A principled approach to selecting an automated library system

Nothing can guarantee that an automated system selection process will be successful, but adherence to a set of common‐sense principles can help in securing a successful outcome. The focus of the process has to be on the long term and must take account of the institutional context into which the system will fit. With the shift towards user empowerment, the involvement of users in the selection process is increasingly critical. The components of the selection process can be envisioned and combined in many different ways. The process used by the Purdue University Libraries serves to illustrate one way the process can play itself out.