Equinox Open Library Initiative is a Equinox is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

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Breeding, Marshall. Equinox Shifts to Non-Profit Status. February 2017. Smart Libraries Newsletter. Equinox Open Library Initiative has been established, carrying forward the work of Equinox Software, Inc., to provide services related to open source library software, including the Evergreen ILS, Koha, and the FulfILLment resource sharing environment. This change in status took effect on January 1, 2017. All personnel, assets, and liabilities of Equinox Software, Inc. have transferred to the new organization.

Breeding, Marshall. Equinox Launches Sequoia: New ILS Service Based on Evergreen. February 2014. Smart Libraries Newsletter. In a move to further strengthen its ability to deliver stable and reliable automation to libraries, Equinox Software has launched a new hosting program called Sequoia. Equinox positions Sequoia as a comprehensive software-as-a-service ILS offering based on a new hosting platform with full-service support. It is based on a technical environment for its data centers that manages and provisions software applications with the flexibility to meet the needs of its largest or smallest library customers in a way that minimizes the possibility for downtime and delivers optimal performance. Going forward, Equinox intends to focus strategically on delivering automation to libraries based on open source software hosted on its Sequoia service platform and to transition away from providing support for self-hosted installations. The open source Evergreen ILS will continue as its primary offering for larger libraries and consortia, supplemented by Koha for mid-sized or small libraries preferring a stand-alone implementation. Equinox will continue to provide support for its existing self-hosted clients, but plans to focus on Sequoia-based installations as it markets its services to new potential customers. Equinox will encourage its self-hosted sites to migrate to Sequoia.

Breeding, Marshall. Open Source ILS Continues to Expand. April 2011. Smart Libraries Newsletter. The movement toward open source library automation continues. Recent months have seen many announcements of libraries selecting both Koha and Evergreen to replace proprietary systems. Keeping in mind that proprietary ILS products continue to dominate, both in new selections and in the overall base of installed systems, open source library automation has gained a strong footing in the industry and has become a common option for most types of libraries.

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January 30, 2026. Equinox announces 2025 Q4 project contributions to Evergreen ILS. Equinox Open Library Initiative, a trusted leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, announced Q4 development and community contributions for Evergreen ILS. Recent projects for Evergreen included a wishlist feature to create hold policies based on Library Groups. This project also added the ability to clone a Circulation Policy, a long-desired tool. Equinox staff performed additional work integrating the Quipu eRENEW product with Evergreen, building on work earlier in the year for Quipu eCARD. Partners for these projects included the Evergreen Collaborative Development Initiative (ECDI) as well as the Pennsylvania Integrated Library System.

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January 12, 2026. Equinox welcomes Greenville Public Library to Aspen Discovery and Evergreen ILS with the Consortium of Ohio Libraries. Equinox Open Library Initiative, a trusted leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, announces that the Greenville Public Library has joined the Evergreen ILS and Aspen Discovery communities as part of their membership with the Consortium of Ohio Libraries.

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January 5, 2026. Porter County Public Library System joins the Evergreen Indiana Library consortium's Aspen Discovery services with Equinox. Equinox Open Library Initiative, a trusted leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, is pleased to welcome Porter County Public Library System to Evergreen Indiana Library Consortium's Aspen Discovery services with Equinox hosting and support.

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December 8, 2025. Equinox announces major features in Evergreen 3.16. Equinox Open Library Initiative, a trusted leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, is pleased to announce Evergreen 3.16, the latest release of the award-winning library software used by more than 1,800 libraries worldwide. Equinox's development team contributed 8 major features, 6 minor features, and 10 of 32 bugfixes.

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November 21, 2025. Equinox announces newdDeadline for the 2025 Equinox Open Source Grant. Equinox Open Library Initiative, a trusted leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, is pleased to announce that the deadline to apply for the Equinox Open Source Grant has been extended through December 19, 2025. Launched in 2019, the Equinox Open Source Grant provides implementation, training, hosting, and support services for Koha ILS to eligible libraries and institutions. The grant is offered to organizations with technological or financial challenges that make it difficult to obtain or maintain an integrated library system. The Equinox Open Source Grant is provided for an initial term of three years and can be renewed if the recipient continues to qualify for the grant.

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November 20, 2025. Equinox Partners with Backstage Library Works to offer Authority Control Services to the Traverse des Sioux Library System. Equinox Open Library Initiative, a trusted leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, announced that the Traverse des Sioux Library System is utilizing authority control services through Backstage Library Works. Equinox partners with Backstage Library Works to make authority control simple for libraries. Services from Backstage Library Works include Basefile Authority Control, Current Cataloging and Authority Control Notification Services. Equinox manages record extracts and the retrieval and loading of updated records.

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November 10, 2025. Equinox welcomes the Grand Rapids Public Library to Sequoia Hosting for Evergreen ILS. Equinox Open Library Initiative, a trusted leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, is pleased to welcome the Grand Rapids Public Library to Sequoia, Equinox's premiere cloud-based hosting and support service. Grand Rapids Public Library migrated from a self-hosted Evergreen ILS to Sequoia with Equinox.

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November 3, 2025. Equinox Welcomes Ozark Regional Library to the Missouri Evergreen Consortium. Equinox Open Library Initiative, a trusted leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, is pleased to welcome the Ozark Regional Library to the Missouri Evergreen Consortium.

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October 28, 2025. Equinox at the 2025 Evergreen Hack-A-Way. Equinox Open Library Initiative, a trusted leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, will participate in the 2025 Evergreen Hack-A-Way, taking place in Columbia, Missouri from November 10, 2025 through November 12, 2025. The Evergreen Hack-A-Way is held annually to allow for collaboration on upcoming features, bug fixing, and brainstorming.

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October 22, 2025. Equinox announces 2025 Q3 project contributions to Evergreen ILS. Equinox Open Library Initiative, a trusted leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, is pleased to announce new development and other community contributions completed in Q3 of 2025 for Evergreen ILS.

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Apr 2020 Equinox appoints Lisa Carlucci as Executive Director
Equinox Open Library Initiative announced that Lisa Carlucci will be joining Equinox as Executive Director beginning April 6, 2020.

Jan 01, 2017 Equinox Shifts to Non-Profit Status
Equinox Open Library Initiative has been established, carrying forward the work of Equinox Software, Inc., to provide services related to open source library software, including the Evergreen ILS, Koha, and the FulfILLment resource sharing environment. This change in status took effect on January 1, 2017. All personnel, assets, and liabilities of Equinox Software, Inc. have transferred to the new organization.

Jan 25, 2012 Equinox Software forms wholly-owned Canadian-based subsidiary, Equinox Library Services Canada
Equinox Software, Inc. announced the formation of a wholly-owned Canadian-based subsidiary, Equinox Library Services Canada. ELSC was formed in response to Canadian libraries requesting that ILS systems be physically located in Canada; all ESLC hosting services will be provided from a Toronto datacenter. ELSC will also provide implementation, support, training, and other services for Evergreen and Koha.

Feb 02, 2007 Equinox Software, Inc. launched
Equinox Software founded as firm dedicated to working with libraries in all aspects of using Evergreen, an enterprise-grade open-source Integrated Library System. Brad LaJeunesse will serve as president.

2025 Equinox Accomplishments Narrative

Equinox’s 2025 highlights demonstrate our ongoing commitment to advancing library technology through collaboration, research, and open source development. Key projects underscored the importance of inclusive development, staff-centered infrastructure, and strategic innovation with a goal of ensuring that library systems evolve in ways that meaningfully serve practitioners and users.

Consulting & Research

Equinox completed a research project with King County Library Services to examine the role of public libraries in the evolving landscape of Linked Data, with a particular focus on BIBFRAME. Historically, public libraries have had a minimal role in the development and evaluation of BIBFRAME, but it has evolved to the public where public libraries must either begin preparing to engage with it or risk having decisions about the future of their metadata without them. Equinox and KCLS presented project findings at the 2025 ALA Conference, presenting on the opportunities and challenges of adopting BIBFRAME in public libraries and establishing a foundation for ongoing dialogue. The project recommends continued, intentional inclusion of public libraries in BIBFRAME’s future development, investment in staff-friendly infrastructure, and strategic exploration of how BIBFRAME could positively impact public library users.

Software Development

Equinox contributed actively to Evergreen ILS development by prioritizing practical, community-driven enhancement that directly benefit library staff and users. Projects included significant usability improvements and accessibility enhancements, and new features, including support for staff client Single Sign On and integration for Quipu eCARD and eRENEW. These efforts were shaped through close collaboration with our development partners, including North Carolina Community Colleges, the Evergreen Collaborative Development Initiative, Pennsylvania Integrated Library System, and Kenton County Public Library.

Nonprofit Programs

The Equinox Open Source Grant, launched in 2019, provides Koha ILS at no charge for eligible organizations that are unable to obtain or maintain an ILS because of financial and technological constraints. Recipient organizations receive implementation, hosting, and support services for a minimum of three years, with renewals possible for libraries that demonstrate an ongoing need. As part of the renewal process, Equinox gathered detailed narratives describing the impact of the grant, including increased circulation and improved collection management. Recipients also reported the expansion of services and community engagement activities as a direct result of the grant. For example, the Center for Khmer Studies suffered almost daily ILS outages prior to receiving the grant because of local network instability. Access to Koha on Equinox’s hosting platform eliminated the issue, allowing for 24-hour availability to library resources, and freeing staff to focus on public services. As a result, they were able to offer their first book fair, attracting 5,000 attendees. They also offered library capacity-building seminars to other organizations, including the National Museum of Cambodia and the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.

For more information, see : Equinox’s website

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