[WEB4LIB] Re: will OSS impact library automation?

[Lewis, Erik]

The problem with that thread on ./ is libraries require more complicated
development efforts than what the average hacker can produce in a 48 hour
caffinated binge.  We are a little more complicated than a POS system.  

The options for OSS in library automation at present are just now starting
to develop.  I think we will see some various bits and pieces start
trickling in over time.  Right now I believe there are booking, ill, and
reserve options in OSS but I definitely haven't kept pace with them.
Hopefully they are good and libraries are using them successfully.  

What I believe is necessary to jump start a OSS ILS is for some major
university to look at the state of proprietary library automation and decide
that it is largely mediocre.  Then decide they can develop something better
and commit the staffing to the effort of producing a open source library
system that takes advantage of a community hacking effort.  Many pieces of
commercial library software have grown from individual hacking projects.
VTLS, Notis, Sirsi and others began development in the campus library.
However this was well before OSS became vogue.  

-----Original Message-----
From: Charles P. Hobbs [mailto:chhobbs at cdrewu.edu]
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2001 4:30 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: [WEB4LIB] Re: will OSS impact library automation?




Eric Hellman wrote:

> I was browsing though the program for the "e-libraries" conference in
> May (NYC), and I saw this statement in the abstract of a talk by
> Marshall Breeding, "Library Technology Officer" at Vanderbilt:
>
>        " The Open Source movement has stirred a lot of discussion, but
> it will not make a huge impact in
>           library automation"
>
> I suppose one terribly unfair translation of this is "Although most
> libraries will run web servers on Apache, listservs on something else
> free, databses on MySQL and much of the the code will be written in
> Perl, library administrators should continue to focus their attention
> and money on getting proprietary systems to do what they want them
> to."
>
> Obviously, he doesn't mean to say "Perl will not have a huge impact
> in library automation" but rather something like "Don't expect to see
> gnuOPAC anytime soon".
>

There's a good thread on open-source library automation systems at
Slashdot: http://slashdot.org/askslashdot/00/08/22/2040245.shtml

It's certainly *possible* to make such a system, although definitely
non-trivial.

Setting up a support infrastructure might be an issue, especially with a
product
intended for various non-(computer)-technical end-users.


>

--
Charles P. Hobbs
King Drew Health Science Library
http://www.cdrewu.edu/kdhsl