Atlanta, Ga., January 22, 2024: Equinox Open Library Initiative, a trusted leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, released its annual Year In Review highlighting Equinox’s contributions in 2023 which included advancements in open source software accessibility, numerous software development projects, open source educational programming, and a wide range of conference presentations. The full report is available on Equinox’s website: https://www.equinoxoli.org/2023-annual-report-equinoxs-year-in-review/.
In 2023, Equinox developed and released a VuFindⓇ theme optimized for accessibility according to WCAG 2.1 guidelines. Equinox also spearheaded key improvements to Evergreen ILS with a focus on staff accessibility. Equinox staff presented these and other open source library software accessibility improvements at the 2023 American Library Association Conference and at WOLFCon 2023. In addition, Equinox’s Stephanie Leary founded the Evergreen UI Interest Group in May 2023 which is open to community members interested in learning more.
Over the course of the year, Equinox also participated in open source community events. At the 2023 Missouri Evergreen Users Conference, team members presented on the Evergreen Permissions Groups consulting project. Stephanie Leary and Andrea Buntz Neiman presented at the 2023 VuFindⓇ Summit, highlighting the VuFindⓇ theme and recommending front end accessibility best practices. Equinox and the CORAL community hosted the 2023 CORAL Community Meeting which brought together new and experienced users of the CORAL project. The Equinox team also presented fourteen sessions at the 2023 Evergreen International Conference, including pre-conference workshops.
“Equinox is exceptionally committed to supporting libraries and open source communities,” said Lisa Carlucci, Executive Director at Equinox. “From accessible design and development, to ongoing investment in open source projects, to providing best in class technology services, we consistently deliver on our mission while also seeking new ways to encourage community growth. 2023 was a year of inspiring and creative projects and we are excited about what’s ahead for 2024.”
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For more information:
Laura Barry
Communications Coordinator
Equinox Open Library Initiative, Inc.
EquinoxOLI.org
laura.barry@equinoxOLI.org
877.OPEN.ILS (877.673.6457)
About Equinox Open Library Initiative
Equinox Open Library Initiative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is the successor to Equinox Software, Inc. Equinox’s mission as a nonprofit is to promote and support a thriving ecosystem for open source library communities in order to provide libraries worldwide with innovative, affordable, and sustainable open source solutions. We are devoted to reducing barriers to library technology and services, expanding library access to open source software, and providing high quality technology, consulting, and support services.To learn more, please visit https://www.equinoxOLI.org.
About Evergreen
Evergreen Integrated Library System is an award winning and trusted library solution used by more than 1,800 libraries worldwide. Evergreen ILS is a web-based and mobile-friendly system which provides attractive, easy to use interfaces for library acquisitions, administration, cataloging, circulation, OPAC, reports, course reserves, and serials functionality.
Evergreen ILS is an enterprise level system designed to manage a scalable catalog shared across libraries, including large public and academic library consortia. While designed for large collections, Evergreen is suitable for libraries of any size and type from government libraries to museum and special library collections. Its flexibility enables libraries to configure policies and settings that work best for their communities and to maintain ownership of their library and systems data.
For more information about Evergreen: https://www.equinoxoli.org/products/evergreen/
About Koha ILS
Created in 1999 by Katipo Communications for the Horowhenua Library Trust in New Zealand, Koha Integrated Library System is the first open source Integrated Library System to be used worldwide. The software is a full-featured ILS with a dual-database design (search engine and RDBMS) built to be compliant with library standards. Koha’s OPAC, staff, and self-checkout interfaces are all web applications. Distributed under the General Public License (GPL), libraries are free to use and install Koha themselves or to purchase support and development services. For more information on Koha, please visit https://www.equinoxoli.org/products/koha/.
About CORAL ERM
CORAL is an electronic resources management system consisting of interoperable modules designed around the core components of managing electronic resources for libraries and other organizations. CORAL is available as a free, open source program. To learn more please visit: https://www.equinoxoli.org/products/coral/.
About SubjectsPlus
SubjectsPlus is a user-friendly, open source, content management system for information sharing. SubjectsPlus provides tools to create information-rich subject guides, organize curated content for specific audiences in or around a research topic, and to develop and manage library websites. Originally developed by Joyner Library at East Carolina University, work has been contributed by Ithaca College Library and now the University of Miami Libraries. To learn more please visit: https://www.equinoxoli.org/products/subjectsplus/.
About Fulfillment
Fulfillment is an open source interlibrary loan management system which leverages intuitive design and efficient workflows to maximize value and impact for libraries. Fulfillment provides community members expanded access to library resources across their state and beyond their consortium. Launched in 2011, Fulfillment facilitates sharing between separate library organizations, uniting collections and information in a combined union catalog. Fulfillment is highly customizable and is compatible with any integrated library system (ILS). Fulfillment benefits from an active open source community, where it is continuously updated and supported by Equinox and the designers, users, and developers who built Evergreen ILS. To learn more, please visit https://www.equinoxoli.org/products/fulfillment/.
About Aspen Discovery
Aspen Discovery is an open source discovery layer that powerfully gathers all of a library’s resources together into a single search. Aspen Discovery provides comprehensive access to the entirety of a library’s holdings, pulling in data from the ILS and licensed databases. To learn more, visit: https://www.equinoxoli.org/products/aspen-discovery/.
About VuFindⓇ
VuFindⓇ is an open source discovery product for libraries and archives developed and maintained by Villanova University’s Falvey Memorial Library. VuFindⓇ enables library users to discover the entirety of libraries’ collections, including catalog records, journals, digital items, and more. Search results are retrieved quickly, often in a fraction of the time of an OPAC search. VuFindⓇ is open source and customizable—the interface may be configured to best meet users’ needs. For more information on VuFindⓇ visit: https://www.equinoxoli.org/products/vufind/.