About Us

The Evergreen Collaborative Development Initiative (ECD) supports participatory library software improvement. ECDI is a community of consortiums and libraries who work cooperatively to identify, fund, and assist in the implementation of key development projects for the Evergreen Integrated Library System, an open-source library management solution.

In 2019, the Evergreen Community Development Initiative was formed in Indiana with the sponsorship of the Evergreen Indiana Library Consortium after the MassLNC Development Initiative shuttered.  In 2024, the North of Boston Library Exchange (NOBLE) was selected to take over sponsorship of the ECDI. It was during this time of transition and strategic planning that a decision was made to rename ECDI to the Evergreen Collaborative Development Initiative to underscore its spirit of teamwork and provide distinction from the Evergreen open-source community writ large.

And, now, the Evergreen Collaborative Development Initiative (ECDI) emerges from the rich history of collaboration and innovation fostered by its predecessors, Evergreen Community Development Initiative and MassLNC. You can read more about the strategic priorities of ECDI here.

The Evergreen Collaborative Development Initiative endeavors to drive useful and in-demand development by focusing the available funding and staff support on community targeted projects. By collaborating on this work, we reduce the potential for redundant development projects and ensure that development speaks to the needs of the greater community rather than just one library or consortium.

Current membership includes:

ECDI proudly works alongside and within the Evergreen open-source ILS community.  The Evergreen Project, a 501(c)3 organization, also supports the same community founded on participatory library software improvement.  Find out more about the Evergreen ILS and The Evergreen Project at https://evergreen-ils.org.