~ MOBIUS Joins Innovative Resource Sharing Initiative with Support from EBSCO Information Services ~
PHILADELPHIA, June 12, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Open Resource Sharing Coalition (OpenRS), a collaborative resource sharing initiative of the Open Library Foundation(OLF), welcomes its first implementer, MOBIUS. MOBIUS is using EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) as its OpenRS service provider, providing the consortium with implementation, hosting, training and support services.
As a founding member of the OpenRS coalition, MOBIUS has been instrumental in developing the new open-source resource sharing platform. Since the project's inception in August 2023, MOBIUS and the OpenRS Founding Council, a diverse group of consortia, libraries, and vendors, have been working closely to build a consortial resource-sharing solution. This collaborative effort was born out of the recognition that there is currently no solution in the market that fully addresses direct, unmediated resource sharing for consortia, especially those made up of different types of libraries (including public and academic) or that use different integrated library systems (ILS).
As open-source software, OpenRS uses the newest development methods and tools to keep it modern and current. It is built using containerized modules, making it ideal for both local hosting and hosted service providers while working to develop those different needs into a robust system that provides configuration options rather than a monolithic software stack. While the initial release of OpenRS will focus on consortial physical borrowing needs, the longer-term roadmap anticipates expansion into areas such as non-returnables and controlled digital lending (CDL).
MOBIUS Executive Director, Donna Bacon, says, "Watching OpenRS come to life over this past year has been a rewarding experience for MOBIUS. Our libraries played a critical role in testing the software and were excited to see the first transactions come through the system. We are proud to be a partner in developing this groundbreaking open-source resource-sharing platform, which will provide a much-needed solution for consortia worldwide."
Functionality that is especially important to consortia, including unmediated patron requesting of materials, has not yet been fully addressed in other solutions. Together, the OpenRS founders have developed software systems, protocols, and best practices that foster collaboration and support for this new resource sharing platform. OpenRS functionality is continuously improving based on coalition feedback. Additional features and functionality will be implemented over the coming months and years.
About the Open Library Foundation
The Open Library Foundation was created in 2016 as an unbiased, independent not-for-profit organization to ensure the availability, accessibility and sustainability of open source and open access projects for and by libraries. Software developed by communities hosted by the Foundation is freely available under standard open source licenses for personal, institutional or commercial use. The software is open and free in order to sustain an open collaboration of interested parties. The Foundation provides infrastructure by which the library community at large can organize, contribute to, and benefit from our projects — ensuring availability and a "safe haven" for member communities' output that is separated from the needs and goals of any single contributor, user or affiliated party. Find out more at http://www.openlibraryfoundation.org.
For more information, please contact:
[email protected]
Media Contact
OpenRS, Open Library Foundation, 215-253-8502, [email protected], https://openrs.org/
SOURCE Open Library Foundation
Share this article