INSC580MacasaOpenSourceSoftwareLibrariesFall2016

Open Source Software for Libraries
Presented by Michael Macasa
INSC 580
November 16, 2016

Definitions and Key Concepts
Types of OSS and Delivery Modes
SWOT Analysis
Planning, Implementation, and Maintenance
Library Applications
Helpful Resources and References

Defined: Library software whose source code is available to programmers who want to
modify/improve the software, and permits the redistribution of “copies of either the original or
modified program without having to pay royalties to previous developers” (Macan, Fernandez &
Stojanovski, 2013, p. 138)
Key Concepts:
Software License – Legal regulation to regulate scope of use, redistribution, warranty, and
attribution of software products, requiring that the source code be made publicly available and
allows modification and redistribution (Colazo & Fang, 2009)
GNU General Public License (GPL) (“viral”) – Rededistribution with derivative works
must be licensed with the GPL, not a commercial software license (Parsons, 2016; Colazo &
Fang, 2009)
Berkeley Software Distribution License (BSD) – Redistribution and use permitted under
certain conditions (Parsons, 2016); source code is made public, later modified and
redistributed under proprietary licenses without “copyleft” (Colazo & Fang, 2009)
“Copyleft” Clause – Any modification to original source code must be
released/redistributed under the same terms under which it was acquired (Colazo & Fang,
2009)

Key Concepts (continued):
Source Code – Software’s original encoding in a particular programming language (Open
Source Initiative, n.d., Open Source Definition)
Derivative Work – Original source code is modified and redistributed as a new product (Open
Source Initiative, n.d., Open Standards Definition)
Interoperability – Ability to exchange/merge information with other tools and environments
(Gkoumas & Lazarinis, 2015). For example, can it handle MARC, MARC21, and Dublin Core?
Software Requirements – Necessity to install additional software to operate the software’s
features (Gkoumas & Lazarinis, 2015). For example, Koha requires the Apache Web Server and
MySQL database.

 Integrated Library Systems (ILS/LMS): “Integrated set of applications that perform
business and technical functions of a library, including acquisitions, cataloging, circulation,
and public access” (ODLIS)
 Koha (developed by Katipo Communications in 1999) (http://www.koha.org/)
 Evergreen (developed by Equinox Software) (http://evergreen-ils.org/)
 Discovery Service/Layer: “A single interface, providing integrated access to multiple
information resources by using subject indexing and metadata” (ODLIS)
 Blacklight, in association with Ruby (http://projectblacklight.org/)
 VuFind (developed by the Villanova University’s Falvey Memorial Library)
(http://vufind-org.github.io/vufind/)
 Digital Library/Repository: “A library in which a significant proportion of the resources are
available in machine-readable format…can serve as a means of preserving and
disseminating scholarly information” (ODLIS)
 Greenstone (developed by the New Zealand Digital Library
Project)(http://www.greenstone.org/)
 Fedora Commons (developed by the Fedora Leadership Group)(http://fedora-
commons.org/about/)

 Email
 Hypermail (http://www.hypermail-project.org/)
 Web-Browsing:
 SWISH-E (Simple Web Indexing System for Humans-Enhanced)
(http://www.searchtools.com/tools/swish.html)
 Firefox (https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/?scene=2)
 Databases:
 MySQL (http://www.mysql.com/)
 Operating Systems:
 Linux (http://www.linux.org/)
 Ubuntu (https://www.ubuntu.com/)
 Electronic Resource Management (ERM): “Developed to assist librarians in the control of
licensed third-party resources published electronically” (ODLIS)
 Coral (developed by Notre Dame) (http://coral-erm.org/)
 CUFTS (developed by Simon Frasier University) (http://lib-
code.lib.sfu.ca/projects/CUFTS/)

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats
 Strengths:
 Initial Cost
 Community of developers
 Derivative works
 Weaknesses:
 Interoperability
 Software Requirements
 Maintenance cost
 Opportunities:
 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education
 Libraries desiring more control over software
 Threats:
 Lack of resources: financial, human, technology
 Preferences for “proven” software

 Planning:
 Meetings, meetings, meetings! (Singh, 2014)
 Consider library size (collection, resources, users, etc.) (Tennant, 2000; Gkoumas & Lazarinis,
2015)
 Consider hardware and software changes (Makori & Osebe, 2016)
 Consider current staff (Tennant, 2000)
 Consider the readiness of the parent organization (Makori & Osebe, 2016)
 Determine core functions (Bissels, 2008; Kamble, Raj & Sangeeta, 2012; Macan, Fernandez &
Stojanovski, 2013)
 Implementation:
 Project leadership must understand the library’s vision (Makori & Osebe, 2016)
 Customized training for users/administrators (Tennant, 2000; Morten-Owens, Hanson & Walls, 2011;
Makori & Osebe, 2016)
 Data migration, conversion, and upload (Thompson, 2012); Makori & Osebe, 2016)
 Configuration (web pages, modules, layers) (Morten-Owens, Hanson & Walls, 2011)

 Implementation (continued):
 New employees (Tennant, 2000; Madhusudhan & Singh, 2016)
 Information & communications infrastructure (Makori & Osebe, 2016)
 Upgrade computer hardware and software (Makori & Osebe, 2016)
 Maintenance:
 Ongoing staff training (Tennant, 2000)
 Software patches/updates (Morten-Owens, Hanson & Walls, 2011; Londhe & Patil, 2015)
 Technical support (Londhe & Patil, 2015; Makori & Osebe, 2016)

Applications to Public, Special, and Academic Libraries
 Public Library (community):
 ILS
 Digital library collections (E-journals, etc.)
 Digital repository (preservation)
 Discovery Service/Layer
 Suggestions/Tips for Public Libraries:
 Consider consortia for OSS implementation and maintenance
 Consider onsite or regional Information Technology (IT) support

Applications to Public, Special, and Academic Libraries
 Special Library (law firm, corporation, etc.):
 Digital library collection (E-journals, etc.)
 Discovery Service/Layer
 E-publishing
 Academic Library (university, college):
 ILS
 Digital library collections (E-journals, etc.)
 Digital repository (preservation, faculty scholarship)
 Geospatial data processing
 E-publishing
 Suggestions and Tips for Special Libraries and Academic Libraries
 Hire staff to install/maintain the software (if needed) (Tennant, 2000)
 Have a project leader who understands and communicates the library’s vision

Helpful Resources
 Suggestions and Tips for any Library:
 Staff need to be trained and believe that the OSS is a solution (Misra, 2011)
 Read the software licensing agreement: Does it fit with the library’s use of the
software? (Muller, 2011; Morton-Owens, Hanson & Walls, 2011)
 Evaluate the sustainability of the OSS provider (Muller, 2011)
 Match the OSS with the needs of the library and its users (Muller, 2011)

References
Anderson, E. K. (2014). Electronic resource management systems and related products. Library Technology Reports
50(3), 30-42.
Anuradha, K. T., Sivakaminathan, R., & Kumar, P. A. (2011). Open-source tools for enhancing full-texting searching
of OPACs: Use of Koha, Greenstone and Fedora. Program: Electronic Library and Information Systems 45(2),
231-239. doi: 10.1108/00330331111129750
Barber, M., Holden, C., & Mayo, J. L. (2016). Customizing an open source discovery layer at East Carolina University
Libraries: The cataloger’s role in developing a replacement for a traditional online catalog. Library Resources &
Technical Services 60(3), 182-190.
Bissels, G. (2008). Implementation of an open source library management system: Experiences with Koha 3.0 at the
Royal London Homeopathic Hospital. Program 42(3), 303-314. doi: 10.1108/00330330810892703
Breeding, M. (2016, May 2). Library Systems Report 2016. American Libraries 47(5), 30-43.
Choi, N. (2014). The application profiles and development characteristics of library open source software projects.
Library Hi Tech 32(2), 260-275. doi: 10.1108/LHT-09-2013-0127
Choi, N., & Pruett, J. A. (2015). The characteristics and motivations of library open source software developers: An empirical
study. Library & Information Science Research 37, 109-117. doi: 10.1016.j.lisr.2015.02.007
Chudnov, D. (1999). Open source software: The future of library systems? Library Journal 124(13), 40-43.
Colazo, J., & Fang, Y. (2009). Impact of license choice on open source software development activity. Journal of
the American Society for Information Science and Technology 60(5), 997-1011. doi: 10.1002/asi.21039
Corbly, J. E. (2014). The free software alternative: Freeware, open-source software, and libraries. Information
Technology and Libraries 33(3), 65-75.
Dorman, D. (2002). Open source software and the intellectual commons: The digital frontier provides a new front
for the informational control wars. American Libraries 33(11), 51-54.
Gkoumas, G., & Lazarinis, F. (2015). Evaluation and usage scenarios of open source digital library and collection
management tools. Program 49(3), 226-241. doi: 10.1108/PROG-09-2014-0070
Hall, K., Ames, C. M., & Brice, J. (2013). Open source library software development in a small rural library system. Code4lib
Journal 19, 1-10.

References
Kamble, V. T., Ran, H., & Sangeeta. (2012). Open source library management and digital library software.
DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology 32(5), 388-392.
Kaplan, D. (2009). Choosing a digital asset management system that’s right for you. Journal of Archival
Organization 7, 33-40. doi: 10/1080/15332740902897360
Londhe, N. L., & Patil, S. K. (2015). Success and abandonment of OSS library management systems.
DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology 35(6), 398-407.
Macan, B., Fernandez, G. V., & Stojanovski, J. (2013). Open source solutions for libraries: ABCD vs Koha.
Program 47(2), 136-154. doi: 10/1108/00330331311313726
Makori, E. O., & Osebe, N. M. (2016). Koha enterprise resource planning system and its potential impact on
information management organizations. Library Hi Tech News 33(4), 17-23. doi: 10.1108/LHTN-01-2016-
0005
Madhusudahn, M., & Singh, V. (2016). Integrated library management systems: Comparative analysis of
Koha, Libsys, NewGenLib, and Virtua. The Electronic Library 34(2), 223-249. doi: 10.1108/EL-08-2014-
0127
Misra, I., Moorthi, S., Gambhir, R. K., & Ramakrishnan, R. (2011). Evolutionary rapid development using open
source framework for geospatial data processing. Trends in Information Management 7(1), 31-40. Molyneux,
R. E. (2011). An open source ILS glossary: Version 2. Public Library Quarterly 30, 165-176. doi:
10.1080/01616846.2011.578054
Morten-Owens, E. G., Hanson, K. L., & Walls, I. (2011). Implementing open-source software for three core library
functions: A stage-by-stage comparison. Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries 8(1), 1-14. doi:
10/1080/15424065.2011.551486
Muller, T. (2011). How to choose a free and open source integrated library system. OCLC Systems & Services:
International Digital Library Perspectives 27(1), 57-78. doi: 10.1108/1065075111116573
Open Source Intiative. (n.d.). Open Source Definition (Annotated). Retrieved from
https://opensource.org/osd.html.
Open Source Initiative. (n.d.). Open Standards Requirement for Software. Retrieved from
https://opensource.org/osr.

References
Palmer, A., & Choi, N. (2014). The current state of library open source software research. Library Hi Tech 32(1), 11-27.
doi: 10.1108/LHT-05-2013-0056
Parsons, J. J. (2016). New Perspectives on Computer Concepts, 2016, Introductory. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Samuels, R. G., & Griffy, H. (2012). Evaluating open source software for use in library initiatives: A case study
involving electronic publishing. portal: Libraries and the Academy 12(1), 41-62. doi: 10.1353/pla.2012.0007
Sarma, G. K. (2016). OPAC module in open source library management software: A comparative study. DESICOC
Journal of Library & Information Technology 36(1), 56-61. doi: 10.14429/djlit.36.1.9223
Singh, M., & Sanaman, G. (2012). Open source integrated library management systems. The Electronic Library 30(6),
809-832. doi: 10/1108/02640471211282127
Singh, V. (2014). A case study of migration to an open source ILS: Partnership among state libraries. Qualitative and
Quantitative Methods in Libraries (QQML), Special Issue 2014, 59-68.
Tennant, R. (2000). The role of open source software. Library Journal 125(1), 36.
Thompson, K. J. (2012). Free as in freedom, not as in beer: Free and open source software ILS and the library
community. B Sides, 1-17.

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