ByWater Quoted in 'Open Source Picks Up the Pace'

by Nicole C. on Apr 15, 2015

The recent announcement about EBSCO’s support for Koha has gotten a lot of attention lately. In an article on Library Journal’s website ByWater’s own Brendan Gallagher and Nathan Curulla were interviewed about this and the future of Koha and open source in libraries.

“We very much believe in partnerships with ILS vendors, and we are an active supporter of open source technology for libraries,‚Äù EBSCO EVP Sam Brooks said in a statement regarding the Koha partnership. “We are a member of Kuali OLE and believe that both OLE and Koha are excellent options for libraries worldwide.‚Äù

With its large, active global user base, Koha wasn’t on the ropes prior to this deal, and EBSCO isn’t playing the role of savior. But these development plans and EDS integration are significant, bolstering both the functionality of Koha and its credibility as an option for many libraries that have been on the fence about adopting an open source ILS.

“It’s a really big deal for Koha,‚Äù says Nathan Curulla, co-owner and chief revenue officer for ByWater Solutions. “Having a strong discovery component that works very well with the system is very important for [its] long-term stability‚Ķ. To have EBSCO’s help with this is huge, because they’re a very large and reputable company. It helps to validate the sustainability of Koha a bit.‚Äù

Read the entire article here.