The library upgrades it's system - is it a new wave or some necessity?

Though the libraries are often told to be having decreasing budget for buying books and newspapers, they spend fairly much money for subscribing for the new versions of the library automation software, not because of they want to get the new features, but being enforced by the changing of the operating systems, the database management systems, the network protocols, and the hardware environment. The evolution of the hardware is followed closely by the development of the software. The manufacturers produce always new versions, so the libraries have to install, test and adapt them year by year, and it does not matter, if they have needed it or not.

So how library automation software in this brave new world should look like? It has to fit the librarian and informatical norms and protocols, the new Internet technology and xml applications. It has to be independent from the operating systems, the database management systems, the network tools, and the hardware, and have to solve the problem of the full text data service from big databases too.