Implementing Open-Source Software for Three Core Library Functions: A Stage-by-Stage Comparison

An academic medical library developed new open-source systems for three of its core functions over an 18-month period. The authors compare and contrast their experiences working with Drupal, Koha, and Fedora repository in order to share discoveries about the open-source approach. The article compares the projects at different stages, such as requirements analysis, software selection, configuration, training, rollout, and maintenance. New York University Health Sciences Libraries' (NYUHSL's) results are not necessarily representative but show a range of possibilities to expect when experimenting with open-source software. The experience was positive and opens the possibility of further integrating the systems.