Why Rent When You Can ByWater For Less?

by Brendan Gallagher on Jun 10, 2009

If you had the ability to buy a house for less than it would cost to rent it for one year, would you? The answer that most of us would give would be definitely YES! Open source software gives us that very opportunity, yet still people continue to pay rent. With ILS systems such as Koha and Evergreen, you have the ability to actually own your own software rather than having to pay exorbitant fees for sub-par service and deal with the constant fear that your provider could get gobbled up by another huge conglomerate. With the new release of Koha, the functionality and usability of the software not only challenges, but in some cases surpasses those of major proprietary titles! Plus your end user benefits from an OPAC that is better suited for today’s modern standards with extras such as Amazon reviews and the ability to virtually browse your stack.

Talk about a network!? Verizon has nothing on Koha. Our user community is filled to the brim with people willing to help out with any questions or problems you may have…for free! All they ask is that you give back what you can in the way of your own experience and expertise. We want to empower our libraries to have the knowledge and understanding of their software so they can be masters of their own OPAC domain. Where else can you find a company that wants you to need them less? Only in open source!

Want to add some “bling‚Äù to your OPAC, no problem! Koha is fully customizable and is relatively easy to mold into the look and feel that best suits your library or educational institution. Logos and tag line galore all included in your installation and support costs. So why are most libraries still paying rent‚Ķany suggestions? Of course we at ByWater Solutions are on a mission to change the world when it comes to this question, and we would love to hear everyone’s thoughts on this. Let us know!