Can you recommend a free/low-cost library management system?

In My Humble Opinion
1

We’re a small nonprofit with a library of about 700 books.

Are there any software packages or websites that would allow us to easily import a list of ISBNs and/or titles and then convert that to an online, publicly-searchable library database?

We’ve tried LibraryThing and Google Books, but those seem to be designed for mainly personal use. We’d like to eventually implement an electronic self-checkout system with a barcode scanner.

There seems to be quite a few options out there, but I’m not familiar enough with the scene to know the better ones.

Bonus points for:

  • Open source solutions, but that’s not absolutely necessary as long as it’s affordable.
  • Automatic cover image download from Amazon or Google Books
  • Integration with Worldcat and/or Google Book Search

Thanks!

2

Can’t really help you more than this: Here in Sweden there is at least one discussion list for librarians, which is where I would have posted a question like that. Don’t you have something like it closer to you that you could use?

3

Hmm, possibly. Let me look into that…

4

I use Readerware for my book collection but it also has some features that might work for a library.

5

The library where I work use a (probably rather expensive) solution by Ex Libris. There are, it seems, quite a few free options:

From Highbeam.com (2008 article):

Googling “open source library management system” brings up a host of options - including a few comparisons between the systems.

6

Fair warning, the system itself sucks monkey balls, but it’s open source - check out Evergreen. http://www.open-ils.org/

Some systems to look at to see how it functions:

PINEs system in Georgia (USA):
http://gapines.org/opac/en-US/skin/default/xml/index.xml

SCLends Consortium system in South Carolina (USA):
http://sclends.lib.sc.us/opac/en-US/skin/default/xml/index.xml

Conifer is in Canada, and is a university library system, rather than a public library:
http://projectconifer.ca/

There’s a decent number of individual libraries using it, and more heading in that direction, due to the economy.

Anyway, fair warning - it’s still a little buggy, and has some serious detractions to professional use, but it’s basic and it’s free.

PM me if you want more details - I feel bad to trash it publicly, as it is my home library system.

7

That’s the package that the Wa State King County Library System (along with 3 other library systems in other states) recently implemented.