Building

Experiments in infrastructure libraries could own and govern. The decisions, the working pieces, and the parts still unproven.

What could libraries control together?

The model I am exploring is shared standards and development, with multiple independently governed implementations. Local control does not require every library to run its own servers.

These build logs test pieces of that possibility. They do not establish that the whole cooperative model works. Start with one bounded question, inspect what happens, and name what is still missing.

The reporting behind the work is in Overdue Conversations. The tests and trade-offs are below.

Building L30 series May 2026

The Worst Thing You Can Say to Me: It Can't Be Done. Bet.

I suggested Baker & Taylor build an ILS in 2018. Years later, I started trying to build one myself.

About this experiment

The question: What changes when libraries can inspect and change their own system?
What to inspect: L/30's design decisions, scope, and maintenance trade-offs in an open-source sandbox using synthetic data.
The limit: A sandbox does not establish readiness for real patron data or prove shared operation and governance.

Open infrastructureExperiments

Building, May 10, 2026, 3 min read