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SirsiDynix Review

Depends

Should I use SirsiDynix?

Enterprise integrated library systems (Symphony, Horizon, BLUEcloud, EOS.Web) for public and academic libraries. - sirsidynix.com

· 1 week ago

Built for large multi-branch public and academic libraries with real budgets and dedicated systems staff. Small libraries and solo librarians will find it expensive, opaque, and overkill — look at Koha or Access-It instead.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~25 public sources: G2/Capterra reviews, Reddit librarian threads, NVD and Exploit-DB entries, and city procurement records.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of useNo usable review evidence on usability
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo usable review evidence on support
  • Security posture

Pricing

Not disclosed

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierNo

Best for

  • Large multi-branch public libraries
  • Academic libraries with deep catalog workflows
  • Consortia sharing a central catalog
  • Libraries with dedicated systems staff

Not for

  • Small libraries — massive overkill
  • Solo librarians or personal collections
  • Schools — Follett Destiny fits better
  • Budget-strapped teams wanting open source

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Pricing is opaque; cities sign negotiated contracts, so your quote may vary widely

high

Horizon had a serious SQL injection flaw (CVE-2024-44903); patching cadence matters

medium

Migration pain is real: multiple Reddit threads cover fleeing Symphony and Horizon

medium

Repeated ownership changes, now under Harris Computer, may affect roadmap and support

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Flagship Symphony ILS with broad product suite and hosted SaaS option
  • Long track record; major vendor profiled by Library Technology Guides
  • Used by sizable US city library systems per procurement records
  • Offers SaaS hosting and data services beyond the core ILS

Cons

  • SQL injection CVE-2024-44903 in Horizon Information Portal
  • No public security page found on vendor site
  • G2 rating sits around 3/5 across 26 reviews
  • Librarians on Reddit document migrating away to Koha
  • No public pricing; quote-based sales via contracts

Sources & method

- 9 sources - Known vulnerabilities exist: SQL injection CVE-2024-44903 in Horizon, plus an older XSS in e-Library; no security page found.

official x2review x3security x2news x2
  • CVE-2024-44903 — SQL injection in Horizon Information Portal, Disclosed March 2025; vendor-provided patch referenced as remediation.
  • Cross-site scripting in SirsiDynix e-Library 3.5.x, Public exploit published January 2019 on Exploit-DB.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 2/5

    Rating

  • Not disclosed

    Starting price

  • 9

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 2/5. No public pricing; users migrate to open-source Koha
  • Ease of use. No usable review evidence on usability
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Broad ILS suite across public, academic, special libraries
  • Support quality. No usable review evidence on support
  • Security posture: 2/5. Recent SQL injection CVE; no public security page
  • 3.x/5 G2 rating 26 reviews on G2
  • Harris Computer Ownership Sold multiple times; now a Harris division
  • Quote-based Pricing No public price list; cities sign contracts
  • Symphony, Horizon, BLUEcloud, EOS.Web Product line Flagship ILS plus hosted SaaS options

Pricing

Free tier: No

Security

Known vulnerabilities exist: SQL injection CVE-2024-44903 in Horizon, plus an older XSS in e-Library; no security page found.

  • CVE-2024-44903 — SQL injection in Horizon Information PortalDisclosed March 2025; vendor-provided patch referenced as remediation.⁴
  • Cross-site scripting in SirsiDynix e-Library 3.5.xPublic exploit published January 2019 on Exploit-DB.⁵

What users say

Librarian discussion on Reddit skews negative, with recurring threads about abandoning Symphony and Horizon for alternatives like Koha and TLC.

“So long, piece of crap ILS software”
Reddit, r/Libraries
“We are about to migrate to Koha from Symphony”
Reddit, r/Libraries

Alternatives

Compare SirsiDynix with each alternative.

  • Koha

    Open-source ILS; the common escape route from Symphony

  • Follett Destiny Library Manager

    School library standard; simpler than Symphony

  • Access-It Library

    Lightweight pick for small libraries

Companies that use it

  • City of Anaheim⁷
  • Burbank Public Library
  • National City, CA
Full analysis

Based on ~25 public sources: G2/Capterra reviews, Reddit librarian threads, NVD and Exploit-DB entries, and city procurement records.

Enterprise library ILS for big systems. Small libraries: overkill — try Koha or Access-It. Watch Horizon CVEs.

Methodology

Based on ~25 public sources: G2/Capterra reviews, Reddit librarian threads, NVD and Exploit-DB entries, and city procurement records.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. SirsiDynix Products (official)sirsidynix.com
    official
  2. SirsiDynix on G2 (26 reviews)g2.com
    review
  3. SirsiDynix Symphony on Capterracapterra.com
    review
  4. CVE-2024-44903 — Horizon SQL injection (NVD)nvd.nist.gov
    security
  5. SirsiDynix e-Library XSS (Exploit-DB)exploit-db.com
    security
  6. Reddit r/Libraries migration threadsreddit.com
    review
  7. City of Anaheim procurement quotelocal.anaheim.net
    official
  8. SirsiDynix division of Harris Computerharriscomputer.com
    news
  9. Library Technology Guides vendor profilelibrarytechnology.org
    news

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