The final report of the Open Library Environment project is available for reading. ♥ this project with its focus on the behind the scenes... because if the behind the scenes (processing system/database/data) doesn't work very well, the public interface is not going to work very well. I am definitely keeping an eye on this project and I hope to be able to contribute in some way in the future. A few points of interest (amongst many....)

• The project planners chose to define a system that supports libraries as a central player in the research process.
• Libraries need to be able to leverage a dynamic information environment to support the research and educational mission of their institutions.
• Libraries must respond to the dynamic information environment by re-engineering its organization and the workflows carried out by its personnel.

I don't know if these statements are Yays or DUHs, because they seem so obvious, yet some do not grasp that simple reality of library catalog software and library information silos such as databases, websites, etc.And then the key features:

• Flexibility
• Community ownership
• Service Orientation
• Enterprise-Level Integration
• Efficiency
• Sustainability

-----------------Reposting:The Open Library Environment (OLE) Project has posted a draft of its final report. We are excited to offer this report publicly to the community and welcome your comments. As a community-source project, your input is vital to the future and success of the OLE Project. You can access the report at this address:http://oleproject.org/final-ole-project-report/About the Open Library Environment Project:With support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, a multinational group of libraries is developing the design for an Open Library Environment (OLE), an alternative to the current model of an Integrated Library System. The goal is to produce a design document to inform open source library system development efforts, to guide future library systemimplementations, and to influence current Integrated Library System vendor products.