Integrated Library System Reports
By Mary Dzurinko & Nina Platt
This site is an electronic newsletter that gives information about many different aspects of integrated library systems. The purpose of the site is to help keep librarians informed about the different integrated library systems that are available. The site is beneficial because it is not biased towards one system; it gives impartial information about all systems. A weakness is that the site has not been updated since 2001, so some items are out-of-date.

Biblio Tech Review
Published by Peter Evans, Biblio Tech Limited
This site is an electronic magazine that covers the library automation marketplace. It includes reviews and discussions of key issues, as well as updates on what is happening in the industry. This is a useful source because the articles are current and archives are available. The magazine is published in the United Kingdom and although it promises to be relevant to librarians all over the world, it sometimes is not. The home page is also a bit overwhelming; it sometimes is difficult to find what you are looking for.

Library Technology Guides: Key Resources in Library Automation
By Marshall Breeding, Vanderbilt University
This electronic publication is a comprehensive site with information about many topics related to library automation. The main strength of this site is the incredible amount of information available. The articles and other resources really give an in-depth view of the field of library automation. A weakness is that the home page of this site is a bit overwhelming and requires the user to do a lot of scrolling in order to see all of the information.

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Integrated Library Systems. Eric Digests
By Cynthia L. Lopata, ERIC Clearinghouse on Information and Technology Syracuse NY
This article explains what an integrated library system is. It also explains the advantages of using such a system and gives information that would help a library choose and implement an integrated library system. The article is an excellent introduction to the subject for libraries that have never used an integrated library system. A weakness of the article, however, is that it is too general for anyone who has any background knowledge of ILS.

Open Source Integrated Library Systems: An Overview
By Eric Anctil and Jamshid Beheshti, McGill University
This paper looks at open source integrated library systems within the context of recent library automation trends. It examines specifically the following open source ILS: Avanti, Pytheas, Koha, LearningAccess ILS, phpMyLibrary, GNUTecha, OpenBiblio, PhpMyBibli, and FireFly. The authors do a good job of looking at both the positive and negative aspects of using open source systems in libraries. Although they include an extensive bibliography, not much is known about these two authors, making the paper less authoritative than others.

Library Journal--The Future of Integrated Library Systems: An LJ Round Table
By Brian Kenney, Library Journal
This article reports on a roundtable discussion, which was lead by Library Journal moderators, about how recent technology will affect the future of integrated library systems. The roundtable group discussed how such things as developments in the Internet and metasearching affect decisions made by ILS vendors. The strength of this article is that the people who were chosen for the roundtable are influential and reputable figures in the library world. A weakness is that the article starts in narrative form, but switches to interview format and not all responses are included.

Library Journal--Library Catalogs: The Wrong Solution
By Roy Tennant for Library Journal
This article makes the argument that library catalogs (OPACs) are not getting the job done for library patrons. The author contends that libraries should continue using integrated library systems but that these systems should not provide the user interface for patrons. This article's strength is that it is clearly written and easy to understand. The author does not give enough evidence to support his point, however, nor does he offer information about other opinions.

Turning Patrons into Partners When Choosing an Integrated Library System
By Terry Ryan for Computers in Libraries
This article is by an associate librarian for information technology at UCLA and describes how her library used students and staff to help in the selection process when they chose a new ILS. The author does a good job of outlining the various techniques that were effective for getting patron input, making the article very useful for anyone interested in applying this method. Although the article is very detailed, it is really only relevant for librarians.

Dismantling Integrated Library Systems
By Andrew K. Pace for Library Journal
This article discusses the future of integrated library system vendors. It examines what these vendors will have to do to stay competitive in today's library field. The author goes into a lot of detail to make his point and gives many examples to support his claims. The article assumes much prior knowledge of integrated library systems and library operations on the part of the reader, however. It might be difficult for people who work outside of the library field to understand.

WEBLIS, an Integrated Library System Based on CDS/ISIS
By UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization)
This article discusses UNESCO's intention to make WEBLIS, a web-based integrated library system, available to libraries for free. This program will help struggling libraries to improve their services by providing them with the opportunity to automate. The article gives a good overview of the features and capabilities of WEBLIS, but does not go into enough detail about how UNESCO plans to distribute the product. It also does not explain how libraries without Internet access will benefit from this development.

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Koha-Open Source Library System
By Katipo Communications Ltd.
This is a product information site about Koha, an open source integrated library system. The site includes facts about Koha as well as support, news, resources, and an opportunity to try out the system. This website is easy to navigate with clear menus and search capabilities. A weakness is that there is not enough explanation of the specific modules that are included in this integrated library system software.

Innovative Interfaces
By Innovative Interfaces Inc.
This is Innovative Interfaces' company website. Information on this site includes recent news, services, product descriptions, and history of the company. The product description sections are very helpful with detailed descriptions of each available module. The site assumes a prior knowledge of product names and uses (you have to know the name of the product to read about that product) that may be discouraging to a user who is new to the field.

Ex Libris
By Ex Libris LTD
This is an information site for potential and current customers of Ex Libris, an integrated library system vendor. The site includes sections covering products, support, news, and company background. It gives users multiple ways to arrive at each page which makes the site easy for users to navigate. A weakness of this site is that the impressive graphics might be very slow to load on computers connecting to the Internet by dial-up modem.

Sirsi Corporation Delivers Software and Services for Libraries and Information Centers of all Types and Sizes
By Sirsi Corporation
This site gives product and company information about Sirsi Corporation. It provides a means for users to read recent news articles relating to the company, learn about its products, access customer support, and find information on the company's history. The site does a good job of communicating the vision and purpose of the company. It is easy to get lost in this site, however, as it contains an overload of information.

Endeavor Information Systems Inc.
By Endeavor Information Systems
This is Endeavor Information System's information site. The site includes links to information about products, recent news, technology, customers, company information, and support. Its strength is in its simple homepage which does not overwhelm the user. Unfortunately, this simple design often forces the user to have to use several clicks to reach a desired page of information.

Dynix Library Automation Systems, Imaging, and Cataloging Software
By DYNIX
This site provides information about products and services provided by Dynix. A strength of the site is that it allows users to search for information by type of library, which would be useful to libraries trying to choose an ILS. The homepage of this site is very confusing, however, as it requires users to perform a second click before they can officially enter the site. The menu page might also be confusing and overwhelming to some users.

Follett Software Company
By Follett Software Company
This site provides access to information about Follett's products, services, and support. There are many PDF files on this site that provide detailed information about a variety of topics involving Follett’s products. It is sometimes difficult to find answers to even the simplest question on this site, however, because Follett has other products besides its ILS so the site is crowded with information.

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Library Automated Systems
By Vianne Tang Sha and InfoWorks Technology Company
This site is part of the Internet Library for Librarians resource. It provides a list of library automated systems vendor websites with descriptions, email addresses, and keywords. The list would be very useful for librarians interested in comparing automation system vendors. A weakness of the site is that the descriptions are not really detailed enough for people who are unfamiliar with the vendors.

IASL: Links to School Library Automation Resources
By International Association of School Librarianship
This site provides a list of links for school librarians who are interested in library automation. The links cover such categories as general coverage of library automation, automated library systems, and sources of MARC records. A strength of this site is that it gives a description for each link, which will help users to choose the most relevant links. A weakness is that the site covers a broad variety of topics and might not provide enough detailed information for someone interested only in integrated library systems.

Library Automation Resources
By LibraryHQ.com
This site gives a list of resources for people interested in library automation. The resources include informative articles, lists of resources to use when selecting an integrated library system, and links to authoritative publications on the topic of library automation. A nice feature of this site is its Library Automation/Technology Glossary which defines many terms that might come up when searching for information about integrated library systems. A user might have to search through several of the links on this site before finding what he or she is looking for, however.

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