Open Source Software Introduction

You may have heard the term open source mentioned many times but are wondering what it really means.  Karen Schneider from Equinox,  the software company that supports the open source ILS Evergreen, presented an excellent introductory Webinar on Open Source software on March 17, 2009. Follow the “Here’s the recording” link. The first 12 minutes are an orientation to the Webinar functions and troubleshooting for the attendees.  Skip forward to get to the content on Open Source.

The Webinar inspired this post and I am highlighting  some important points in the presentation while including my own comments and examples. The five main sections are:

1. Definition of Open Source
2. Examples
3. Reliability and Quality
4. Cost
5. Assessment
6. Question and Answer session

Definition

The definition of open source software is set by the Open Source Initiative and is paraphrased below:

Software that allows its users to access and modify the computer code it was created with and includes licensing that allows it to be freely shared and modified without restriction.

A similar concept exists in the GNU Operating system and the Free Software Foundation who originally developed the concept of free software distribution. The major difference with their license and philosophy is that they choose to emphasize the word “free” and do not accept some license restrictions that open source does.

Examples

• Some familiar examples:
  • Firefox browser, WordPress blog software
• For libraries:
  • Integrated Library Systems (ILS) – Evergreen, Koha, OLE (in development)
  • Digital Repositories – DSpace, Fedora, Greenstone, ePrints
• For programmers and Web developers:
  • Databases – PostgreSQL, MySQL
  • Scripting code – PHP, Perl
  • Web Server – Apache
  • Operating System – Linux

• For more examples fast forward to (33:30) for a list of open source software in libraries – The audio mentions more

Relevant User Guides in a Web 2.0 World

This post is a summary of a presentation given by two Information Literacy Librarians from Wartburg College, Kimberly Babcock Mashek and Kari Weaver,  at the Library Technology Conference on March 19, 2009.  They compare different user guide models and present best practices to make them more interactive and effective. 

The main points of the presentation are to:

1. Understand what your users want
2. Understand what resources you have available
3. Choose the most appropriate resources according to points 1 & 2.
4. Continue to evaluate and maintain your services.
5. Share their experience and successes at Wartburg College

Brief History of User Guides

Pathfinders or Static Web Pages

Problems

• Don’t know if people are using them
• No standardization
• Users don’t understand library jargon

Why user guides?

• Enhances Info Lit Instruction
• Virtual Access
• Model proper research behavior

What is expected?

• Be specific
  • by class or assignment
• Allow customization
  • what are primary databases in their field
• Need to be current
  • link checking (can pay or have student workers do it)
• Want sophisticated search but not have to struggle to use it
• Easy to find library Web page
• Familiarity/comfort with interface
  • use Wikipedia platform (MediaWiki)
• Explanation of resources and context
• Minimal clicks
• No library jargon
  • research help
• Anytime, anywhere convenient

Google Apps for Libraries

PRESENTER:
David Collins, Associate Director for Public Services in Library, and Barron Koralesky, Associate Director for Information Technology Services, Macalester College  

SESSION DESCRIPTION:
Using a mix of demonstration, hands-on experience and conversation, participants will dig deeper into Google and Google Apps.   You may want to bring your lab coat.  Macalester has been using Google Apps for nearly a year, and will share some experiences as well as ways we have been integrating / leveraging Google into the day-to-day life of our library and institution.  We want to know how others are using Google, and hope to develop a shared “best practices” project as one outcome of this session.

Important that Library and IT collaborate

3 sections – Presentation, Hands-on, Group Reports

Had year long exploration of email.

• Found and picked Google
• Soon after had massive power outage condensing transition to a couple of weeks.
• What happens if you go to Google?
  • seperated security and privacy
  • Google does security well (much larger resources)
  • Privacy
    • Assumption – everything sent by email is not private

Education account does not have Reader, Groups, and ?.

What it has changed in Campus

• more open environment – perpetual beta
• new things appear and don’t know about it until after the fact.
  • traditional IT prefers limited controlled support of applications.

Next Generation Library Catalogs

PRESENTER:
Eric Lease Morgan, Head of Digital Access and Information Architecture Department at the University Libraries of Notre Dame            

This is a link to an outline of his idea for next generation library catalogs on the ND library website originally composed in 2006 and updated in 2007. A more recent and shorter version is available on his website, Infomotions.

He asked about what people want to learn and addressed whether he will be able to do that.

Initial Questions

• What is the Catalog?
• What does it Contain?
• What functionality do you expect from it
• What problem is it expected to solve?

What is the Catalog?

Concept of Index

• list of words as a pointer
• he advocates that catalog is type of index
• index is finding tool, database is organization of information
  • Google is index, URL’s are the pointers

1995 collecting eletronic journals

• created an 856 subfield u and people said you can’t do that.
• expanded from ownership to licensed material, and where to find other items.

• Catalog more of a finding aid.

Using CONTENTdm in a Consortium

PRESENTER:
Ann Kenne, Head of Special Collections, University of St. Thomas; Denise Tyburski, Media Services Librarian, and Chris Schommer, Digital and Special Projects, Macalester College    

SESSION DESCRIPTION:
In this session, staff from CLIC will discuss the decision process to purchase ContentDM for our digital collections and how the consortia agreed to divide costs and collections.  We will also discuss customization of the site and give examples of how workflow is set up at some institutions.
Project Timeline

• CLIC Consortium started the digital projects search in January 2005
• September 2005 – Created community of interest in Digitization
• Fall 2005 – spring 2007 – Study of various software options

Why Contentdm was chosen

• others already using it – St Kates, MN dl, U of M, Carleton, St Olaf
• flexible pricing structure
• good out of box but allows customizatoin
• training from MINITEX
• good documentation

Drawbacks

• Not good with Macs – interface
• Lack of presentation tools

Implementation

• June 2007 Level 1 license – 10000 digital objects
• Oct 2007 Upgraded license to Lvl 2 – 40000 objects  from Mac funds
• June 2008  Upgrade to unlimited license (with all of CLIC)

Minnesota Digital Library

PRESENTERS:
Marian Rengel, Outreach Coordinator, and Eric Celeste, Consultant, Minnesota Digital Library

 SESSION DESCRIPTION:
The Minnesota Digital Library continues to work with organizations to digitize their collections and is now working with organizations to research providing a state-wide search mechanism. We are continuing our social networking project and anticipating a year of research and development in 2009-10. Marian Rengel will provide an update on the developments in the Minnesota Digital Library. She will also seek ideas from participants for future work of this organization.

Asked what people know about MDL in the audience. Some contributors present.

Get funding from MINITEX and mostly run by volunteers. Has a new grant to develop Minnesota Learning Commons

Help institutions to digitize on condition that they allow access through MDL.

Actuall three sites

• Minnesota Reflections is main resource of compilations.
• Minnesota Digital Library
• Minnesota Finder