This article is the fourth in a series of articles published annually by "Computers in Libraries" surveying integrated library systems and services (ILSs). The purpose of the annual survey is to enable comparison of the ILSs that are available. ILS vendors are in constant pursuit of an ever-changing, consistently vague definition of what the "ideal" library automation system should encompass. In this article, the author presents and discusses five issues and five open-ended questions that were intended to help readers buy the system that is best for them. The necessity of integrating new developments in computer and telecommunication technologies while concurrently responding to the expanded concepts of what librarians want is extremely challenging. A questionnaire was developed based on the surveys conducted by Information Today, Inc. in 2006, 2007, and 2008. The survey was intended to: (1) Provide an up-to-date comparison of functionality currently available in ILS products; (2) Provide a comparison of support services and licensing structures available from ILS service providers; (3) Learn the practical advice given by ILS service providers; (4) Determine the current areas of strong trends and development priorities for ILS services; and (5) Provide vendors' current contact information for readers interested in more information. The answer to question five is presented in an online-only directory of vendors that provides the vendors' answers to what they regard as their products' greatest strength, along with full contact information, product release dates, the number of sites it has, and the library markets it serves. (Contains 5 tables.)