The following press release was released last week. This is a well-funded initiative with some big names … it will be something to watch develop …

A $475,700 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to the Duke
University Libraries will lead to the design of a next-generation,
open-source library system that is flexible, customizable and nimble
enough to meet the changing and complex needs of 21st-century libraries
and library users. The goal of the Open Library Environment (OLE) Project
is to develop a design document for library automation technology that
fits modern library workflows, is built on Service Oriented Architecture,
and offers an alternative to commercial Integrated Library System
products.

Leaders of the OLE Project, representing libraries in the U.S., Canada,
and Australia, will involve the library community in the design process
through workshops, meetings, webcasts and online discussions. Through
those activities, they will develop a plan for a library technology system
that breaks away from an emphasis on print-based workflows, reflects the
changing nature of library materials and new approaches to scholarly work,
meshes well with other enterprise systems, and can be modified easily to
suit the needs of different institutions. The project website at
http://oleproject.org gives detailed information about the project and
includes FAQs, recommended reading, and a comment section.

The initial project team includes Duke as well individuals from the
University of Kansas, Lehigh University, the University of Pennsylvania,
the National Library of Australia, Library and Archives Canada, Vanderbilt
University, the Orbis Cascade Alliance, Rutgers University, the University
of Florida, the University of Chicago, Columbia University, the University
of Maryland and Whittier College.

Because the OLE Project is a collaborative, community-based venture, there
will be many opportunities for individuals from other libraries to
participate in the project through regional and virtual meetings,
discussion of plans and documents, comments via the project website and
listserv and discussions at professional meetings.
In addition to its development of a design document, the OLE Project is
intended to create a community of interest that could be tapped to build
the planned system in a follow-on project.