By JOSEPH PARADA Staff Writer

Niagara College libraries and public libraries from Pelham, Fort Erie, Lincoln and Niagara-on-the-Lake have come together to create a new open source library system called Evergreen. 

“Two years ago, we found out that the vendor who was supporting our library systems was purchased by a larger vendor,” says Karen McGrath, Niagara College library manager.

“We realized that the proprietary system was no longer going to be supported. We [NC Library and the public libraries] decided to adopt the Evergreen program. This consortium is quite unique in the mix of libraries involved.”

Open source systems have taken off in the United States. Evergreen was born in Georgia and in the public library system in British Columbia, where libraries are a provincial responsibility rather than a municipal one. Open source systems are being adopted more and more by Ontario libraries. Some examples include the Saugeen public library consortium, Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ont., and Conifer – a university consortium including Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ont., and the University of Windsor.

“Our consortium has already been in touch with these other Ontario early adopters to learn from their experiences and to share in the developments they have brought to the open source table, ” adds McGrath. Apart from the participation of the college libraries, the college’s Information Technology Services will be housing and maintaining the consortium servers.

“Niagara College libraries are the first up in the migration plan, and we expect to be live with Evergreen at the beginning of the fall 2010 academic year. This will coincide with another exciting event – the opening of the Welland campus’s new library and learning commons. With this program we are able to share a system which will make more information available to more people in our region.” The public libraries will follow suit through fall 2010 to early 2011.