FOLIO: A Modern Approach to Library Management

FOLIO (Future of Libraries is Open) is an open-source library services platform designed to revolutionize library operations in the digital age. Here's a glimpse into its key features:

Open Source and Community Driven: Unlike traditional, proprietary library systems, FOLIO is open-source, giving libraries greater control and flexibility. The development is driven by a collaborative community of librarians, developers, and vendors, ensuring features cater to actual library needs.

Modern Architecture: FOLIO boasts a cloud-based, microservices architecture. This means the system is built using independent, modular components that can be easily updated and scaled. This ensures flexibility, agility, and continuous innovation.

Unified Print & Electronic Resource Management: FOLIO seamlessly manages both physical and digital library collections. Libraries can catalog books, journals, e-resources, and other materials within a single platform.

Flexibility and Customization: FOLIO is highly configurable. Libraries can tailor the system to their specific workflows and user needs. Additionally, the open-source nature allows for further customization through code modifications.

Integration with Third-Party Apps: FOLIO integrates with various third-party library applications, expanding its functionality. This allows libraries to leverage specialized tools for specific tasks while maintaining a central platform for core library operations.

Open API and Interoperability: FOLIO offers open APIs enabling communication with external systems. This fosters data exchange and integration with other library technologies, creating a more streamlined information environment.

User-friendly Interface: FOLIO prioritizes a user-friendly interface for both librarians and library patrons. The intuitive design simplifies tasks and makes resource management and discovery efficient.

Focus on the Future: FOLIO is constantly evolving, with a strong emphasis on innovation. The community-driven development ensures the platform adapts to meet the changing needs of libraries and users in the digital landscape.

A modern Library Service Platform built by an open community

The platform is the only LSP designed for the cloud, created through the collaboration of libraries, developers, vendors, networks and consortia. Anyone can contribute, and everyone will benefit. Since its inception hundreds of librarians representing libraries of all types, sizes and locales have contributed their subject matter expertise to help define FOLIO functionality. Teams of developers around the globe have contributed design, code, and tests. Providers are delivering implementation, consulting and hosting services. The entire community continues to grow. More and more libraries and vendors are realizing the benefits of this modern, open collaboration.

Modern architecture

Modern means being designed for the cloud: multi-tenant, API-driven, app-based, modular, technically flexible and open. FOLIO checks all of these boxes. Designed from the outset to be multi-tenant, app based. API-first system, the platform provides a modular architecture which is extensible (reference the platform being used to create a resource sharing product). The modular architecture drives separation of business logic from implementation details allowing modules to leverage different technologies as are appropriate, or to include new technologies when they become available..

An LSP built for choice

Functionally flexible, FOLIO allows apps to be created that satisfy different combinations of library workflows and the community expects to have the luxury of choice between apps when configuring their deployment. There are multiple apps that can be used to manage the content in your Inventory, for example. Developers can choose specific technologies to leverage, or how to piece functionality together within an App. Vendors can choose which services to deliver. Libraries have the choice of how to host FOLIO – they can host it themselves, or choose one of the hosting providers in the community. Not only can they choose who will host their FOLIO, they can choose to have one vendor host part of their FOLIO solution and another vendor (or themselves) host other part(s). And of course when contracts expire those choices will resurface.

The future of libraries is open

While FOLIO is rich in community roots and interests, at its heart the FOLIO project was created to provide a service to Libraries. This open, modern, flexible, extendible, powerful platform that helps libraries solve needs of today, also provides leverage for the future. It allows libraries the choices and options needed to control their technical platforms into the future. FOLIO is open – truly open ensuring that control will remain in tact.

Nothing else provides this combination of traits. FOLIO is unique.

In summary, FOLIO offers a powerful, flexible, and future-proof library management solution. It empowers libraries to streamline operations, enhance resource discovery, and provide a more user-centric library experience. Foliodocs