The report "Library Perceptions 2025: Results of the eighteenth International Survey of Library Automation" has been published on Library Technology Guides.
The International Survey of Library Automation provides a unique opportunity for libraries to evaluate their core technology systems, their associated vendors, and to offer their views on relevant topics and trends. This eighteenth edition of the survey received 2,531 responses. The 50,604 cumulative responses received since 2007 document interesting and important trends related to key technology products and vendors.
| Notable Observations |
|---|
| Libraries show generally positive perceptions for products from Clarivate. The migration intentions given by libraries using legacy products mention Alma more than other products. Polaris was listed as the top migration candidate by libraries using Symphony and Horizon. |
| Interest continues to build for open source products, especially FOLIO and Koha. The migration intentions given by libraries using legacy products mention FOLIO more than any other product except Alma. This year there were more responses from libraries using FOLIO, though the satisfaction scores were less favorable. Open source products are a routine option for public and school libraries as well. Both Koha and Evergreen show high levels of satisfaction, though some support providers receive higher scores than others. |
| Among larger academic libraries, the satisfaction scores given to Alma are moderate, consistent with those given by large and complex organizations. Only a handful of libraries indicate interest in changing to another product. Of libraries considering migrating from legacy products, Alma continues to be listed as the top migration candidate, followed by FOLIO. |
| Alma receives higher marks for its functionality for the management of electronic resources than for print. Since academic libraries generally spend most of their collection budgets on electronic resources, weaker capabilities for managing print does not seem to detract substantially from the overall satisfaction levels for Alma. |
| Several legacy products are approaching the end of their lifecycle. Installations of Aleph, Voyager, and Virtua from Clarivate are decreasing rapidly. No responses came from libraries using Millennium. Almost all libraries using these products have processes underway to move to new systems. |
| About 15 percent of academic libraries signal interest in migrating to a new system, mostly from those remaining on legacy ILS products, but also from those that have been using a library service platform for a decade that are reviewing options. Academic libraries showed increasing interest in migrating from 2007 through 2014, with steadily declining interest since. The launch of Alma and WorldShare Management Services in 2011 sparked great interest, which peaked in 2015. With FOLIO now established as a viable option, academic libraries that were previously deferring migration considerations may now be in play. |
| The portion of public libraries considering system replacement has declined steadily since the first year of the survey until this year which saw a slight increase (9.7%). Since about 2015, public library interest in migrations has steadily declined, possibly due to the lack of compelling alternatives. This year only 3.3 percent of public libraries expressed interest in changing systems. The proprietary and open source ILS products used by public libraries are mature and increasingly less differentiated. Many public libraries are opting to acquire additional components for discovery, patron engagement, or analytics, rather than make a lateral move to another ILS product. |
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Library Technology Guides provides comprehensive and objective information surrounding the many different types of technology products and services used by libraries. It covers the organizations that develop and support library-oriented software and systems. The site offers extensive databases and document repositories to assist libraries as they consider new systems and is an essential resource for professionals in the field to stay current with new developments and trends.