Some considerations when selecting digital library software

The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding of the aspects of system software selection for digital library system projects.

This article outlines the aspects of system software selection giving particular emphasis to those points where a digital library project differs from a traditional enterprise‐level software selection process.

Digital library system software selection differs in some significant ways from traditional software implementations. In particular, security and authentication issues, long‐term cost and maintenance considerations, vendor viability, as well as training and documentation are areas where the software selection team needs to devote greater attention if the project is to be successful.

This paper fills a gap in the digital project management literature by helping project managers understand how the software selection process for digital library systems projects differs from the traditional process used in software selection.