The Reanimation Library has great respect for computer programmers and believes that a good way to diminish the distance between computer science and library science is through collaboration.

The Library intends to collaborate with programmers to develop an Integrated Library System (ILS). The Reanimation Library often wonders why online catalogs are so terrible and why the libraries that buy them put up with it, considering the amount of money they spend on them. In general, these systems appear to be designed with minimal attention to information architecture and graphic design, and they often confound even the librarians who are supposed to navigate them with ease.

With the ascension of the search engine to the first (and often only) point of departure for most information seekers, it is more important then ever for librarians to clearly articulate the argument for an organizing intelligence in the universe of information. The centerpiece of this argument should be a well-designed online catalog. Unfortunately it is difficult to make a compelling argument when commercially developed online catalogs generally fail to leverage the power of metadata in any convincing manner. Even when they do produce relevant search results, the interface design of these tools is often so poor that it is difficult to know what to do with the results.

The Reanimation Library likes what it sees when it looks to the possibilities of open source solutions. The open source movement seems like a kindred spirit to the library. It provides an affordable way to produce an ILS that is well designed and better suited to the Library’s needs than any commercial product.

This is a call to open source developers who are interested in working with the Reanimation Library to develop an ILS. In addition to possessing relevant programming skills, interested individuals should also have some experience with both emerging and traditional bibliographic metadata schemas. Because the Reanimation Library is not interested in participating in the program of universal bibliographic control, developers should also be willing to investigate the mission and goals of the Library in order to produce the best possible system for its specific needs.

Interested parties should email the Library.