Group items tagged

"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."

"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 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."

A column in The Code4Lib Journal issue 5 2008 about the role of open source software in libraries and libraries failures in grasping the fundamental ideas of sharing and contributing in the FOSS -community, even among libraries themselves. A great essay w

"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 presents options for libraries on the type of software to use to gain access on the web. For libraries without money or technical staff, the author recommends free and inexpensive Web 2.0 options. The programs are usually free or demand a small fee and require a few technical knowledge. For libraries with technical staff but less money, the open source option is suggested. No cash is needed but the program requires more technical skills and staff time. Buying software is a choice if the library has the cash."

"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."

"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."

"The article looks at the development of library technology, focusing on library automation, integrated library systems (ILS), and the use of open source software. Additional topics discussed include the competition between supports of ILS and proprietary library services vendors, the decreases in library finance, and litigation between library service companies over the violation of antitrust laws. The author also presents several profiles of companies engaging in library automation services, such as Auto-Graphics, BiblioCommons, and Cuadra Associates."

"The author focuses on the use of technology in libraries to ease the impact of the global economic crisis. He notes that several libraries have documented significantly reduced costs through the use of open source software. He cites that the investments in redesigning a Web site and information delivery tools of a library can make an improvement in the perceptions of library users. He asserts that the creative use of technology can offer relief for the challenging budget of the library by opening up opportunities to generate income."

"This article highlights the benefits of open source databases for businesses and libraries. No matter what size your library is, databases play an important role in providing services. The reason for this is simple: libraries exist to organize information, and databases make it easy to store and retrieve information. Setting up and maintaining open source databases is easier than most people realize. Not too long ago, only systems experts had the skills to install and use a database server. Nowadays, graphical tools have made it a snap to administer databases in a production setting. Open source products are widely used and do not require you to pay licensing fees, so chances are you will be able to apply what you learn in a variety of setting. There is an excellent chance that existing open source products contain all the functionality you need--that is why millions of people, businesses, and libraries use them. The learning curve for open source database is about the same as for most types of software. Because so many people use them, it is easy to find someone who can help you when you encounter challenges. Once you have created your first database, you may discover that you can improve services, gather statistics, or help staff in just a few minutes."

"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."

A tool for interactively exploring XML datasets with XPath and XQuery. Java stuff.

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.

"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.