Open source refers to an application whose source code is made available for use or modification as users see fit. This means libraries gain more flexibility and freedom than with software purchased with license restrictions. Both the open source community and the library world live by the same rules and principles. Practical Open Source Software for Libraries explains the facts and dispels myths about open source. Chapters introduce librarians to open source and what it means for libraries. The reader is provided with links to a toolbox full of freely available open source products to use in their libraries. - Provides a toolbox of practical software that librarians can use both inside and out of the library - Draws on the author's wide-ranging practical experience with open source software both in and out of the library community - Includes real life examples from libraries and librarians of all types and locations

Libraries are perpetually faced with the challenge of balancing ever-shrinking budgets while steadily improving library services. One way to meet that challenge is to maximize the use of free applications and resources in the library. Free Technology for Libraries will help you discover how you can implement top-notch technology solutions within your organization to create intranets and knowledge bases, conduct webinars and conference calls, manage electronic resources, track library statistics, market your library, and much more, all at no cost! In this all-in-one guide to navigating the array of free applications and tools available online, readers will learn: How to Manage Internal Policy & Procedure Documentation Using Wordpress How to Manage Library Statistics with Zoho Creator How to Provide Programming, Instruction, & Reference to Groups of Off Site Patrons How to Use Screen Sharing for Remote Reference Implementing a Scalable E-Resources Management System Promoting a Library Event through In-Person and Online Advertising Creating Marketing Posters with PosterOven Creating an HTML5 Responsive Website - No Design Experience Required! Managing Meeting Space with Google Calendar

This 125+ page report looks closely at how public, academic and special libraries are using open source solutions for email, integrated library systems, word processing and spreadsheets, the library website, server management, and content management and digital preservation software, among other applications. The study looks at which libraries use open source and which use commercial software and why. The study helps librarians and library information technology staff to answer questions such as: what are the most popular open source applications? How much of an IT or software support staff must a library have to succeed with open source alternatives? How much do libraries spend in supporting open source solutions in both funding and staff time? How much does the use of open source software save them? What areas of library operations have been most impacted by open source? How many open source solutions are libraries of different size staffs and different types using? How many have started with an open source solutions in a given area and then abandoned it? How do libraries evaluate their own success or failure with open source? What are the open source solutions they are most anxious to try in the future? Which outside services do they recommend to support open source alternatives? Which information sources about open source do they find most useful?

Using database-driven web pages or web content management (WCM) systems to manage increasingly diverse web content and to streamline workflows is a commonly practiced solution recognized in libraries to-day. However, limited library web content management models and funding constraints prevent many libraries from purchasing commercially available WCM systems. And, the lack of much needed technical expertise in building in-house WCM systems presents a great challenge for libraries of all types. Content and Workflow Management for Library Websites: Case Studies provides practical and applicable web content management solutions through case studies. It contains successful database-to-web applications as employed in a variety of academic libraries. The applications vary in scope and cover a range of practical how-to-do-it examples from database-driven web development, locally created web content management systems, systems for distributing content management responsibilities, dynamic content delivery, to open source tools, such as MySQL and PHP to manage the content. Issues and challenges associated with the development process are discussed. Authors will also discuss detours, sand traps, and missteps necessary to a real learning process.

The pervasiveness of and universal access to modern Information and Communication Technologies has enabled a popular new paradigm in the dissemination of information, art, and ideas. Now, instead of relying on a finite number of content providers to control the flow of information, users can generate and disseminate their own content for a wider audience. Open Source Technology: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications investigates examples and methodologies in user-generated and freely-accessible content available through electronic and online media. With applications in education, government, entertainment, and more, the technologies explored in these volumes will provide a comprehensive reference for web designers, software developers, and practitioners in a wide variety of fields and disciplines.

Low cost Internet technology has transformed library services by allowing libraries to play a creative and dynamic role in the delivery of information to their users. This book helps managers, systems personnel, and graduate students understand the challenges of providing digital library services with a number disparate content providers and software systems. It also helps readers understand what libraries must do to deliver a user experience customized to the needs of individual institutions. - Familiarizes readers with general and library specific technologies required to provide digital library services - Helps readers better understand trade offs between in-house and vendor solutions - Provides library decision makers with technology staffing guidance