code4lib

The aggregated soundtrack of library tech-folks involved in the Code4lib -community.

"Using the Crawford County Federated Library System's development of an open source web kiosk management system, as an example, this article will illustrate how an open source library project is defined, specified, written, tested and rolled out. The article will also discuss how the project was released as an Open Source project and future development of the project. The web kiosk project is called Libki and was written to authenticate users and allow access to the Internet kiosks based on time limits. Libki is a completely Open Source project and is now used by multiple libraries across the US. The client side of Libki is cross platform and supports multiple operating systems including Microsoft Windows and Linux. The administrative side of the program allows access to user logs, controls time and access and allows the librarian to log a patron off the system in real time. Libki was completely developed and written by staff members of the Crawford County Federated Library System."

When a library end-user searches the online catalogue for works by a particular author, he will typically get a long list that contains different translations and editions of all the books by that author, sorted by title or date of issue. As an attempt to make some order in this chaos, the Pode project has applied a method of automated FRBRizing based on the information contained in MARC records. The project has also experimented with RDF representation to demonstrate how an author's complete production can be presented as a short and lucid list of unique works, which can easily be browsed by their different expressions and manifestations. Furthermore, by linking instances in the dataset to matching or corresponding instances in external sets, the presentation has been enriched with additional information about authors and works.

"This is a plan for a multi-national, multi-institutional discovery environment built on Linked Open Data principles.  If instantiated at several institutions, will demonstrate to end users the value of the Linked Data approach to recording machine operable facts about the products of teaching, learning, and research.  The most noteworthy advantage of the Linked Open Data approach is that it allows the recorded facts, in turn, to become the basis for new  discovery environments. This model includes the basic functions of generating, harvesting, and iteratively reconciling URIs as well as consumption of Linked Data."

Interative, visual analysis and representation of the Koha database structure

"MINT services compose a web based platform that was designed and developed to facilitate aggregation initiatives for cultural heritage content and metadata in Europe. It is employed from the first steps of such workflows, corresponding to the ingestion, mapping and aggregation of metadata records, and proceeds to implement a variety of remediation approaches for the resulting repository." A sideproduct of the European Athena -project.

The trans-european Europeana metadata aggregator is going open linked data.

In 2008, seven Michigan public libraries migrated to Evergreen, an open source integrated library system developed by the George Public Library Service. The Michigan Library Consortium and Grand Rapids Public Library provided the support, training, networking, and system administration for the system. This article examines the reasons for implementing an open source system and the challenges to running and sustaining it.

The Next Generation Library Catalog: A Comparative Study of the OPACs of Koha, Evergreen, and Voyager (141-150) [HTML] [PDF] Sharon Q. Yang and Melissa A. Hofmann

March 2011, Vol. 31 Issue 2, p 6 - 10 The article focuses on the use of the open source platform VuFind to create the MnPALS Plus discovery solution which extracts bibliographic data from the shared integrated library systems (ILS) of the 25 2-year colleges and seven state universities belonging to the PALS program of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Information on the history of the PALS operation is provided. The features of VuFind are also described.

"eSciDoc is an e-Research environment developed specifically for use by scientific and scholarly communities to collaborate globally and interdisciplinary. It comprises core functionality including a Fedora repository (eSciDoc Infrastructure), a set of complementing services (eSciDoc Services), and application build on top of the infrastructure and the services (eSciDoc Applications) that enable innovative eScience scenarios. Scientists, librarians, and software developers can work with research data, create novel forms of publications, and establish new ways of scientific and scholarly communication."

"This article presents information about a final draft report of the Open Library Environment (OLE). The OLE project was funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to develop a document that would plan a system that would show the needs of academic and research libraries. The project ended up with a plan that creates a standard for integrating software with university information standards to release an open source product to library service users."

"The article addresses the cost of library automation software. The cited factors that influence software pricing are private negotiation, economic climate, hosting options such as software-as-a-service, and the components of public open source contracts. Also discussed is the impact of the inclusion of confidentiality clauses in license agreements and contracts prohibiting disclosure of prices on libraries. It suggests the possibility to gather pricing and expenditures data for libraries and stresses the need to understand pricing benchmarks."

"The author reflects on open source integrated library systems (ILS). He says that the open source ILS has promised libraries with more control over their software compared to others. He adds that he found no inconsistencies between the claim made by vendors on opening their system through application programming interface (API) and the actual delivery of its capabilities. He concludes that while opening the API of some library software is still a bit messy, he hopes that the time will come for this issue to evolve."

"The article focuses on the critic by Stephen Abram, vice president of innovation at SyrsiDynix, about open source integrated library systems (ILS), which was leaked on October 29, 2009. Abram said in the leaked paper, that the open source software are a big threat to the vendor-based market of ILS. He added that the paper was the reaction of his company on the development of the open source technology in the market. Mark Leggott of the University of Prince Edward Island argued that the stand of Abram on open source software was just well wrong."

"The article discusses the release of a document by SirsiDynix Vice President (VP) of Innovation Stephen Abram entitled "Integrated Library System Platforms on Open Source." The document criticizes open source library systems and created a debate among open source and proprietary integrated library system (ILS) proponents."

"The author reports on plans for some of the public libraries which are part of the Health Sciences Libraries Consortium to start using the Evergreen open source integrated library system (ILS). Topics discussed in the article include plans that exist to eventually have all public libraries in Pennsylvania to use Evergreen, predictions that have been made regarding the number of libraries which will start to use the system and benefits associated with the system."

"In this article, the author explores some patterns in how perceptions and misperceptions about Free/Libre/Open Source Software (FLOSS) form and guide decision making in libraries in the U.S. The author hopes to rectify some of these misperceptions because they can get in the way of making good decisions. He explains some considerations about the use of FLOSS. In addition, the author discusses the role of software vendors and consultants in addressing the misperceptions. He also discusses the benefits of using FLOSS."

"Reports on the use of open source software by libraries, in the United States. How open source software works and why there are advantages in utilizing it; Details of library-related software programs such as Prospero and GNU Jointly Administered Knowledge Environment. INSET: What Is `Open Source'?."

"In this article the author discusses aspects of the automation and electronic data industry in a library setting. He investigates a number of factors including the use of automated library systems, advanced electronic library catalogues and databases and the application of open source computer programming. The article analyzes sales trends in library data systems for the period 2003-07."