libraries

While compiling OSS Watch's list of Open Source Options for Education, I discovered Koha, an open source Integrated Library System (ILS). I discovered, with some confusion, that there seemed to be several ILS systems called Koha. Investigation into the reason for this uncovered a story which provides valuable lessons for open source project ownership, including branding, trademarks, and conflict resolution.

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Chances are good that you've been to a library and used its resources. Kids check out colorful, educational books; adults seek out entertainment and information; and academics of all ages use libraries as a place to work, meet, and discover resources.

Today, there is a global discussion around the role of libraries in public and academic sectors. » Read more

Developers and project managers involved in open source software projects for public libraries in Denmark, France, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic took a first step to learn more about each other's work. Meeting in a Google Hangout, they introduced their open source software projects, aiming to get ideas for future developments. The Danish 'T!ng' (Ting) project came first. T!ng aims to make most of the resources at the libraries available in the form of web services. Almost 60% of all Danish municipal libraries are involved in this software and IT services project.

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When I think back, I can't remember my first involvement in the Koha community. I remember talking to Chris Cormack on Instant Messenger nearly everyday before ever really communicating with the community has a whole. I remember trying to find a job working with Koha when it was time for me to move on from my first job, but I still don't remember really being involved in the community. I read a great post by Siobhan Mckeown about participating in the WordPress community and I highly recommend reading it, but I thought maybe I should do a Koha variation for those who want to get involved.

My own personal story started with a mentor, Chris, and lead to becoming Documentation Manager and a Koha trainer. But we all have different paths and different stories, so I asked the community to answer a few questions to help me produce a well rounded post for you (following Siobhan's model).

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Sharing is a fundamental part of the open source philosophy, and the same goes for libraries. Spreading, disseminating, and breaking down barries to gaining knowledge is a core mission of most library systems and their staff.

That that end, libraries—which are essentially hubs of knowledge and gathering places for learning and continuing daily education—may choose to implement open source tools and software. » Read more

The end of 2012 is here and over time I think it will be considered a revolutionary moment for open education and open source. A tipping point. A seismic shift. The world has not seen this type of revolution since the early 1400s and the arrival of the printing press. » Read more

I hereby declare 2012 the year of open source in libraries!

If not the year, it was still an impressive year for open source in libraries. It was 2004 when I first learned about the Koha open source integrated library system and started researching what it would mean to our library to make the switch to open source. Back then, when I asked people if they knew what open source was » Read more

In our schools and our libraries, Carolyn Fox believes we can push for more openness. Just entertaining the idea of it would be a huge step in the right direction for many who aren't aware of the open source movement beyond software that is underfoot.

Through work with her son (who is gifted and has special needs) and working as a librarian, wivenhoe (as she is referred to here at opensource.com) has learned that by promoting open source tools and programs in our daily life—discussions with friends, family and coworkers—we help open up the world around us, bringing better solutions to societal problems.  » Read more

The ancient alchemists tried to turn iron into gold. While they didn't succeed, they did leave us with a wonderful metaphor. Last week I experienced something akin to alchemy when I installed Fedora 17 onto a donated Dell Dimension 3000 tower computer.

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Last month, we posted a survey asking, "If you could open one of the following data sets tomorrow, which one would you open and why?" We got a great response–279 people voted and there were several comments.

One commenter remarked that we should have made it multiple choice, avoiding an all-or-nothing outcome. And another pointed out that 'non-classified government data' could include private personal information--like tax records, for example. So, as always, how we ask these questions is incredibly important. » Read more