Practical Open Source Software for Libraries

Practical Open Source Software for Libraries

Released September 2010
Publisher(s): Chandos Publishing
ISBN: 9781780630434

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

Open source refers to an application whose source code is made available for use or modification as users see fit. This means libraries gain more flexibility and freedom than with software purchased with license restrictions. Both the open source community and the library world live by the same rules and principles. Practical Open Source Software for Libraries explains the facts and dispels myths about open source. Chapters introduce librarians to open source and what it means for libraries. The reader is provided with links to a toolbox full of freely available open source products to use in their libraries.

  • Provides a toolbox of practical software that librarians can use both inside and out of the library
  • Draws on the author’s wide-ranging practical experience with open source software both in and out of the library community
  • Includes real life examples from libraries and librarians of all types and locations

Table of contents

  1. Cover image
  2. Title page
  3. Table of Contents
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. List of figures and tables
  7. Foreword
  8. About the author
  9. About the website
  10. Acknowledgements
  11. Introduction
  12. Part 1: Introduction to Open Source
    1. Chapter 1: What is open source?
      1. Scratching an itch
      2. Freedom for all
      3. The costs of open source
      4. Prevalence of open source
      5. Sharing
    2. Chapter 2: Community and open source
      1. Working for open source
      2. Working together
      3. Governing in open source
      4. Health of the community
    3. Chapter 3: Debunking the myths
      1. Homegrown is not open source
      2. How can it be any good if it’s free?
      3. Security and open source
      4. Not worth the risk
    4. Chapter 4: Open source and libraries
      1. Library budgets
      2. Gift cultures
      3. Thinking ahead
  13. Part 2: Practical Applications for Libraries
    1. Chapter 5: Open source for day to day operations
      1. Operating system
      2. Virtual machines
      3. Office suite
      4. Statistics and data gathering
      5. Improving day to day services
    2. Chapter 6: Open source web access
      1. Open source web browsing
      2. Expanding Firefox
      3. A new browsing experience
      4. Open source emailing
      5. Instant messaging
      6. A web of options
    3. Chapter 7: Open source media applications
      1. Photo editing
      2. Desktop publishing
      3. Audio editing
      4. Screencasting
      5. Conclusion
    4. Chapter 8: Open source on the web
      1. Getting files onto the web
      2. Content management
      3. Consulting with colleagues
      4. Wikis
      5. Conclusion
    5. Chapter 9: Open sourcing collections
      1. Digital collections
      2. Institutional repositories
      3. Community built collections
      4. Baskets of knowledge
    6. Chapter 10: Open source research tools
      1. Subject guides
      2. Additional research tools
      3. Online course management
      4. Teaching our patrons
    7. Chapter 11: Open source library automation
      1. Open source faces
      2. Open source it all
      3. Taking the leap
  14. Afterword
  15. Appendix 1: Survey results
  16. Appendix 2: Web links
  17. Appendix 3: Additional references
  18. Index

Product information

  • Title: Practical Open Source Software for Libraries
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: September 2010
  • Publisher(s): Chandos Publishing
  • ISBN: 9781780630434