management system built on Service Oriented Architecture (SOA). Our goal is to think beyond the current model of an Integrated Library System and to design a new system that is flexible, customizable and able to meet the changing and complex needs of modern, dynamic academic libraries.” The group will first research library processes and model practices and the systems necessary. Through the process, they hope to build a community that will This project has ties to the DLF project on ILS Discovery Interfaces and a number of other open source development initiatives in the community looking to address this issue. It is also interesting to note that at least one ILS system vendor, Ex Libris, recently announced its new Open-Platform Strategy.There will certainly be interesting developments from the OLE Project and how their recommendations tie in with other ongoing work. Of course, system interoperability relies heavily on standard data structures and interfaces. If the end results aren’t easily plug and play, only the largest and most technically savvy organizations will be able to take advantage of the advances.
