Practical Open Source Software for Libraries (Chandos Information Professional Series)

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{u2019}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 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

The library community is abuzz about open source software. Open source usually refers to an application whose source code is made available for use or modification as users see fit. Make sense? Probably not! Would it help if you knew that open source is not just about programming, but about following a philosophy? Still confused? Not surprising. What will open source mean to our libraries? More flexibility and freedom than software purchased with license restrictions. This is an important path for libraries to consider. Why open source? Because both the open source community and the library world live by the same rules and principles. This book will give you the facts and dispel myths about open source. The chapters will not only introduce librarians to what open source is and what it means for libraries, but also provide readers with links to a toolbox full of freely available open source products to use in their libraries. Foreword Introduction Introduction to Open Source What is Open Source Community and Open Source Debunking the Myths Open Source and Libraries Practical Applications for Libraries Open Source for Day to Day Operations Open Source Web Access Open Source Media Applications Open Source on the Web Open Source Collections Open Source Research Tools Open Source Library Automation Afterword Appendices Additional References Web Links Survey Results Index