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Library Automation –
UNIT 4 LIBRARY AUTOMATION: Software Packages
APPLICATIONS OF OPEN
SOURCE SOFTWARE
Structure
4.0 Objectives
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Open Source Movement
4.2.1 Open Source Software
4.2.2 Open Source Software: Development Path
4.2.3 Open Source Software vs. Commercial Software
4.3 Open Source Software: Philosophy, Principles and Licensing
4.3.1 Philosophy of Open Source Software
4.3.2 Principles of Open Source Software
4.3.3 Licensing of Open Source Software
4.3.4 Open Source and Open Standards
4.4 Open Source Software and Libraries
4.4.1 Use of Open Source Software
4.4.2 Prospects and Problems
4.4.3 Use of Open Standards
4.5 Open Source Software in Libraries: System Level
4.5.1 Open Source Operating System
4.5.2 LAMP Architecture
4.5.3 LAMP Components
4.6 Open Source Software in Libraries: Domain Level
4.6.1 Automated Library System
4.6.2 Digital Library System
4.6.3 Cataloguing Tools
4.6.4 Other Library Activity Tools
4.7 Towards Open Library System
4.8 Summary
4.9 Answers to Self Check Exercises
4.10 Keywords
4.11 References and Further Reading
4.0 OBJECTIVES
After going through this Unit, you will be able to:
· know what is open source movement and how is it improving computing
infrastructure;
· understand differences between commercial and open source software;
· identify advantages of using open source software and open standards in
library system; and
· understand the emerging concept of open library system.
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Library Automation 4.1 INTRODUCTION
Present library services are software-centric. As per the availability and
distribution policy, software products are divided into two groups – closed source
commercial products and open source free to use products. Commercial software
in the domain of library activities are available against huge license fees along
with separate annual maintenance contracts, updating fees and many other hidden
costs. As a result, adaptation of a commercial LMS in library (for example) is
not one-time capital expenditure but it leads to considerable recurring expenditure
on already strained library budget. Moreover, these commercial LMSs are
basically available in a generic or fit-to-all size model and provide no scope for
customisation to suite the need of a particular library (Mukhopadhyay, 2008).
This is an alarming situation for libraries in India. Libraries are paying huge sum
of money to procure commercial LMS but unfortunately not in a position to
even change the colour of the user interface. Another serious lacuna is the non-
transparent nature of these software in the use of global de jury or de facto
standards.
Application of open source software in different library activities may be a viable
alternative solution to get rid of the problems related with the application of
commercial software. The tradition of open source software started with the
advent of ARPANET (now Internet) in 1969 and boosted with the development
of open source operating systems like GNU Linux. Naturally, one question is
coming to your mind – what is open source software and how is it different.
According to OSI (Open Source Initiative, 2003) – “Open source promotes
software reliability and quality by supporting independent peer review and rapid
evaluation of source code. To be certified as open source, the license of a program
must guarantee the right to read, redistribute, modify, and use it freely”. Open
source software are available freely to end users. Here the term Free has dual
meaning – users are given freedom to customise the source code and these software
are available free of cost. An open source software is attached with four freedoms
– read (source code is available for verification), use (binary code is available
for application), modify (source code is available for modification and
customisation), redistribute (source code in original or in modified form is
available for redistribution).
In the area of library services, the greatest benefit of open source software is the
opportunity for library professionals to work at the system level and to participate
in software development process as co-developers. Fortunately, the domain of
library and information science, right from the beginning of the open source
movement, is benefited through structured effort and software philanthropy. We
have matured ILS like Koha (comparable to any global ILS) from HLT, New
Zealand, comprehensive digital library software like DSpace from the MIT, US
(with support from HP), Greenstone Digital Library Software (or GSDL) from
University of Waikato (presently supported by UNESCO). Apart from these very
popular open source software, the arena is presently fielded with an array of
promising software like MARCEdit and ISISMARC (MARC cataloguing tools),
WEBLIS (ILS based on CDS/ISIS), YAS toolkit (Z39.50 client and server),
Lucene and Solr (Text retrieval engines), Unicode-compliant multilingual tools
etc. Most of these open source software in the domain of LIS are very transparent
in the use of standards and generally deploy open standards for achieving
interoperability.
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This brief introduction gives you idea on open source software and the possibilities Library Automation:
for applications of open source software in enhancing library systems and services. Application of Open Source
Software
Now we are all set to discuss open source software in depth. The discussion
mainly cover six areas – 1) history, development, features and advantages of
open source; 2) philosophy, principles and IPR issues related with open source;
3) use and advantages of open source software in libraries in general; 4) application
of open source software in library activities at the system level; 5) application of
open source software in library activities at the domain level; and 6) the emerging
concept of open library systems that manages open contents and supported by
open standards and open source software.
Self Check Exercises
Note: i) Write your answers in the space given below.
ii) Check your answers with the answers given at the end of this Unit.
1) Enumerate the problems for application of commercial software in libraries.
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2) What do you mean by open source? Enumerate the freedoms associated
with open source.
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3) List a few open source software in the domain of library services.
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4.2 OPEN SOURCE MOVEMENT
This section covers systematically the definition, scope and origin of open source
software including the fundamental differences between open source and close
source software.
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Library Automation 4.2.1 Open Source Software
Open Source Software (OSS) is not a new idea. You already know that the open
source movement started with the Internet. Recently, technical and market forces
joined together to draw a niche role of open source movement. Open source
movement has all the potentials to define computing infrastructure of the next
century (Marco & Lister, 1987). Open source is a software development model
as well as a software distribution model. OSS development follows Linus
Torvalds’s (Linus Torvalds is the developer of Linux operating system – an open
source system software) style of development – release early and often, delegate
everything and be open to the point of promiscuity. Raymond (2001a; 2001b)
termed this type of software development as bazaar style of development in
comparison with traditional software development process (termed by Raymond
as cathedral model), which is carefully crafted by individual wizards or small
group of experts working in splendid isolation. The Open Source Initiative (2004),
a forum to promote open source software movement as a viable alternative to
commercial software claims –
“This rapid evolutionary process produces better software than
the traditional closed model, in which only a very few programmers
can see the source and everybody else must blindly use an opaque
block of bits.”
OSS is also considerably different from shareware, public-domain software,
freeware, or software viewers and readers that are made freely available without
access to source code. Shareware, whether or not one registers it and pays the
registration fee, typically provides no access to the original source code. Unlike
freeware and public domain software, OSS is copyrighted and distributed with
license terms designed to ensure that the source code will always be available.
Sometimes small amount of fee may be charged for the software’s packaging,
distribution, or support.
Definition
The open source movement has been in conscious development for nearly two
decades but the term “open source” itself has been a relative latecomer. Christine
Peterson of the Foresight Institute proposed the term open source in late 1997
during a meeting of small group of open source movement key persons (Raymond,
2001c). This group registered the domain name opensource.org, defined “open
source,” developed Open Source Initiative (OSI) group, designed OSI
certification, and created a list of licenses that meet the standards for open source
certification. In the open source software development model the source code of
software is made freely available along with the binary version so that anyone
can see, change, and distribute it subject to the condition he/she abide by the
accompanying license. According to OSI (Open Source Initiative, 2003a) –
“Open source promotes software reliability and quality by supporting
independent peer review and rapid evaluation of source code. To be
certified as open source, the license of a program must guarantee the
right to read, redistribute, modify, and use it freely”.
Analysis of definitions given by Chudnov (1999), Raymond (1996), Moody
(2001), and Morgan (2002), identifies following attributes of OSS –
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