Today, proprietary and open-source software can and do coexist and complement each other. Constrained by limited resources, libraries can do more and offer more if they start with functionally-rich products and build from there. The Ex Libris open-platform program provides a framework in which open-source code developed by the library community is integrated with robust, vendor-supported software. The result is a groundbreaking environment that is achievable and affordable in the short and long run.