This document reflects on OpenRS’s technical experience through 2025 and sets out the thinking that is shaping its next phase. It is both retrospective and forward-looking, grounded in sustained real-world operation — particularly through the MOBIUS consortium, and through current work in progress — rather than theory alone.
ISO 18626 was developed to provide a standards-based mechanism for interoperability between resource sharing systems, without prescribing a particular network topology or governance model. Its intent was to enable communication between heterogeneous systems while allowing institutions and consortia to determine how those communications are organised, governed, and evolved over time.
2025 has been a significant year for OpenRS, marked by substantial development and a deeper understanding of consortium and library user needs. A core focus of our work has been strengthening resource-sharing interoperability, improving time-to-patron, building a complete picture of resource-sharing activity, and giving libraries meaningful choice in how they design and manage their networks.
MOBIUS Joins Innovative Resource Sharing Initiative with Support from EBSCO Information Services
Differing Approaches to Open-Source Resource Sharing
Partnership Between Libraries, Open Source Developers, and Vendors to Enhance Consortial Resource Sharing