[Web4lib] Question: Integrated Library Systems whose only client is a browser

[Mike Taylor]

> Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 19:06:46 -0700 (PDT)
> From: li li <liligs1973 at yahoo.com>
> 
> Do anyone know about the requirement and responsibility of system
> staff maintaining Open source library systems?

That would be exactly the same as for proprietary systems.  The only
difference is that institutions with an open source system have
additional _opportunities_, to do with control over how their system
works and what it integrates with; but of course there is no
requirement to take these opportunities up.

> Are there other costs incurred by an open source library system?

No.  There is no reason at all why maintaining an open source system
should be more expensive (in either time or money) than a proprietary
one: in fact, the converse is usually true, since _any_ suitably
skilled/experienced programmer can make changes as required to an open
source system, whereas with a proprietary system you are tied into the
vendor's support arrangements or nothing, with all the usual negative
(for the customer!) consequences of any other monopoly.

 _/|_	 ___________________________________________________________________
/o ) \/  Mike Taylor  <mike at miketaylor.org.uk>  http://www.miketaylor.org.uk
)_v__/\  "No man ought to surrender his own judgment to any mere authority,
	 however respectable" - Joseph Priestley