Cutting the proprietary cord

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to compare the two leading open source library management system (LMS) packages.Design methodology approach - The paper highlights the reasons behind a switch from one open source provider to another. It is based on practical experience.Findings - Both main open source LMSs (Koha and Evergreen) are presented in terms of their current use as well as their future directions of development and opportunities.Originality value - This paper compares the history of Koha and Evergreen. The former is criticized because of the recent "fork", i.e. commercial use of open source code. Problems with a local implementation of Koha are also discussed. Evergreen however, since it was developed by a library consortium, appeared the better choice for the Indiana Shared Library Catalog (ISLC), a consortium of different libraries in Indiana. ISLC runs through the Indiana Cooperative Library Services Authority.