Free Software For Libraries

FreeSoftware and libraries have a large overlap. Unfortunately neither community seems to know very much about the other, nor how to make use of the other's skills. Fortunately, this is starting to change. There are several projects producing FreeSoftware geared toward library use. Among them are:

Tools for librarians and developers for building better FreeLibrarySystems? and tools for library users:

 * MarcRecord
 * MyLibrary

FreeLibrarySystems? in and of themselves:

 * the KohaProject
 * the AvantiProject
 * PhpMyLibrary? http://phpmylibrary.sourceforge.net
 * OpenBiblio?
 * OpenBook?
 * ThokBook?
 * Pytheas http://www.uwindsor.ca/library/leddy/people/art/pytheas

Other (?):

 * OpenIsis
 * GreenstoneDigitalLibrary?

In the long run it would be good to see all of the sorts of projects joining together as a FreeLibrarySoftwareFoundation?. The different groups can cooperate (and collaborate) on research, infrastructure development, and similar tasks.

One area that FreeLibrarySystems? need to improve in is support and installation. Many libraries are staffed by overworked people without the skills or training they would need to use most of these systems today. If the systems are made more approachable, this hurdle will be dramatically lowered. If consultants and companies begin to offer support and installation services, FreeSoftwareForLibraries will be much more successful. Another space to work in would be RaisingMoneyForProjects? through grants or sponsorship.

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A discussion of applying UnitTests to MyLibrary was begun on the MyLibrary mailing list. It was suggested that this topic might be of interest to the FreeSoftwareForLibraries community at large.

  * UnitTestingMyLibrary

-- ChrisGray