Free as a “free” kitten — MyLibrary as open source software
MyLibrary is distributed as open sources software under the GNU Public License. This means the software is free. Free as in the meaning of liberty. It is also free in that you do not have to pay a fee in order to download and implement. At the same time, it is also free as a free kitten, and we all know that free kittens do not come without costs.
For most libraries, the biggest cost surrounding MyLibrary will be people time. The cost of the computer is minimal. Just about any one- or two-year old microcomputer is more than adequate.
For example, you will need somebody to install the MyLibrary software. This can be done by any systems administrator who is comfortable installing open source software. You will also need somebody you can write computer programs, specifically a Perl programmer. Often times the Perl programmer and the systems administrator can be one and the same person. Remember, MyLibrary is “toolbox”, not a turn-key application.
Next you will need librarians — people who will articulate collection development policies, collect content, outline facet/term combinations (a controlled vocabulary), help maintain data, and finally outline services applied against the collection.
You will also need people who have website graphic design skills. This usually means an understanding of HTML and CSS, but these people also should have an understanding of user-centered design and usability in general.
It is expected that these people work together as a team to implement your digital library. Each person has something necessary to bring to the process. MARC. XML. Data manipulation. Relational databases. Authority lists and controlled vocabularies. Usability. Collections. Public service.
Again, MyLibrary is open source software and free as a free kitten. Suppose you see a kitten. Soft. Cute. Cuddly. You take home the free kitten. You then purchase food and toys. You then take it to vet and give it shots. By now you have spent real money. Next the kitten escapes — lost overnight. The next day it is found. You have just spent emotional energy. Suddenly you realize that the free kitten came with costs.
MyLibrary (and just about any software, whether it is free or not) comes with similar costs. People’s time will be spent getting it up and running. Time will be spent cogitating over how to put it to use in the best way possible. Something somewhere will go wrong and people will fret over the weird behavior. Real costs.
The difference between MyLibrary, other open source software, and close-source software is the upfront fees. With MyLibrary and other open source software you get to try before you buy. Nothing is hidden. Not the documentation. Not the user group. Nothing. With closed source software you have a additional costs, the upfront cost of the software, and the hidden costs because of proprietary implementations. You might also incur costs of migrating from one proprietary system to another proprietary system because the content from each is not standard.
In both open source software and closed source software you have similar expenses. There are still systems administrators, librarians, and graphic designers. The difference comes with the experience they gain in the process. Generally speaking the skills learned in using open source software are transferable. MyLibrary uses MySQL as its underlying database. If you don’t like that database, then you can switch to another. To facilitate search against MyLibrary we advocate the use of an indexer, but if the one we recommend is not to your liking, then another can be used instead. Put another way, investments in open source software are investments in your personnel. Pay to have your personnel learn standard technologies (MARC, XML, SQL, the principles of authority control and controlled vocabularies). Once learned they can be applied to any number of applications, and you will not be locked into any particular software solution.
MyLibrary is not a panacea, but we sincerely believe it can be used to create quite a number of digital library implementations. A catalog complete with circulation. An OAI data repository and service provider. Library pathfinders. Lists of library resources for student courses. (Heck, we even used to to organize a library-wide pot-luck picnic.)
MyLibrary is an investment, like any other software, but instead of investing in an outside company, it is an investment in your local personnel and professional community.
3 Responses to “Free as a “free” kitten — MyLibrary as open source software”
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want to have an open opac system to control my collection
guys where are u help me my collection is too heavy for my library users to go around shelve by shelve trying to find books i want them to search electronically thank youuuuuuuuuu!
It is more than possible to create a simple library catalog using MyLibrary. Such a thing is demonstrated briefly described and then illustrated here:
Depending on what data you already have in place describing the content of your collection, the technique for creating a simple catalog follows:
Again, a simple library catalog can be created using MyLibrary, but you must remember, MyLibrary is not an application but more like a toolbox. Use it to collect, manage, and report on your data. Combine MyLibrary with other tools to support other functionality.