DIY Integrated Library Systems

Libraries use integrated library systems (ILS) to manage their collections. They also provide online public access catalogs (OPACs) or discovery systems that help users search those collections. In this chapter, based on the LAMP stack we created in the prior chapter, we will build a basic ILS. Specifically, we will create a bare bones OPAC and a bare bones cataloging module, two cornerstone modules in most traditional ILSs.

We start with a short lesson in relational database design and querying. We then proceed to build the OPAC and cataloging modules. By the end of this chapter, you will have a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of these library technologies and how they are used in everyday practice.