In this article Harvey Quamen examines how the philosophy of open source software might be of particular benefit to humanities scholars in the near future--particularly for academic journals with limited financial resources. To this end he provides a case study in which he describes his use of open source technology (MySQL database software and PHP scripting language) to create an online manuscript-tracking database for "English Studies in Canada" (ESC), a quarterly academic journal. After illustrating various features of the ESC Database, Quamen discusses the changes he plans to make to the database to enhance its value for ESC staff as well as to make it a viable candidate for open source distribution. The ESC Database, he notes, has not only become a valuable resource for his staff but also serves as a model that he uses in his own classroom to advocate an open source philosophy to his students. (Contains 5 exhibits.)