Open Source Software and Its Impact on Libraries

No doubt, we live in a time of rapidly changing technologies. While many of these innovations can streamline library processes and enhance the patron’s library experience, this is not without cost. Wealthy libraries with extensive resources can purchase the latest and greatest tech tools, while their counterparts of more modest means often cannot. So what can cash-strapped libraries do to bridge this gap in technology? Open source software may offer some solutions.

What is Open Source Software (OSS)?

Simply defined, OSS is nonproprietary, technology-neutral software in which its creators allow the software’s source code to be modified and redistributed freely. According to the Open Source Initiative, OSS has ten components:

1. Free redistribution - the software’s license allows for redistribution without fees
2. Source code -the software’s source code is available to developers
3. Derived works - the license lets users modify the software’s source code
4. Integrity of the author’s source code - some licenses may require that modifications to the original source code be renamed or distributed through patches
5. No discrimination against patrons/groups - inclusion maximizes user diversity, which brings more benefits to the open source process
6. No discrimination against fields of endeavor - the software may be used by any organization: commercial, nonprofit, etc.
7. Distribution of license - the software’s license must transfer along with the software
8. License must not be specific to a product ? the software cannot be tied to a specific software distribution
9. License must not restrict other software - no restrictions can be placed on other software that comes with the open source software
10. License must be technology neutral - the software can be used on different operating systems and platforms
    

Benefits

Besides its low or no cost, there are many benefits of OSS. The development of OSS is typically a personal endeavor embarked by someone who is trying to find a solution to a problem, unlike a software vendor whose primary goal is to sell a product. Through its free redistribution and accessible source code, OSS encourages a community of sharing and collaboration. “Users and developers produce documentation, write installation guides and answer specific support questions in forums, not because they are bound by contract, but because they can learn more about the software that they, too, are using.” (Colford, 2009)

Customization is another useful feature of OSS. Because users have access to the source code, they can tailor the software to their specific needs. “Open source software works from the idea that you can use and develop the software as you need it…Potentially you can customize it how best suits you.” (Routt, 2008) Unlike proprietary software, OSS users can take an active role in developing it or improving it. As Amy Begg De Groff, IT director of the Howard County Library, noted, “[W]hen you want a change to open source software, you make the change. Or, as we’ve found a few times, you search and find out that someone has already done what you want, and you merely use their code and credit their idea.” (De Groff, 2008)

Challenges

Even though OSS’s license allows for free redistribution of its software, OSS is rarely without cost. Especially in the case of ILS and CMS software, “open source may carry a plethora of hidden costs in development and maintenance.” (Colford, 2009) If libraries do not have sufficiently tech-savvy staff that can program, then they may have to hire more people for in-house tech support or contract for outside help. This reality check may explain why many people consider OSS as “free as in free kittens.” (Gordon, 2008)

Another challenge that proponents of OSS face is the perception that OSS does not offer the same kind of value as proprietary software. Unlike proprietary software, OSS usually does not have any kind of tech support call center. “Free and open source software application users, on the other hand, must rely on development communities for support.” (Colford, 2009) For library staff who may not have the programming skills or confidence, this lack of formal support can be daunting.

Examples of OSS

There are an abundance of OSS tools that libraries can use in their day-to-day operations. A few examples include: integrated library software (ILS), like Koha and Evergreen; content management software (CMS), such as Drupal; operating systems, such as Ubuntu; productivity software, like OpenOffice and Zoho; Web browser Firefox; e-mail clients Thunderbird and SquirrelMail; filters DansGuardian and SquidGuard; and blogging software, like WordPress and 6010’s Blogger.

Who’s Using OSS?

The Howard County Library in Maryland may be the most OSS-intensive library in the U.S. In 2005, the library began moving toward an OSS-based system, installing Groovix, a version of Ubuntu, and OpenOffice on its 300 public-access computer terminals. According to IT Director Amy Begg De Groff, it cost the library less than $10 a computer to migrate to an OSS system.

While most libraries have not adopted OSS to the same extent as the Howard County Library, most have already integrated some OSS tools into their arsenal. As Scot Colford stated, “Realizing that your organization is already a hybrid environment helps administrators and staff realize that a relationship with open source can be more like a respectful, close friendship than a toxic, codependent marriage.” (Colford, 2008) In Connecticut, the Darien Library uses Innovative Interface’s Millennium, a proprietary-based ILS, along with Drupal, an open source CMS, to create a dynamic, interactive library Web site.

Evergreen, an open source ILS, was developed for and is used by PINES (Public Information Network for Electronic Services), a consortium of over 275 public libraries in Georgia. Since its launch, it has been installed in a variety of libraries around the world, including shared catalogs administered by the Indiana State Library, which has fifty-three public libraries using Evergreen, and the Michigan Library Consortium, which currently has seven libraries sharing the system.

Conclusion

As the costs of frequently emerging technologies rise, minimizing the disparity of resources between well-off and less wealthy libraries is a real challenge. With its accessible source code, ease of customization, and growing user community, OSS is a viable tool that can help level the playing field for libraries.

References

Colford, Scot (2009). Explaining Free and Open Source Software. Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 35(2), 10-14.

Georgia Public Library Service (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2009, from http://www.georgialibraries.org/public/pines.php

Gordon, Rachel Singer & West, Jessamyn (2008). What Can Open Source Do for You? Computers in Libraries, 28(44-45).

Groff, Amy Begg De (2008). Using Open Source to Give Patrons What They Want. Computers in Libraries, 28(3), 6-10.

Indiana State Library (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2009, from http://www.in.gov/library/evergreen.htm

Open Source Initiative (n.d.). Retrieved July 14, 2009, from http://www.opensource.org/docs/osd

Michigan Evergreen (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2009, from http://www.mlcnet.org/evergreen/

Molyneux, Robert E. (2009). Evergreen in Context. Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 35(2), 26-30.

Routt, Deidre (2008). The Open Source Task Force. Nebraska Library Association Quarterly, 39(4), 3-5.

West, Jessamyn (2009). Ten Open Source Tools. Computers in Libraries, 29(2), 44-45.