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Open Source Software for Libraries. Issues for Large Scale libraries. Marshall Breeding Director for Innovative Technologies and Research Vanderbilt University http://staffweb.library.vanderbilt.edu/breeding http://www.librarytechnology.org/. Library and Archives Canada December 7, 2007.
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Open Source Software for Libraries Issues for Large Scale libraries Marshall BreedingDirector for Innovative Technologies and Research Vanderbilt University http://staffweb.library.vanderbilt.edu/breeding http://www.librarytechnology.org/ Library and Archives Canada December 7, 2007
Open Source Software Broad Trends
IT Infrastructure • Linux • Apache • Lucene • Solr • MySql • PostgreSQL
Apache Foundation • The Apache Software Foundation provides support for the Apache community of open-source software projects. The Apache projects are characterized by a collaborative, consensus based development process, an open and pragmatic software license, and a desire to create high quality software that leads the way in its field. We consider ourselves not simply a group of projects sharing a server, but rather a community of developers and users. • http://www.apache.org/
Web Server deployment Source: Netcraft www.netcraft.com
Operating System Market Share • IDC figures for OS on new server shipments 3Q 2007: • Windows Server: 67.1% • Linux: 22.8% • Slight gain for Windows/loss for Linux over previous quarter
Trends • Open Source Software well established in for general IT infrastructure • Linux emerging as the dominant flavor of Unix • Commercial options continue to prosper
Open Source Library Software (non-ILS)
General Infrastructure Components • Index Data • YAZ toolkit • Z39.50 • SRU/W • Zebra XML Search Engine • Metaproxy • “metasearching proxy front end server for integrating access to multiple back-end Z39.50-compliant databases”
Open source software from OCLC • http://www.oclc.org/research/software/ • Several OAI utilities • OAIcat • OAIHarvester • SRU/W • OpenURL 1.0 • Pears: text storage and indexing
Fedora • Open source digital repository engine • Not an out-of-the-box solution • Many organizations have developed their own interfaces and applications built on top of Fedora • VTLS Vital product based on Fedora • Supported by Fedora Commons • http://www.fedora-commons.org/
Dspace • Institutional Repository Application • Originally developed by Hewlett Packard and MIT • http://www.dspace.org • Widely deployed by Universities for institutional repository projects
Keystone • Developed by Index Data • Open source digital repository application • Digital content management • Federated search • OAI harvesting • Link resolver services
LibraryFind • Open source federated search • Built-in OpenURL resolver • 3-teired caching • Customizable interface • Developed by the University of Oregon Libraries
Open source discovery products Aka: Next Generation Catalogs
VUFind – Villanova University Based on Apache Solr search toolkit http://www.vufind.org/
eXtensible Catalog • University of Rochester – River Campus Libraries • Financial support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation • http://www.extensiblecatalog.info/ • Just received a second round of funding from Mellon • $283,000 (April 2006) • $749,000 (October 2007) • Wider institutional participation
Fac-Back-OPAC • Initially developed Dan Scott Laurentian University • Further work by Casey Durfee at the Seattle Public Library • Based on: • MARCXML • Solr • Django (Python-based Web application framework)
Open Source in the ILS arena Products and trends
Koha: first Open Source ILS • Koha + Index Data Zebra = Koha ZOOM • Components: • Perl • Apache • MySql • Zebra: search engine option for larger installations
Libraries using Koha • ~300 (mostly small) librariesHorowhenua Library Trust • Nelsonville Public Library • Athens County, OH • Crawford County Federated Library System • 10 Libraries in PA • Howard County, MD • Service area population: 266300 • 4.7 million circulation transactions in 2006 • 1 million volumes • Central Kansas Library System • Near East University Library • 1.5 million volumes
Evergreen • Developed by the Georgia Public Library Service • Small development team • June 2004 – development begins • Sept 5, 2006 – live production • Streamlined environment: single shared implementation, all libraries follow the same policies, one library card
Libraries using Evergreen • Georgia PINES • http://gapines.org • 260 libraries in Georgia • Does not include municipal systems: Atlanta-Fulton County, Cobb County • Province of British Columbia in Canada – Northern PINES • Experimental evaluation • King County Library System in WA state. • Under consideration by academic libraries in Canada
Learning Access ILS • Learning Access Institute • Turnkey Open Source ILS • Designed for underserved rural public libraries • http://www.learningaccess.org
SCOOLS • South Central Organization of (School) Libraries • consortium of K-12 school libraries in NY • Koha derivative • Supported by Media Flex
Commercial Involvement Companies formed to support open source library products
The Open Source Front • Index Data • Founded 1994; No ILS; A variety of other open source products to support libraries: search engines, federated search, Z39.50 toolkit, etc • LibLime • Founded 2005. Provides development and support services for Koha ILS. Acquired original developers of Koha in Feb 2007. • Equinox. • Founded Feb 2007; staff formerly associated with GPLS Pines development team • Care Affiliates • Founded June 2007; headed by industry veteran Carl Grant.
LibLime • Small private company formed in early 2005 • Devoted to support of Koha and other open source software • Launched by individuals involved with the Koha implementation at the Nelsonville Public Library • Recently acquired the Koha activities of Katipo Communications (Feb 2007) • Total of 9-10 FTE
Equinox Software • Small company • Devoted to facilitating libraries implement Evergreen the open source ILS developed for PINES • Launched by individuals related to the development and implementation of Evergreen at the Georgia Public Library System • Contracts to GPLS and other libraries for the ongoing development and support of Evergreen
Care Affiliates • Recently formed company to provide support for Open Source library automation products. • Carl Grant – Former COO of VTLS, President of Ex Libris (USA), Innovative Interfaces, DRA, etc.
Other Open Source Development efforts • Andrew W. Mellon foundation • Sponsoring project to design/build an enterprise level automation system for libraries in higher education • Effort will be led by Duke University
Open Source Alternatives • Explosive interest in Open Source driven by disillusionment with current vendors • Beginning to emerge as a practical option • TOC (Total Cost of Ownership) still roughly equal to proprietary commercial model • Open Source still a risky Alternative • Commercial/Proprietary options also a risk
Open source ILS Benchmarks • Most decisions to adopt Open Source ILS based on philosophical reasons • Open Source ILS will enter the main stream once its products begin to win through objective procurement processes • Hold open source ILS to the same standards as the commercial products • Hold the open source ILS companies to the same standards: • Adequate customer support ratios, financial stability, service level agreements, etc. • Well-document total cost of ownership statements that can be compared to other vendor price quotes
Open Source Market share • Open Source ILS implementations still a very small percentage of the total picture • Initial set of successful implementations will likely serve as a catalyst to pave the way for others • Successful implementations in wider range of libraries: • State-wide consortium (Evergreen) • Multi-site public library systems (Koha) • School district consortia (OPALS-NA)
Open Source perspective • Developer community still fairly small relative to that in place for infrastructure components (Linux, Apache, etc) • Are existing systems ready for large-scale enterprise implementations? • Functionality not yet in place for complex libraries? • Yet to break into ARL library arena • Enterprise operability?