Open Source Software

Navigating the ecosystem

By Marshall Breeding | November 1, 2017

Open source software is a key option libraries should consider when implementing strategic technologies. Even though a greater number of libraries are adopting proprietary systems, open source products provide a viable alternative and exert competitive pressures, both in cost and innovation.

Integrated library systems (ILS), as well as the new genre of library services platforms, are offered to libraries primarily as proprietary products controlled by a single vendor. Libraries that use these products remain dependent on that vendor for ongoing software development, solutions to systemic problems, and service enhancements. While proprietary software remains the dominant approach, a growing percentage of libraries are adopting open source products. In fact, libraries with open source integrated systems report the same levels of satisfaction as those using proprietary products, according to the Perceptions 2016 survey on library automation.

Open source systems have been part of the overall automation landscape for more than 15 years and have become a well-established and mature option. Open source software principles are well understood, as are the relative advantages and disadvantages of its development models and support arrangements. The August/September 2017 issue of Library Technology Reports discusses some of the processes of software development, implementation, and support. Open source ILS products, such as Koha and Evergreen, have cultivated vibrant and well-coordinated communities that work diligently toward the continued enhancement and support of these products.

Open source initiatives encourage for-profit companies as well as nonprofits to become involved.

Open source projects generally involve collaborative development processes, where companies and individuals work together out of mutual interest to create and improve a product. This joint effort requires a robust communications process and effective tools. Most open source software development projects make use of several types of collaborative tools:

A public repository for storing source code, documentation, and other project resources. Many projects use GitHub.
An email distribution list. Most projects have one or more discussion lists to distribute news and other communications.
Real-time messaging. Open source projects often have an Internet Relay Chat or Slack channel for conversations among developers and project participants.
A website that provides general information, including links to all pertinent resources.

Open source initiatives often encourage for-profit companies as well as nonprofit organizations to become involved. While open source projects do not involve license fees, they provide many other opportunities for companies to provide services for which they can charge fees. For example, many companies have become involved with Koha, the most widely implemented open source ILS in the world. Technology revenues are increasingly derived from services than from direct sales of software licenses. Service fee categories include:

custom software development
implementation
hosting
help desk and support

Self-support for open source ILS products is relatively uncommon in the US, where libraries mostly engage with commercial support firms. Implementation in partnership with a commercial support provider requires no more in-house technical expertise than a proprietary product.

Open source today falls well within the mainstream of technology options. Evergreen and Koha have matured and offer functionality comparable with many proprietary products. The FOLIO project promises to create a new library services platform based on a modular design and the microservices architecture.

MARSHALL BREEDING is an independent consultant and editor of the website Library Technology Guides. Adapted from “Open Source Library Systems: The Current State of the Art,” Library Technology Reports vol. 53, no. 6 (Aug./Sept.).

Tagged Under

Less Is Not More

Rejecting resilience narratives for library workers

Rewriting the Standards

AASL’s revision aims to engage librarians and learners in personal and professional growth

Latest Library Links

59m

ALA announced the launch of its state Intellectual Freedom Helpline grant program April 22. Over the next two years, 10 pilot program sites will operate a confidential reporting system that will help connect those experiencing censorship attempts with professional support, in-state peers, or referral to ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, as appropriate. State or school library associations or agencies wishing to either establish an Intellectual Freedom Helpline in their state or expand existing efforts may apply for $10,000 grants through July 14.

ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, Apr. 22
2h

In celebration of the release of his latest nonfiction title, The Secret Lives of Booksellers & Librarians, bestselling author James Patterson is honoring select American Bookseller Association and American Library Association members with bonuses. He announced plans April 11 to give $200 each to 250 library workers across the country. The deadline for ALA members may nominate members to receive bonuses through April 30. Winners will be announced at ALA’s 2024 Annual Conference in San Diego.
17h

Catherine Hollerbach writes: “In early 2020, when the world shut down for COVID, many people got interested in houseplants. Anne Arundel County (Md.) Public Library’s Crofton Library embraced this trend and then some!” While preparing to reopen after the COVID shutdown, the library installed plants at the information desk to discourage patrons from sticking their heads through gaps in newly installed acrylic shields. They were well received and cared for, and the library gradually added more plants and built educational tools, programming, and partnerships around the plants.

Public Libraries Online, Apr. 18
20h

Rodney Freeman writes: “I am proud to be a librarian—and rare. Less than 7% of librarians in the US are Black. Libraries symbolize the literacy that was denied to so many of our ancestors. For our enslaved forebears, something as fundamental as learning to read was illegal and dangerous, but they did it anyway. Separate but ‘equal’ schools and ‘colored’ libraries filled with cast-offs from white libraries were key features of the Jim Crow era. Today we are seeing the same impulse to distort access to information into a tool to suppress and control, and to make some people ‘other.’”

Newsweek, Apr. 16
1d

Lori Birrell writes: “Staff want to feel valued, and they want their work to have an impact. A reorganization process can help leaders to surface such areas of impact and give staff a feeling of empowerment and value. Practitioners considering any sized reorganization are strongly encouraged to consider what models and resources will best support them as they plan and lead this work. Regardless of the model or resources, any reorganization process should be more than just moving boxes and reporting lines around on an organizational chart.”

Library Leadership and Management, Apr. 15
2d

Megan Bennett writes: “Two decades ago, while Daily Show Senior Correspondent Dulcé Sloan was doing summer shows at a community theater in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, the library was her main hangout spot. In the small town of 9,000 people, it was a place to gather with other young actors—and the only place with internet access. American Libraries spoke with Sloan before her closing session at the Public Library Association 2024 Conference in Columbus, Ohio, about her new book, her journey in stand-up comedy, and her memories of libraries.”

American Libraries Trend, Apr. 17
2d

Ashley Cosby Fowlkes writes: “In February 2023, Warren County (Ky.) Public Library (WCPL) began working with LifeWorks at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, a residential community for neurodiverse young adults that focuses on independent living and job readiness. By May, WCPL opened a satellite location at LifeWorks—making it the state’s first public library branch dedicated to serving neurodiverse patrons. The satellite is designed to be a sensory-sensitive environment, enabling individuals with autism, ADHD, or other learning differences—who can become overstimulated in crowded public areas—to concentrate on their studies, read a book, or browse digital library resources.”

American Libraries Trend, Mar./Apr.