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
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.
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.
