Several groups, organizations, and commercial firms offer tools and other aids for people who are developing their own Z39.50 implementations. Client and server software as well as application programming interfaces (APIs) are available to provide Z39.50 connection for existing computer systems. The availability of source code has acted as a catalyst for increased Z39.50 implementation activity.
A number of these tools are in the public domain for use by noncommercial and commercial implementors (some restrictions may apply). These include Z39.50 origins and targets and APIs from the Clearinghouse for Networked Information Discovery and Retrieval, Florida Center for Library Automation, the National Library of Canada, and Stanford University (details for acquiring these are described below).