Open Source Software in Libraries

Open Source for Libraries Nicole C. Engard Vice President of
Education, ByWater Solutions Koha Documentation Manager Author, The Accidental Systems Librarian 2d & Practical Open Source Software for Libraries tasl.web2learning.net & opensource.web2learning.net [email protected] Friday, March 1, 13

What isn’t Open Source? • “Isn’t that insecure?” • “I
don’t want to share my data!” • “How can it be any good if it’s free?” • “We don’t have the staﬀ to handle open source.” Common Open Source FUD (Fear, Uncertainty & Doubt) Comic: Author: Unknown | Year: Unknown | Source: Unknown Friday, March 1, 13

What is Open Source? Open source soCware is soCware that
users have the ability to run, distribute, study and modify for any purpose. Open source is a collaboraEve soCware-‐development method that harnesses the power of peer review and transparency of process to develop code that is freely accessible.1 Open source draws on an ecosystem of thousands of developers and customers all over the world to drive innovaEon.2 1,2 h<p://connect.educause.edu/display/47941 Friday, March 1, 13

What is Free Software? •OCen you will hear Free &
Open Source SoCware (F/OSS) in conjuncEon. •The Free SoCware DefiniEon (hQp://www.gnu.org/philosophy/ free-‐sw.html) is similar to, but not idenEcal to the Open Source DefiniEon (hQp://www.opensource.org/docs/definiEon.php) •Free does not mean free of cost -‐ it means Free as in Freedom Friday, March 1, 13

4 Freedoms of Free Software • You need all four
of these freedoms to have free soCware • Freedom of use • Freedom to copy • Freedom to modify • Freedom to contribute hQp://www.web2learning.net/archives/4263 Friday, March 1, 13

Sharing of ideas "If you have an apple and I
have an apple and we exchange apples, then you and I will sEll each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas." AQributed to Bernard Shaw http://ftacademy.org/materials/fsm/1#1 Friday, March 1, 13

The Cathedral (proprietary so4ware) • Development occurs behind
walls • Source code is usually not provided -‐ kept locked up • Corporate hierarchy The Bazaar (open source so4ware) •Code developed over the Internet with several others in public view •Source code open to all users •“Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow” h<p://www.catb.org/~esr/wriIngs /cathedral-‐bazaar/cathedral-‐bazaar/ The Cathedral & The Bazaar Friday, March 1, 13

Open Source Governance What kind of quality control is there?
•Most open source projects have a release manager or a manager of some sort who reviews the code and approves it before adding it to the ﬁnal release What is the role of the community? •The community looks out for the best interests of the soSware. They work as the governing body behind all decisions related to the soSware. The community decides what features to develop next and who the managers are. Friday, March 1, 13

Open Source Community •Open source is about more than free
soCware •Community is crucial to the growth of open source •Without shared knowledge and collaboraEon the project will not grow •“CriEquing the community is a right reserved for those who have proved themselves by making valuable contribuEons”1 •People who use open source can collaborate and contribute in many ways with the community 1. Tapscott, Don, and Anthony D. Williams. “Embracing open source culture and strategy.” In Wikinomics: How mass collaboration changes everything, 82-83. Expanded Edition. New York, NY: Penguin USA, 2008. www.wikinomics.com/book/. •Write code •Write documentaEon •Debug •Educate others Friday, March 1, 13

“Crowdsourcing has it genesis in the open source movement in
soCware. The development of the Linux operaEng system proved that a community of like-‐minded peers was capable of creaEng a beQer product than a corporate behemoth like MicrosoC. Open source revealed a fundamental truth about humans that had gone largely unnoEced unEl the connecEvely of the Internet brought it into high relief: labor can oCen be organized more efficiently in the context of a community than it can in the context of the corporaEon. The best person to do a job is the one who most wants to do that job; and the best people to evaluate their performance are their friends and peers who, by the way, will enthusiasEcally pitch in to improve the final product, simply for the sheer pleasure of helping one another and creaEng something beauEful from which they all will benefit.” Howe, J. (2008). Crowdsourcing: Why the power of the crowd is driving the future of business. New York: Crown Business. p.8 Open Source Crowdsourcing Friday, March 1, 13

Believing in Openness If you don't know why you do
what you do then how will you ever get people to be loyal and want to be a part of what you do? The goal is not just to sell to people what you have, it's to sell people on what you believe -‐ the goal is not to hire people who want a job it's to hire people who believe what you believe. If you hire people just because they can do a job they will work for your money -‐ if you hire people who believe what you believe they work for you with blood and sweat and tears. Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire acEon hQp://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_ how_great_leaders_inspire_acEon.html Friday, March 1, 13

Open Source is Easy! “The hard drive on one of
our reference desk PCs died today. I threw in a new one, but I didn't feel like spending the day siing through Windows updates, so I loaded Ubuntu 11.04 on it instead. The install, as I'm sure you know, only took about 15 minutes. Now, before I add my next point, keep in mind that I manage a staff whose average age is about 63. No joke. Most of them have been working at my facility longer than I've been alive. SEll, once I had Ubuntu up and running, they were literally fighEng over who got to use the new operaEng system. They loved it that much. Now I agree, Linux kicks buQ. I use it about 80% of the Eme. Typing to you on Mint right now! However, I never expected novice users to take to it so quickly. Please, next Eme you do an open source webinar, impress on your aQendees that libraries aren't sacrificing a thing by switching over to open source soCware. If anything, open source operaEng systems and applicaEons can be far more user friendly for the novice user than Windows will ever be...” -‐-‐ Mark at the The Rahway Public Library Friday, March 1, 13

Who’s Using Open Source? •Government Agencies •All Kinds of Businesses
•Schools (K-‐colleges) •Librarians Friday, March 1, 13

http://www.unisys.com/unisys/news/detail.jsp?id=5100086&pid=&sid=203 2007 Survey Results Open Source in Business Friday, March
1, 13

• In 2010 a survey of 300 large organizaEons in
both the private and public sector found: • 50% are fully commiQed to open source in their business • 28% say they are experimenEng with open source and keeping an open mind to using it • 38% expecEng to migrate mission-‐criEcal soCware to open source in next 12 months • The cost was no longer viewed as the key benefit, instead: • 76% cited quality as a key benefit of open source • 70% cited improved reliability • 69% said beQer security/bug fixing h<p://newsroom.accenture.com/ arIcle_display.cfm?arIcle_id=5045 Open Source in Business Friday, March 1, 13

Making money on open source • “IBM not only accepted
open source soCware products and processes but also its philosophy, which is to spur quality and fast growth rather than just proﬁts based on proprietary ownership of intellectual property.” • “Giving up so much control is unconvenEonal to say the least, but the rewards for doing so have been handsome. IBM spends about $100 million per year on Linux development. If the Linux community puts in $1 billion of eﬀort, and even half of that is useful to IBM customers, the company gets $500 million of soCware development for an investment of $100 million.” Tapsco<, Don, and Anthony D. Williams. “Joining Linux.” In Wikinomics: How mass collaboraIon changes everything, 79-‐82. Expanded EdiIon. New York, NY: Penguin USA, 2008. h<p://www.wikinomics.com/book/. Friday, March 1, 13

Total AcEve Sites: 6/2000 to 7/2012 h<p://news.netcraS.com/archives/2012/07/03/july-‐2012-‐web-‐server-‐survey.html Open Source
On the Web Friday, March 1, 13

•Reliability through Peer Review •Freedom to Innovate •No Vendor Lock-‐in
•User-‐centric Development •CollaboraEve Environment •Zero License Fees Why so Popular? Friday, March 1, 13

Why Should Libraries Care? Friday, March 1, 13

Libraries and Open Source Both... • Believe that informaIon should
be freely accessible to everyone • Give away stuﬀ • Beneﬁt from the generosity of others • Are about communiIes • Make the world a be<er place -‐-‐ Horton, G. h<p://Inyurl.com/3jvumn Open Source & Libraries Friday, March 1, 13

Libraries and Open Source make the perfect pair [Librarians]
"are almost ethically required to use and develop open source soCware." Crawford, R. S. h<p://www.lugod.org/ presentaIons/oss4lib.pdf hQp://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/cavort/ 151687944/ Open Source & Libraries Friday, March 1, 13

2007 Survey Results h<p://www.unisys.com/unisys/news/detail.jsp?id=5100086&pid=&sid=203 Open Source & Libraries Friday,
March 1, 13

• Is there support? Do I have to know
how to program? • Do I have to skimp on features? • Isn’t Open Source risky? • Can I do it myself? Common quesEons libraries have: Open Source & Libraries Friday, March 1, 13

•ByWater SoluEons •Catalyst •Equinox •YourLibrarySite •And more! Is there support?
Do I have to know how to program? •If you want to contribute to the code -‐ Yes •If not you can use: •Support Providers •Local Students •Freelance Developers Support for Open Source Friday, March 1, 13

• Open Source developers follow the rule of “Release
early and release oCen” • Users vote with their dollars and Eme • Freedom to develop on your own • Developers love their products hQp://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/programwitch/ 2505184887/ Do I have to skimp on features? Friday, March 1, 13

• Casey Coleman, chief informaEon officer for the GSA
(U.S. General Services AdministraEon), said in a speech ... that the GSA heavily relies on open source to drive down costs, increase flexibility of IT dollars, and reduce risk. ‘You get much more transparency and interoperability, and that reduces your risk,’ she said. • h<p://news.cnet.com/ 8301-‐13505_3-‐9921115-‐16.html Isn’t Open Source Risky? • US Department of Defense memo encourages the use of open source with many reasons “including cost advantages, reduced risk of vendor lock-‐in, beQer security, and increased flexibility. It says that the posiEve aspects of open source soCware should be given consideraEon during procurement research. • h<p://arstechnica.com/open-‐source/news/ 2009/10/dod-‐military-‐needs-‐to-‐think-‐harder-‐ about-‐using-‐open-‐source.ars Friday, March 1, 13

For a total 284 days in 2006 (or more than
nine months out of the year), exploit code for known, unpatched criEcal flaws in pre-‐IE7 versions of the browser was publicly available on the Internet. Likewise, there were at least 98 days last year in which no soCware fixes from MicrosoC were available to fix IE flaws that criminals were acEvely using to steal personal and financial data from users. In a total of ten cases last year, instrucEons detailing how to leverage "criEcal" vulnerabiliEes in IE were published online before MicrosoC had a patch to fix them. In contrast, Internet Explorer's closest compeEtor in terms of market share -‐-‐ Mozilla's Firefox browser -‐-‐ experienced a single period lasEng just nine days last year in which exploit code for a serious security hole was posted online before Mozilla shipped a patch to remedy the problem. h<p://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2007/01/ internet_explorer_unsafe_for_2.html Isn’t Open Source Risky? Friday, March 1, 13

Risk of Proprietary Software • “Closed-‐source efforts oCen suffer from
flaws and problems which the original development team never anEcipated. Lack of inspecEon of the code by other programmers can mean that inappropriate design constraints and other errors might not be discovered unEl the code is already in use.” Pavlicek, Russell. Embracing insanity : open source soSware development. Indianapolis IN: SAMS, 2000. p. 33. Friday, March 1, 13

Risk of Proprietary Software • “In its 2011 Coverity Scan
Open Source Integrity Report, which was released on Thursday, Coverity actually found that open source code has fewer defects per thousand lines of code than proprietary soCware code does.” Noyes, Katherine. “Actually, Open Source Code Is Be<er: Report.” PCWorld Business Center, February 23, 2012. h<p://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/arIcle/250543/ actually_open_source_code_is_be<er_report.html. Friday, March 1, 13

All soSware has risks, you need to evaluate open source
the same way you do proprietary systems. Several Levels of Risk to consider: • SoSware security issues • Open source is just as secure if not more secure than proprietary systems because of its transparency • Evaluate open source soSware no diﬀerently than you do other soSware! • Company mergers and acquisiIons • Because you own the code to your system you are not Ied to one support source and will never be leS without support Software is Risky! Friday, March 1, 13

•Absolutely, with the right in-‐house skills •Systems knowledge •Linux server
management •Web programming •Perl / PHP / MySQL Can I do it Myself? Friday, March 1, 13

Some Numbers Friday, March 1, 13

When asked what Open Source apps they use at work,
977 librarians and library workers answered as follows hQp://opensource.web2learning.net/archives/category/survey-‐ results Open Source & Libraries Friday, March 1, 13

When asked why they chose and open source app, 977
librarians and library workers answered as follows hQp://opensource.web2learning.net/archives/category/survey-‐ results Open Source & Libraries Friday, March 1, 13

Give me some examples!! Give me some examples!! Friday, March
1, 13

Operating System • Is and always will be free of
charge • Ubuntu contains all the applications you'll ever need: • word processing • email applications • web server software • programming tools • games • Designed with security in mind • Great for patron stations!! Jessamyn installs Ubuntu in her library: http://vimeo.com/4169783 Lock down Ubuntu for Patron Stations: http://ashkev.weblogs.us/ archives/478 Download Ubuntu: http://ubuntu.com Friday, March 1, 13

Virtual Machine • Try operating systems without reformatting your machine
• Run as many virtual machines as you’d like • Runs operating system concurrently without using up too many resources • Great way to demo software without making the switch right away http://www.virtualbox.org Friday, March 1, 13

Email/Web Browser Friday, March 1, 13

Web Browser • Customizable with Plugins • Offers more security
that IE • Phishing protection • Built in pop up blocker • Spyware protection • Private Browsing • Frequent updates • Built in spell checking • Built in RSS recognition Download: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/ﬁrefox/ Security Facts: http://en-us.www.mozilla.com/en-US/ﬁrefox/security/ Browser Stats: http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp Friday, March 1, 13

Web Browser •Google Chrome is a newer open source browsing
option •Available for many operating systems •More security than IE: •Malware protection •Spyware protection •Anti-Phishing •Private browsing •Extend functionality with plugins http://chrome.google.com https://chrome.google.com/extensions/ Security: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9143518/ Chrome_sets_browser_security_standard_says_expert Friday, March 1, 13

Email Client • Customizable with Plugins • Message Tagging •
Saved Searches • High security • Phishing protection • Junk mail folder • Remote image blocking • Easy integration with Google Apps and popular web mail services http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/ Friday, March 1, 13

Must Have Thunderbird Plugins •Lightening •Adds a Sunbird (another Mozilla
product) type calendar to Thunderbird •http://www.mozilla.org/projects/ calendar/lightning/ •Provider for Google Calendar •Connects Lightning with Google Calendar •https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/ thunderbird/addon/4631 Tutorial: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-integrate-google- calendar-into-thunderbird/ Friday, March 1, 13

Desktop Apps Friday, March 1, 13

Complete Office Suite • Works on most operating systems •
Similar menus to other office suites • Save files in a variety of formats for interoperability with other office suites • Mature/established applications • Includes full office suite: • word processor • spreadsheet • presentation manager • drawing program • database application www.libreofﬁce.org Friday, March 1, 13

Desktop Publishing • Works on most operating systems • Professional
page layout • Comes with a combination of "press-ready" output and new approaches to page layout • Supports professional publishing features, such as CMYK color, separations, ICC color management and versatile PDF creation • Non-Latin script handling in PDFs • Several translations http://www.scribus.net Friday, March 1, 13

Photo Editing • Works on most operating systems • Supports
photo retouching and image creation • Includes a customizable interface and plugins for extended functionality • Supports most photo formats • Available in several languages http://gimp.org http://www.gimpshop.com Friday, March 1, 13

Media Friday, March 1, 13

Screencasting •Works on Windows only •Records actions on your screen
•Multi-Language support •Records audio from system speakers •Features include the ability to: •Add System Time Stamp To Video •Add Caption To Video •Add Watermark To Video http://camstudio.org Friday, March 1, 13

Screencasting • Works on Windows only • Record software demonstrations
and tutorials • Include • Voice • Webcam • Text • Publish in Flash, view on our website or yours http://www.webinaria.com Friday, March 1, 13

On the Web Friday, March 1, 13

Online Surveys • Install on your own servers • WYSIWYG
HTML Editor • User-Management • Free with no limits on number of surveys or responses • Multi-Lingual Surveys in more than 50 languages • Integration of pictures and movies into a survey • Creation of a printable survey version • Anonymous and Not-Anonymous survey • Open and closed group of participant surveys • Optional public registration for surveys http://limesurvey.org Friday, March 1, 13

Content Management •Easy to install and customize •Allows for detailed
user permissions •Plugins for events calendar, widgets, photo galleries and more •Thousands of pre-made themes •Includes content management functionality •Built-in search engine •Support multiple authors and blogs •Can run an entire library website or intranet http://wordpress.org Friday, March 1, 13

Advanced Content Management • More advanced interface and installation process
• Expandable with Modules • The Drupal community has contributed many modules which provide functionality that extend Drupal core • Extensive online/print help • Both the content and the presentation can be individualized based on user-defined preferences. • Role based permission system http://drupal.org http://listserv.uic.edu/archives/drupal4lib.html Friday, March 1, 13

Course Management •Web-based classrooms •Permissions for students, teachers and administrators
•Built-in chat rooms and message boards •Suitable for 100% online classes as well as supplementing face-to-face learning •Multiple languages, themes, plugins and activity modules •Includes modules for assignment and quizzes http://moodle.org Friday, March 1, 13

Research Friday, March 1, 13

Library Plugin •Open Source browser plugin for Firefox and Chrome
•Provides access to library resources from the browser •Uses an open source framework from which editions for specific libraries can be built •Currently, 850+ academic and public libraries have created public LibX editions •Integrates into popular websites (Google Scholar, Amazon, Barnes & Noble) http://libx.org Friday, March 1, 13

Research Assistant • Open source Firefox extension (standalone version in
alpha) • Helps you collect, manage, and cite research resources • Playlist-like organization • Allows for note-taking • Includes saved searches and tags • Integration with MS Office & Open Office • Data stored in your web browser • Can store of files and bibliography online as well • Allows for shared collections http://zotero.org http://www.zotero.org/translators http://www.zotero.org/support/standalone http://research.library.gsu.edu/zotero Friday, March 1, 13

Library Apps Friday, March 1, 13

Reference Stats •Provides a simple way for library reference &
service desks to track statistics on the number of questions asked •Provides tools to build a simple knowledge base •Web-based •Runs on Linux or Windows Server http://code.google.com/p/libstats/ Friday, March 1, 13

OPAC • Blacklight OPAC • Allows for indexing multiple types
of objects from the repository with separate metadata standards • Allows for searching of bib records alongside digital library items • Friendly interface • RSS Feeds for search results • Facetted Searching • Cover images • Speedy/Friendly search engine http://projectblacklight.org http://blacklight.betech.virginia.edu Friday, March 1, 13

OPAC •Works with several ILSes • Faceted results • Save
lists • Zotero integration • Persistent URLs • Author biographies • Similar items searching • Browsable http://vuﬁnd.org http://vuﬁnd.org/wiki/ils_support_list Friday, March 1, 13

CMS & OPAC in One •CMS and OPAC with faceted
searching and browsing features •Leverages WordPress to offer rich content management features for all a library’s content •Free and open source •Represents library catalogs in an easily searchable, highly remixable web-based format http://about.scriblio.net Friday, March 1, 13

CMS & OPAC in One •SOPAC (Social Online Public Access
Catalog) is a module for the Drupal CMS that provides integration of your library catalog within Drupal while allowing users to tag, rate, and review your holdings. •Faceted browsing •Ability to remove search limiters •Saved searches •Integrated renewals, holds placement, and fine payment •Ability to customize the user experience via the administrative control panel •100% customizable interface via the Drupal template system http://thesocialopac.net Friday, March 1, 13

• Installs to your desktop • Offers the following functions
• Cataloging • Circulation • Patron Management • Acquisitions • Serials •Reporting • Software available for free & Data is yours! http://open-ils.org Desktop-Based Integrated Library System Friday, March 1, 13

• Fully web-based ILS • Offers same features as the
proprietary ILS • Cataloging • Circulation • Patron Management • Acquisitions • Serials •Reporting • Software available for free & Data is yours! • Support available at reasonable prices http://koha-community.org Browser-Based Integrated Library System Friday, March 1, 13

Now What? Friday, March 1, 13

Play Time • Start downloading and installing applicaEons
that will make things more efficient (and possibly affordable) for you. hQp://www.flickr.com/photos/nengard/ 3253133986/ Friday, March 1, 13

Portable Play •Can’t install soCware on your work computer?
•Try PortableApps: •Install on your USB drive and use many of these open source applicaEons without installing to the hard drive hQp://portableapps.com Friday, March 1, 13

Local Play •Don’t have access to a web server? •Try
BitNami: •Free, easy to setup wikis, blogs, forums and many other web applicaEons that you can run locally or in the cloud. BitNami makes deploying server soCware a simple and enjoyable process. h<p://bitnami.org/ Friday, March 1, 13

Additional Links •Open Source Living http://osliving.com •OSS Watch, open source
software advisory service: http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk •Open Source as Alternative http://www.osalt.com •Nicole’s Delicious bookmarks: http://delicious.com/nengard/opensource Friday, March 1, 13

OSS & Libraries Links • Open Source SoCware in Libraries
hQp://infomoEons.com/musings/ossnlibraries/ • Open Source SoCware and Libraries Bibliography zotero.org/groups/ freelibre_and_open_source_soCware_and_libraries_bibliography •PracEcal Open Source SoCware for Libraries hQp://opensource.web2learning.net/blog • Open Network Libraries hQp://onl.org.nz • FOSS4Lib hQp://foss4lib.org Friday, March 1, 13

Open Source Blogs • The Open Road hQp://www.cnet.com/openroad/ • Open
Ended from Ars Technica hQp://arstechnica.com/open-‐source • The H Open Source hQp://www.h-‐online.com/open/ • ZDNet Open Source hQp://blogs.zdnet.com/open-‐source • New York Times -‐ Open hQp://open.nyEmes.com • OpenSource.com hQp://opensource.com • Open Source at DatamaEon itmanagement.earthweb.com/osrc/ Friday, March 1, 13

Online Reading List • Open Source: Narrowing the Divides between
EducaEon, Business, and Community hQp://connect.educause.edu/display/47941 • The concepts of Free SoCware & Open Standards: IntroducEon to Free SoCware hQp://Cacademy.org/materials/fsm/1#1 • We Love Open Source SoCware. No, You Can’t Have Our Code hQp://journal.code4lib.org/arEcles/527 • Open Source SoCware Tools And Directories: Where To Find Them, How To Evaluate Them hQp://www.masternewmedia.org/open-‐source-‐soCware-‐tools-‐and-‐directories-‐where-‐to-‐ﬁnd-‐them-‐ how-‐to-‐evaluate-‐them/ • Open Source Security Bibliography hQp://www.zotero.org/nengard/items/collecEon/QKWPIXK9 • Nicole’s Zotero Library hQp://www.zotero.org/nengard/items/collecEon/1796131 Friday, March 1, 13

Print Reading List • Prac?cal Open Source SoAware in Libraries
by Nicole C. Engard • The Cathedral and the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolu?onary by Eric S. Raymond • Embracing Insanity: Open Source SoAware Development by Russell Pavlicek • The success of open source by Steve Weber • The open source alterna?ve: Understanding risks and leveraging opportuni?es by Heather J. Meeker • Open Sources 2.0: The Con?nuing Evolu?on by Chris DiBona, Mark Stone, and Danese Cooper Friday, March 1, 13

Thank You! Nicole C. Engard Vice President of Education, ByWater
Solutions Author, Practical Open Source Software for Libraries opensource.web2learning.net Friday, March 1, 13

Open Source Software in Libraries

Open Source Software in Libraries

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