Code4Lib - User contributions [en]

Libraries Sharing Code

2014-04-22T13:16:22Z

Eby:

A number of libraries have organizational repositories in GitHub. These can be very valuable and we attempt to collect them here.

==Institutions on GitHub==
* [https://github.com/aadl Ann Arbor District Library]
* [https://github.com/BCLibCoop BC Libraries Cooperative]
* [https://github.com/britishlibrary The British Library]
* [https://github.com/Brown-University-Library Brown University Library]
* [https://github.com/csusm-library CSU San Marcos]
* [https://github.com/clcdpc Central Library Consortium]
* [https://github.com/chattlibrary Chattanooga Public Library] (currently empty)
* [https://github.com/cul Columbia University Libraries]
* [https://github.com/DarienLibrary Darien (CT) Library]
* [https://github.com/gwu-libraries George Washington University Libraries]
* [https://github.com/Georgetown-University-Libraries Georgetown University Libraries]
* [https://github.com/gvsulib Grand Valley State University Libraries]
* [https://github.com/GrinnellCollegeLibraries Grinnell College Libraries]
* [https://github.com/LibraryOfCongress Library of Congress]
* [https://github.com/ndlib University of Notre Dame Hesburgh Libraries] (And [https://github.com/ndlibersa the CORAL stuff])
* [https://github.com/MontclairState Montclair State]
* [https://github.com/nims-library Scientific Information Office, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS Library)]
* [https://github.com/NCSU-Libraries NCSU Libraries]
* [https://github.com/nypl The New York Public Library]
* [https://github.com/NYULibraries NYU Libraries]
* [https://github.com/RockefellerArchiveCenter Rockefeller Archive Center]
* [https://github.com/osulibraries Ohio State University Libraries]
* [https://github.com/psu-stewardship Penn State Digital Stewardship]
* [https://github.com/pulibrary Princeton University Library]
* [https://github.com/ryersonlibrary Ryerson University Library & Archives]
* [https://github.com/adsabs SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System]
* [https://github.com/scds Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship, McMaster University]
* [https://github.com/sul-dlss Stanford University Digital Library]
* [https://github.com/ualbertalib University of Alberta Libraries]
* [https://github.com/ualibraries The University of Arizona Libraries]
* [https://github.com/ucsdlib UCSD Library]
* [https://github.com/UMNLibraries University of Minnesota Libraries]
* [https://github.com/UNC-Libraries University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries]
* [https://github.com/ui-libraries University of Iowa Libraries]
* [https://github.com/vculibraries Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries]
* [https://github.com/yalemssa Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library]
* [https://github.com/yorkulibraries York University Libraries]

==Institutions with Non-GitHub open repositories==
* University of Florida: SobekCM software [http://sourceforge.net/directory/?q=sobekcm Sourceforge], [http://code.google.com/p/sobekcm/ Google code], [http://ufdc.ufl.edu/software UFDC institutional site]
* [http://eXtensibleCatalog.org eXtensible Catalog] repositories: [http://code.google.com/p/xcmetadataservicestoolkit/ Metadata Services Toolkit], [http://code.google.com/p/xcoaitoolkit/ OAI Toolkit], [http://code.google.com/p/xcncip2toolkit/ NCIP Toolkit] (all these on Google code), [http://drupal.org/project/xc Drupal Toolkit] (on drupal.org)
* [http://git.sitka.bclibraries.ca BC Libraries Cooperative]
* [https://bitbucket.org/colglibsys Colgate University Libraries]

==Other Library Organizations on GitHub==
* [https://github.com/projectblacklight Project Blacklight]
* [https://github.com/projecthydra Project Hydra]
* [https://github.com/islandora Islandora]
* [https://github.com/artefactual Artefactual], along with projects: [https://github.com/artefactual/atom AtoM], and [https://github.com/artefactual/archivematica Archivematica]
* [https://github.com/duraspace DuraSpace], along with projects: [https://github.com/dspace DSpace], [https://github.com/fcrepo/ Fedora], and [https://svn.duraspace.org/view/duracloud/ DuraCloud (not yet on GitHub)]
* [https://github.com/hbz/ North Rhine-Westphalian Library Service Center (hbz)] and its service [https://github.com/lobid/ lobid]

* [https://github.com/pkp Public Knowledge Project], along with projects: [https://github.com/pkp/ojs Open Journal Systems], [https://github.com/pkp/ocs Open Conference Systems], and [https://github.com/pkp/omp Open Monograph Press]
* [https://github.com/internetarchive Internet Archive]
* [https://github.com/openlibrary Open Library Team]
* [https://github.com/scholarslab Scholars' Lab]
* [https://github.com/next-l Project Next-L]

==Individuals on GitHub==
* [https://github.com/jronallo Jason Ronallo] North Carolina State University
* [https://github.com/cazzerson Jason Casden] North Carolina State University
* [https://github.com/jbfink John Fink] McMaster University
* [https://github.com/rgilmour70 Ron Gilmour] Ithaca College
* [https://github.com/mreidsma Matthew Reidsma] Grand Valley State University
* [https://github.com/mjsuhonos MJ Suhonos] Ryerson University Library & Archives
* [https://github.com/mjordan Mark Jordan] Simon Fraser University Library

2013 preconference proposals

2012-12-14T13:58:19Z

Eby: /* Open space session */

Proposals '''now closed'''.

Spaces available: 4+ Rooms

Please follow the formatting guidelines:
<pre>
=== Talk Title ===

* Presenter/Leader, affiliation (optional), and email address (mandatory!)
* Second Presenter/Leader, affiliation, email address, if applicable

Description.
</pre>

==Full Day==

===Drupal4lib Sub-con Barcamp===

* Contact [[User:highermath|Cary Gordon]], cgordon@chillco.com or
* [[User:cdmo|Charlie Morris]], NCSU Libraries, cdmorris@ncsu.edu

This will be a full day of self-selected barcamp style sessions. Anyone who wants to present can write down the topic on an index card and, after the keynote, we will vote to choose what we want to see. Attendees can also pick a topic and attempt to talk someone else into presenting on it.

If we run out of topics, we will pay homage to the project by testing patches for Drupal 8. It is easy, and we will show you how to do this invaluable task.

Local Drupal uber-ninja Larry Garfield will stop by to answer questions and give us some guidance.

====I plan on attending:====

=====All Day=====
*

=====Morning=====
* [[User:Kevenj|Keven Jeffery]]

=====Afternoon=====
* Kevin Reiss, Princeton University Library, kr2 at princeton.edu (afternoon only)
* Christina Salazar (afternoon only)
* Sarah Dooley (afternoon)
* Josh Wilson, joshwilsonnc at gmail (likely afternoon only)

==Half Day Morning==
=== Open space session ===

* Dan Chudnov, dchud at gwu edu

The rest of code4libcon is pretty well structured these days; come in the morning for a few hours of old-school [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-space_technology open space technology] unconference. Bring a rough talk or idea you want to share or questions you have or something you want to learn about or discuss with other people, and be ready to tell us about it. Use it as extra prep time for your upcoming prepared or lightning talk if you want. We'll plan the morning out a little bit at the beginning, but not too much. What we do will be up to the people there in the room.

If there's interest, we could start with a "welcome to code4lib" introductory session for newcomers.

'''I plan on attending:'''
* Devon Smith
* First and last name
* Esmé Cowles
* Jason Casden
* Ryan Eby

=== Delivery services ===
* Ted Lawless, Brown University Library, tlawless at brown edu.
* Kevin Reiss, Princeton University Library, kr2 at princeton edu.

Are you interested in making it easier for users to obtain copies of known items? Do you feel your OpenURL and Interlibrary Loan software could be streamlined? This pre-conference workshop will focus on providing services that deliver content to users. Discovery systems are doing a better job of exposing library holdings but there's still a lot of work to do actually get the content in the users hands.

Possible topics/activities include:
* panel discussion of what some libraries have done in this area
* comparisons of different approaches to addressing delivery
* overview of tools available
* sharing of strategies and experiences
* time to work with and review open source code in this area. Some possible tools to install and test out [https://github.com/team-umlaut/umlaut Umlaut], [https://github.com/lawlesst/heroku-360link Py360 Link].

Resources and background information:
* [https://github.com/team-umlaut/umlaut/wiki/What-is-Umlaut-anyway What-is-Umlaut-anyway]
* [http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/7308 Hacking 360 Link: A hybrid approach]
* [http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/108 Auto-Populating an ILL form with the Serial Solutions Link Resolver API]
* [http://lawlesst.github.com/notebook/delivery.html Focusing on Delivery]

'''I plan on attending:'''
* Ken Varnum
* Ayla Stein
* Curtis Thacker
* Rosalyn Metz

=== Intro to Blacklight ===
* Bess Sadler, Stanford University Library (bess at stanford.edu)
* Justin Coyne, MediaShelf (justin.coyne at yourmediashelf.com)

Blacklight (http://projectblacklight.org) is a free and open source discovery interface built on solr and ruby on rails. It is used by institutions such as Stanford University, University of Virginia, WGBH, Johns Hopkins University, the Rock and Roll hall of fame, and an ever expanding community of adopters and contributors. Blacklight can be used as a front-end discovery solution for an ILS, or the contents of a digital repository, or to provide a unified discovery solution for many siloed collections. In this workshop we will cover the basics of solr indexing and searching, setting up and customizing Blacklight, and leave time for Q&A around local issues people might encounter.

Note: this workshop can be a standalone intro, or attendees can follow up with the intro to hydra workshop in the afternoon.

'''I plan on attending:'''
* Linda Ballinger
* Terry Brady
* Shawn Kiewel
* First and last name

=== RailsBridge Intro to Ruby on Rails ===
* Jason Ronallo, North Carolina State University Libraries, jnronall@ncsu.edu
* Mark Bussey, Data Curation Experts (mark at curationexperts.com)
* Shaun Ellis (helper), Princeton University Library, shaune@princeton.edu
* Ross Singer, Talis, rossfsinger@gmail.com
* Adam Wead (helper), Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, awead@rockhall.org
* Anyone else want to come and help folks? Contact Jason.

RailsBridge comes to code4lib! We'll follow the RailsBridge curriculum (http://railsbridge.org) to provide a gentle introduction to Ruby on Rails. Topics covered include an introduction to the Ruby language, the Rails framework, and version control with git. Participants will build a working Rails application.

There will be some pre-preconference preparation needed so that we can effectively use our time. Details to come.

* Note: Attendees can follow up with the Intro to Blacklight afternoon session, which will be tailored for folks new to Ruby

'''I plan on attending:'''
* First and last name
* Jon Stroop
* Christina Salazar
* Karen Coombs - coombsk{at}oclc{dot}org
* Becky Yoose
* Jeremy Morse
* Julia Bauder
* Chung Kang
* Karen Miller
* Betsy Coles
* Jay Luker
* Santi Thompson
* Sarah Dooley
* Brandon Dudley
* Ken Irwin
* Dennis Ogg
* Ian Walls
* Steven Villereal
* Hillel Arnold
* Josh Wilson - joshwilsonnc at gmail

===Intro to NoSQL Databases===
* Joshua Gomez, George Washington University, jngomez at gwu edu

Since Google published its paper on BigTable in 2006, alternatives to the traditional relational database model have been growing in both variety and popularity. These new databases (often referred to as NoSQL databases) excel at handling problems faced by modern information systems that the traditional relational model cannot. They are particularly popular among organizations tackling the so-called "Big Data" problems. However, there are always tradeoffs involved when making such dramatic changes. Understanding how these different kinds of databases are designed and what they can offer is essential to the decision making process. In this precon I will discuss some of the various types of new databases (key-value, columnar, document, graph) and walk through examples or exercises using some of their open source implementations like Riak, HBase, CouchDB, and Neo4j.

'''I plan on attending:'''
* First and last name
* Esha Datta
* Trevor Thornton
* Michael Doran
* Ray Schwartz
* Kevin Clarke
* Andreas Orphanides
* Tommy Ingulfsen
* Harrison Dekker
* Eric James

==Half Day Afternoon==
=== Data Visualization Hackfest ===
* Chris Beer, cabeer at stanford.edu
* Dan Chudnov, dchud at gwu edu

* Description: Want to hack/design/plan/document on a team of people who enjoy learning by creating? Interested in data visualization? Well, this hackfest is for you. Not familiar with the concept of a hackfest? See Roy Tennant's [http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA332564.html "Where Librarians Go To Hack"] and the page for the [http://access2010.lib.umanitoba.ca/node/3.html Access 2010 Hackfest]. We propose a half-day hackfest with a focus on visualization library data -- think stuff like library catalog data, access/circulation statistics, etc. Here's how it works, roughly:
- we'll (you'll!) do lightning tutorials for some data visualization tools, toolkits (R? d3js? ?), datasets.
- we'll separate into groups and hack on stuff.
- at the end of the day, we'll present our progress.

Not a code hacker? No worries; all skill sets and backgrounds are valuable!

'''I plan on attending:'''
* First and last name
* Devon Smith
* Esha Datta
* Ray Schwartz
* Karen Coombs - coombsk{at}oclc{dot}org
* Julia Bauder
* Jason Stirnaman (jstirnaman at kumc.edu)
* Joshua Gomez
* Ayla Stein
* Harrison Dekker
* Ian Walls
* [[User:Kevenj|Keven Jeffery]]

=== Intro to Hydra ===
* Adam Wead, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (awead at rockhall.org)
* Mike Giarlo, Penn State Information Technology Services (michael at psu.edu)
* Mark Bussey, Data Curation Experts (mark at curationexperts.com)

Hydra (http://projecthydra.org) is a free and open source repository solution that is being used by institutions on both sides of the North Atlantic to provide access to their digital content. Hydra provides a versatile and feature rich environment for end-users and repository administrators alike. Leveraging Blacklight as its front end discovery interface, the hydra project provides a suite of software components, data models, and design patterns for building a robust and sustainable digital repository, as well as a community of support for ongoing development. This workshop will provide an introduction to the hydra project and its software components. Attendees will leave with enough knowledge to get started building their own local repository solutions. This workshop will be led by Adam Wead of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

'''I plan on attending:'''
* Jeremy Prevost
* Dennis Ogg
* Linda Ballinger
* Terry Brady
* Betsy Coles
* Brendan Quinn
* Shawn Kiewel
* Steven Villereal
* Ryan Eby
* First and last name

=== Intro to Blacklight ===
* Bess Sadler, Stanford University Library (bess at stanford.edu)
* Justin Coyne, MediaShelf (justin.coyne at yourmediashelf.com)
* Jason Ronallo, NC State (jronallo at gmail.com)
* Shaun Ellis (helper), Princeton University Library, (shaune@princeton.edu)

Blacklight (http://projectblacklight.org) is a free and open source discovery interface built on solr and ruby on rails. It is used by institutions such as Stanford University, NC State, WGBH, Johns Hopkins University, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and an ever expanding community of adopters and contributors. Blacklight can be used as a front-end discovery solution for an ILS, or the contents of a digital repository, or to provide a unified discovery solution for many siloed collections. In this workshop we will cover the basics of solr indexing and searching, setting up and customizing Blacklight, and leave time for Q&A around local issues people might encounter.

Note: this workshop will be tailored as a follow-on to the morning's RailsBridge Intro to Ruby on Rails workshop, but everyone is welcome

'''I plan on attending:'''
* First and last name
* Jon Stroop
* Jeremy Morse
* Karen Miller
* Tommy Ingulfsen
* Chung Kang
* Santi Thompson
* Brandon Dudley
* Ken Irwin
* Brendan Quinn
* Hillel Arnold

=== DPLA Intro/Hacking ===

* Presenter(s)/Leader(s): TBD
* Guy Who'd Be Interested in Helping: Jay Luker, Smithsonian Astrophysics Data System (jluker at cfa.harvard.edu)

This is a stub proposal entered solely to beat the submission deadline. I think there's be sufficient interest in this session, but only thought of it yesterday and haven't had time to coordinate with actual DPLA'ers and confirm that any of them are definitely coming.

'''I plan on attending:'''
* First and last name

=== Fail4lib ===
* Jason Casden, NCSU Libraries (jmcasden at ncsu.edu)
* Andreas Orphanides, NCSU Libraries (akorphan at ncsu.edu)

The Code4lib community is full of driven people who embrace the risks that are often associated with new projects. While these traits lead to the incredible projects that are presented at Code4lib, creative technical work also often leads to unexpected, vexing, or disappointing results even from eventually successful projects (however you define the term). Learning more about how our colleagues deal with failure in various contexts could lead to the development of better methods for communicating the value of productive failure, modifying project plans ("The Pivot"), and failing more cheaply.

Hopefully we can define the format as a group, but a fairly high level of participation is crucial if this is to be a worthwhile preconference. Some possible agenda items that could be mixed and matched to fill the afternoon:

# Given willing presenters, a series of 10-20 minute presentations that go into some depth about specific failures.
# Depending on the number of participants, either a multi- or single-track series of unconference-like themed discussions on various aspects of failure, possibly including themes like:
#* Technical failure
#* Failure to effectively address a real user need
#* Overinvestment
#* Outreach/Promotion failure
#* Design/UX failure
#* Project team communication failure
#* Missed opportunities (risk-averse failure)
#* Successes gleaned from failures
# A panel of participants who have prepared in advance to answer moderator and audience questions about their experience with failure.
# A prepared reading assignment that we could all forget to read, creating a shared fail in order to start the preconference on the right foot.

I'll serve as a moderator (if needed) and participant and would welcome more organizers. I am happy to be outvoted by participants on any of these points--I just want to get us talking about our screw-ups, blind spots, and anvils dropping from the sky.

'''I plan on attending:'''
* First and last name
* Becky Yoose
* Lisa Rabey

=== Solr 4 In Depth ===
* Contact: Erik Hatcher (erik.hatcher at lucidworks.com)

The long awaited and much anticipated Solr 4 has been released! It's a really big deal. There are so many improvements, it makes the head spin. This session will cover the major feature improvements from Lucene's flexible indexing and scoring API up through SolrCloud in a digestable half-day format. Sounds like this is an evening thing that might happen at a bar somewhere?

'''I plan on attending:'''
* First and last name
* Esmé Cowles
* Jon Stroop
* Adam Constabars
* Kevin Clarke
* Jacob Andresen
* Ted Lawless
* Jay Luker
* Tom Burton-West
* Curtis Thacker
* Eric James
* Bess Sadler

[[Category:Code4Lib2013]]

2013 preconference proposals

2012-12-14T13:56:44Z

Eby: /* Intro to Hydra */

Proposals '''now closed'''.

Spaces available: 4+ Rooms

Please follow the formatting guidelines:
<pre>
=== Talk Title ===

* Presenter/Leader, affiliation (optional), and email address (mandatory!)
* Second Presenter/Leader, affiliation, email address, if applicable

Description.
</pre>

==Full Day==

===Drupal4lib Sub-con Barcamp===

* Contact [[User:highermath|Cary Gordon]], cgordon@chillco.com or
* [[User:cdmo|Charlie Morris]], NCSU Libraries, cdmorris@ncsu.edu

This will be a full day of self-selected barcamp style sessions. Anyone who wants to present can write down the topic on an index card and, after the keynote, we will vote to choose what we want to see. Attendees can also pick a topic and attempt to talk someone else into presenting on it.

If we run out of topics, we will pay homage to the project by testing patches for Drupal 8. It is easy, and we will show you how to do this invaluable task.

Local Drupal uber-ninja Larry Garfield will stop by to answer questions and give us some guidance.

====I plan on attending:====

=====All Day=====
*

=====Morning=====
* [[User:Kevenj|Keven Jeffery]]

=====Afternoon=====
* Kevin Reiss, Princeton University Library, kr2 at princeton.edu (afternoon only)
* Christina Salazar (afternoon only)
* Sarah Dooley (afternoon)
* Josh Wilson, joshwilsonnc at gmail (likely afternoon only)

==Half Day Morning==
=== Open space session ===

* Dan Chudnov, dchud at gwu edu

The rest of code4libcon is pretty well structured these days; come in the morning for a few hours of old-school [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-space_technology open space technology] unconference. Bring a rough talk or idea you want to share or questions you have or something you want to learn about or discuss with other people, and be ready to tell us about it. Use it as extra prep time for your upcoming prepared or lightning talk if you want. We'll plan the morning out a little bit at the beginning, but not too much. What we do will be up to the people there in the room.

If there's interest, we could start with a "welcome to code4lib" introductory session for newcomers.

'''I plan on attending:'''
* Devon Smith
* First and last name
* Esmé Cowles
* Jason Casden

=== Delivery services ===
* Ted Lawless, Brown University Library, tlawless at brown edu.
* Kevin Reiss, Princeton University Library, kr2 at princeton edu.

Are you interested in making it easier for users to obtain copies of known items? Do you feel your OpenURL and Interlibrary Loan software could be streamlined? This pre-conference workshop will focus on providing services that deliver content to users. Discovery systems are doing a better job of exposing library holdings but there's still a lot of work to do actually get the content in the users hands.

Possible topics/activities include:
* panel discussion of what some libraries have done in this area
* comparisons of different approaches to addressing delivery
* overview of tools available
* sharing of strategies and experiences
* time to work with and review open source code in this area. Some possible tools to install and test out [https://github.com/team-umlaut/umlaut Umlaut], [https://github.com/lawlesst/heroku-360link Py360 Link].

Resources and background information:
* [https://github.com/team-umlaut/umlaut/wiki/What-is-Umlaut-anyway What-is-Umlaut-anyway]
* [http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/7308 Hacking 360 Link: A hybrid approach]
* [http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/108 Auto-Populating an ILL form with the Serial Solutions Link Resolver API]
* [http://lawlesst.github.com/notebook/delivery.html Focusing on Delivery]

'''I plan on attending:'''
* Ken Varnum
* Ayla Stein
* Curtis Thacker
* Rosalyn Metz

=== Intro to Blacklight ===
* Bess Sadler, Stanford University Library (bess at stanford.edu)
* Justin Coyne, MediaShelf (justin.coyne at yourmediashelf.com)

Blacklight (http://projectblacklight.org) is a free and open source discovery interface built on solr and ruby on rails. It is used by institutions such as Stanford University, University of Virginia, WGBH, Johns Hopkins University, the Rock and Roll hall of fame, and an ever expanding community of adopters and contributors. Blacklight can be used as a front-end discovery solution for an ILS, or the contents of a digital repository, or to provide a unified discovery solution for many siloed collections. In this workshop we will cover the basics of solr indexing and searching, setting up and customizing Blacklight, and leave time for Q&A around local issues people might encounter.

Note: this workshop can be a standalone intro, or attendees can follow up with the intro to hydra workshop in the afternoon.

'''I plan on attending:'''
* Linda Ballinger
* Terry Brady
* Shawn Kiewel
* First and last name

=== RailsBridge Intro to Ruby on Rails ===
* Jason Ronallo, North Carolina State University Libraries, jnronall@ncsu.edu
* Mark Bussey, Data Curation Experts (mark at curationexperts.com)
* Shaun Ellis (helper), Princeton University Library, shaune@princeton.edu
* Ross Singer, Talis, rossfsinger@gmail.com
* Adam Wead (helper), Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, awead@rockhall.org
* Anyone else want to come and help folks? Contact Jason.

RailsBridge comes to code4lib! We'll follow the RailsBridge curriculum (http://railsbridge.org) to provide a gentle introduction to Ruby on Rails. Topics covered include an introduction to the Ruby language, the Rails framework, and version control with git. Participants will build a working Rails application.

There will be some pre-preconference preparation needed so that we can effectively use our time. Details to come.

* Note: Attendees can follow up with the Intro to Blacklight afternoon session, which will be tailored for folks new to Ruby

'''I plan on attending:'''
* First and last name
* Jon Stroop
* Christina Salazar
* Karen Coombs - coombsk{at}oclc{dot}org
* Becky Yoose
* Jeremy Morse
* Julia Bauder
* Chung Kang
* Karen Miller
* Betsy Coles
* Jay Luker
* Santi Thompson
* Sarah Dooley
* Brandon Dudley
* Ken Irwin
* Dennis Ogg
* Ian Walls
* Steven Villereal
* Hillel Arnold
* Josh Wilson - joshwilsonnc at gmail

===Intro to NoSQL Databases===
* Joshua Gomez, George Washington University, jngomez at gwu edu

Since Google published its paper on BigTable in 2006, alternatives to the traditional relational database model have been growing in both variety and popularity. These new databases (often referred to as NoSQL databases) excel at handling problems faced by modern information systems that the traditional relational model cannot. They are particularly popular among organizations tackling the so-called "Big Data" problems. However, there are always tradeoffs involved when making such dramatic changes. Understanding how these different kinds of databases are designed and what they can offer is essential to the decision making process. In this precon I will discuss some of the various types of new databases (key-value, columnar, document, graph) and walk through examples or exercises using some of their open source implementations like Riak, HBase, CouchDB, and Neo4j.

'''I plan on attending:'''
* First and last name
* Esha Datta
* Trevor Thornton
* Michael Doran
* Ray Schwartz
* Kevin Clarke
* Andreas Orphanides
* Tommy Ingulfsen
* Harrison Dekker
* Eric James

==Half Day Afternoon==
=== Data Visualization Hackfest ===
* Chris Beer, cabeer at stanford.edu
* Dan Chudnov, dchud at gwu edu

* Description: Want to hack/design/plan/document on a team of people who enjoy learning by creating? Interested in data visualization? Well, this hackfest is for you. Not familiar with the concept of a hackfest? See Roy Tennant's [http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA332564.html "Where Librarians Go To Hack"] and the page for the [http://access2010.lib.umanitoba.ca/node/3.html Access 2010 Hackfest]. We propose a half-day hackfest with a focus on visualization library data -- think stuff like library catalog data, access/circulation statistics, etc. Here's how it works, roughly:
- we'll (you'll!) do lightning tutorials for some data visualization tools, toolkits (R? d3js? ?), datasets.
- we'll separate into groups and hack on stuff.
- at the end of the day, we'll present our progress.

Not a code hacker? No worries; all skill sets and backgrounds are valuable!

'''I plan on attending:'''
* First and last name
* Devon Smith
* Esha Datta
* Ray Schwartz
* Karen Coombs - coombsk{at}oclc{dot}org
* Julia Bauder
* Jason Stirnaman (jstirnaman at kumc.edu)
* Joshua Gomez
* Ayla Stein
* Harrison Dekker
* Ian Walls
* [[User:Kevenj|Keven Jeffery]]

=== Intro to Hydra ===
* Adam Wead, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (awead at rockhall.org)
* Mike Giarlo, Penn State Information Technology Services (michael at psu.edu)
* Mark Bussey, Data Curation Experts (mark at curationexperts.com)

Hydra (http://projecthydra.org) is a free and open source repository solution that is being used by institutions on both sides of the North Atlantic to provide access to their digital content. Hydra provides a versatile and feature rich environment for end-users and repository administrators alike. Leveraging Blacklight as its front end discovery interface, the hydra project provides a suite of software components, data models, and design patterns for building a robust and sustainable digital repository, as well as a community of support for ongoing development. This workshop will provide an introduction to the hydra project and its software components. Attendees will leave with enough knowledge to get started building their own local repository solutions. This workshop will be led by Adam Wead of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

'''I plan on attending:'''
* Jeremy Prevost
* Dennis Ogg
* Linda Ballinger
* Terry Brady
* Betsy Coles
* Brendan Quinn
* Shawn Kiewel
* Steven Villereal
* Ryan Eby
* First and last name

=== Intro to Blacklight ===
* Bess Sadler, Stanford University Library (bess at stanford.edu)
* Justin Coyne, MediaShelf (justin.coyne at yourmediashelf.com)
* Jason Ronallo, NC State (jronallo at gmail.com)
* Shaun Ellis (helper), Princeton University Library, (shaune@princeton.edu)

Blacklight (http://projectblacklight.org) is a free and open source discovery interface built on solr and ruby on rails. It is used by institutions such as Stanford University, NC State, WGBH, Johns Hopkins University, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and an ever expanding community of adopters and contributors. Blacklight can be used as a front-end discovery solution for an ILS, or the contents of a digital repository, or to provide a unified discovery solution for many siloed collections. In this workshop we will cover the basics of solr indexing and searching, setting up and customizing Blacklight, and leave time for Q&A around local issues people might encounter.

Note: this workshop will be tailored as a follow-on to the morning's RailsBridge Intro to Ruby on Rails workshop, but everyone is welcome

'''I plan on attending:'''
* First and last name
* Jon Stroop
* Jeremy Morse
* Karen Miller
* Tommy Ingulfsen
* Chung Kang
* Santi Thompson
* Brandon Dudley
* Ken Irwin
* Brendan Quinn
* Hillel Arnold

=== DPLA Intro/Hacking ===

* Presenter(s)/Leader(s): TBD
* Guy Who'd Be Interested in Helping: Jay Luker, Smithsonian Astrophysics Data System (jluker at cfa.harvard.edu)

This is a stub proposal entered solely to beat the submission deadline. I think there's be sufficient interest in this session, but only thought of it yesterday and haven't had time to coordinate with actual DPLA'ers and confirm that any of them are definitely coming.

'''I plan on attending:'''
* First and last name

=== Fail4lib ===
* Jason Casden, NCSU Libraries (jmcasden at ncsu.edu)
* Andreas Orphanides, NCSU Libraries (akorphan at ncsu.edu)

The Code4lib community is full of driven people who embrace the risks that are often associated with new projects. While these traits lead to the incredible projects that are presented at Code4lib, creative technical work also often leads to unexpected, vexing, or disappointing results even from eventually successful projects (however you define the term). Learning more about how our colleagues deal with failure in various contexts could lead to the development of better methods for communicating the value of productive failure, modifying project plans ("The Pivot"), and failing more cheaply.

Hopefully we can define the format as a group, but a fairly high level of participation is crucial if this is to be a worthwhile preconference. Some possible agenda items that could be mixed and matched to fill the afternoon:

# Given willing presenters, a series of 10-20 minute presentations that go into some depth about specific failures.
# Depending on the number of participants, either a multi- or single-track series of unconference-like themed discussions on various aspects of failure, possibly including themes like:
#* Technical failure
#* Failure to effectively address a real user need
#* Overinvestment
#* Outreach/Promotion failure
#* Design/UX failure
#* Project team communication failure
#* Missed opportunities (risk-averse failure)
#* Successes gleaned from failures
# A panel of participants who have prepared in advance to answer moderator and audience questions about their experience with failure.
# A prepared reading assignment that we could all forget to read, creating a shared fail in order to start the preconference on the right foot.

I'll serve as a moderator (if needed) and participant and would welcome more organizers. I am happy to be outvoted by participants on any of these points--I just want to get us talking about our screw-ups, blind spots, and anvils dropping from the sky.

'''I plan on attending:'''
* First and last name
* Becky Yoose
* Lisa Rabey

=== Solr 4 In Depth ===
* Contact: Erik Hatcher (erik.hatcher at lucidworks.com)

The long awaited and much anticipated Solr 4 has been released! It's a really big deal. There are so many improvements, it makes the head spin. This session will cover the major feature improvements from Lucene's flexible indexing and scoring API up through SolrCloud in a digestable half-day format. Sounds like this is an evening thing that might happen at a bar somewhere?

'''I plan on attending:'''
* First and last name
* Esmé Cowles
* Jon Stroop
* Adam Constabars
* Kevin Clarke
* Jacob Andresen
* Ted Lawless
* Jay Luker
* Tom Burton-West
* Curtis Thacker
* Eric James
* Bess Sadler

[[Category:Code4Lib2013]]

2013 Code4Lib Midwest Conference

2012-07-16T21:19:17Z

Eby: /* Registration */

==Code4Lib Midwest 2012==
* Twitter hash tag: [http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23c4lmw #c4lmw]
===Location===
Code4Lib MidWest meeting will be held at [http://www.lib.msu.edu Michigan State University Libraries]
* '''When''' - Tuesday, July 24th starting at 9am-ish until Wednesday, July 25th
* '''Where''' - [http://www.lib.msu.edu/general/address-visiting.jsp Michigan State University Main Library address and parking information]
**Tuesday in the MSU Libraries North Conference room, 4th floor, west wing of Main Library - [http://img.lib.msu.edu/structure/4th-west.pdf map]
**Wednesday in the MSU Libraries Reference Instruction room, 1st floor, lobby area of Main Library - [http://img.lib.msu.edu/structure/1stflr.pdf map (in the yellow area)]
* '''Contact''' - [http://twitter.com/#!/ranti Ranti Junus] (That One) , [http://twitter.com/#!/ksattler Kelly Sattler] (Room Wrangler), [http://twitter.com/#!/aaroncollie Aaron Collie] (Social & Logistics Buff), [http://twitter.com/#!/mreidsma Mathew Reidsma] (Programming Lord)

===Logistics===
* Lodging
** We have blocked off 30 rooms for 7/23 & 7/24 at the East Lansing Marriott as the official hotel. These rooms are at a discounted rate, and are held on a first come first served basis. Reservations must be booked by June 23rd or the rooms will be released back to the public.
*** Use the [http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lanea-east-lansing-marriott-at-university-place/?toDate=&groupCode=LIBLIBA&fromDate=&app=resvlink this link] to book your stay, or call and mention the event code "LIBLIBA"
*** '''NOTE:''' if you use the link, make sure to uncheck "My Dates Are Flexible"
** Here is a list of alternative hotels, with notes on distance and transportation to MSU: http://www.ctlr.msu.edu/cotravel/hotels_msulocal.aspx

* Transportation
** '''Train:''' East Lansing Train Station -- Amtrak
** '''Bus:''' East Lansing Train Station -- Greyhound
** '''Air''': Lansing Capital City Airport (LAN) is the closest airport with connections through Detroit, Chicago, Cincinatti, Minneapolis, and Atlanta. However, there are a number of airports that you can fly into to reach the East Lansing area, including:
***Lansing Capital City Airport (LAN) in Lansing, MI
***Detroit Metro International Airport (DTW) in Detroit, MI
****[http://michiganflyer.com/ The Michigan Flyer] provides bus service between the Detroit Metro International Airport and East Lansing. It drops off and picks up directly at the East Lansing Marriott.

* Entertainment
** '''Check out the Google Map for some nearby eats n' drinks: http://g.co/maps/dbnzp '''
*** Woody's Oasis -- Good Mediterranean
*** Crunchy's -- Good appetizers and microbrews
*** Beggar's -- Pub fare and a good tap
*** Stateside -- Heaping deli sandwiches
*** Five Guys -- Burgers!
*** Brueggar's -- Bagels
*** Cosi -- Decent lunch spot
*** Noodles & Company -- You guessed it.
*** Potbelly's -- Right on the corner, grab n' go sandwiches
*** Omi -- Sushi
*** Sushi ya -- More Sushi
*** Bell's Pizza -- Pizza
*** Georgio's Pizza -- More Pizza

===Programming===

Share what you are working on! We are looking for 10-15 minute lightning talks, 30-60 minute in-depth talks, and 90-minute workshops. We would also love to hear some ideas for an afternoon hackfest. Add your name and a description of your talk below to sign up, or throw out an idea for hackfest.

====Lightning Talks====
* Francis Kayiwa - Giving XTF an Admin interface
* MYSTERY PERSON - UnLibGuiding LibGuides - Using JQuery and CSS with Campus Guides to make LibGuides a real Web CMS
* Matthew Reidsma - Guerrila analytics - uncovering user behavior with jQuery, JSONP, and sneakery.
* Margaret Heller - What works for intranets and what doesn't (may be a hackfest question as well)
* Erin Fisher - Makerspaces: What are they and why should they live in libraries?

====Talks====
* M Ryan Hess - Web Services project management and reporting using a custom-built Zoho ticketing application.
* ''Virtual Presentation via video: Ken Irwin - Deluxe screen-scraping with DOM parsing (15 min + Q&A)''
* Kyle Felker Gamification Basics (30 mins + Q&A)
* Matthew Reidsma - Dead-simple version control for your team with Git.
* Eric Echeverri and Noah Botimer - Devise Authentication for Rails (for beginners)

====Workshops====

====Hackfest ideas====

Is your library facing a problem? Bring it to the hackfest and we'll work on some solutions. Remember! Hackfest topics don't need to be technical! We can work on solutions to hack organizational or political problems, too!

===Registration===

List your name, email address, and affiliation here to register for the meeting:

*Margaret Heller, mheller@dom.edu, Dominican University
*Matthew Reidsma, reidsmam@gvsu.edu, Grand Valley State University
*Francis Kayiwa, kayiwa@MyUniNext, University of Illinois at Chicago
*Ranti Junus, ranti.junus@gmail.com, Michigan State University
*Aaron Collie, collie@msu.edu, Michigan State University
*Lisa Rabey, lrabey@grcc.edu, Grand Rapids Community College
*Jim LeFager jlefager@depaul.edu, DePaul University
*Bill Dueber, dueberb@umich.edu, University of Michigan
*Kyle Felker, felkerk@gvsu.edu, Grand Valley State University
*[''I will not be able to make it in person, but I would love to participate virtual to the extent possible: Ken Irwin, kirwin[at]wittenberg.edu, Wittenberg University (Ohio)'']
*M Ryan Hess, mhess8@depaul.edu, DePaul University
*Mary Morgan, morganm@gvsu.edu, Grand Valley State University
*Linda Ballinger, ballingerl at newberry.org, Newberry Library (Chicago)
*Kelly Sattler, sattler9@msu.edu, Michigan State University
*Esther Verreau, everreau@skokielibrary.info, Skokie Public Library
*Dave Widmer, dwidmer@bgsu.edu, Bowling Green State University
*Albert Bertram, bertrama@umich.edu, University of Michigan
*Jeremy Morse, jgmorse@umich.edu, University of Michigan
*Steve Meyer, steve_meyer@oclc.org, OCLC
*Joshua Neds-Fox, jnf@wayne.edu, Wayne State University
*Elliot Polak, elliot.polak@wayne.edu Wayne State University
*Graham Hukill, graham.hukill@wayne.edu, Wayne State University
*Leah Black, blackl@mail.lib.msu.edu, Michigan State University
*Christine Tobias, tobiasc@msu.edu, Michigan State University
*Jenny Brandon, jbrandon@msu.edu, Michigan State University
*Emily Sanford, sanfor79@msu.edu, Michigan State University.
*Patrick Roth, rothpa@gvsu.edu, Grand Valley State University
*Kim Pierce, piercek@mail.lib.msu.edu, Michigan State University [Tuesday only]
*Nathan Collins, colli372@mail.lib.msu.edu, Michigan State University [Tuesday only]
*Stephen Schrauger, schraug1@mail.lib.msu.edu, Michigan State University [Tuesday only]
*Eric Echeverri, ericeche@umich.edu, University of Michigan
*Ben Reiter, reiterbe@mail.lib.msu.edu, Michigan State University
* Noah Botimer, ???, University of Michigan
* Ryan Eby, ryaneby at gmail, AADL (tentative)
----

== Previous C4L Midwest Regional Meetings ==

* [[2010 (Inaugural) Code4Lib Midwest Meeting]]
* [[2011 Code4Lib Midwest Meeting]]

== Mailing list ==

For better or for worse, Code4Lib "Midwest" has low-traffic [http://groups.google.com/group/code4lib-midwest mailing list/Google group]. Consider subscribing.

Craft Brew Drinkup

2011-01-24T18:05:11Z

Eby:

'''Date and Time TBA.'''

The Craft Brew Drinkup at Code4lib 2011 is all about sharing and enjoying good beer with fellow conference attendees. The idea is to bring bottles of your favorite beers. For this sort of thing anarchivist usually recommends bringing 22 oz bottles, but 12 oz. is OK if it's strong or really special. While you're not obligated to bring local beers from whereever you're from, participants are definitely encouraged to bring beer that you think is special and might be somewhat hard for others outside your area to find. Sign up below with your name, where you're from, and list a few brews or bottles you're thinking (but not necessarily committing to bring along.) You can also request that people bring specific beer if you so desire, but not necessarily expect this.

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" class="sortable"
! Name
! Location
! Brews or Breweries I might bring
! Requests
|-
| Mark Matienzo
| New Haven CT/Brooklyn NY
| Pretty Things (1901 KK and Babayaga); Brooklyn Brewery?, something from Connecticut
| Imperial porters/stouts; really funky-/Brett-tasting beers
|-
| Edward Corrado
| Binghamton NY
| Something from one or more local microbreweries
| smokey beer
|-
| Mike Giarlo
| Pennsyltucky
| Either local PA stuff (Otto's, Elk Creek, Victory, Tröegs, Stoudts, Weyerbacher) or Dogfish Head or both
| Sour beers, barleywines, malty beers, and beers that make you go "Hmmmm..."
|-
| Declan Fleming
| San Diego
| Green Flash, Alesmith, Lost Abbey
| Stouts, sours, not of that fizzy yellow ick, not too many hops
|-
| Jason Stirnaman
| Kansas City
| Boulevard Smokestack something or other - Imperial Stout if available
| Stouts, lagers, no hoppy or spicy ales
|-
| Ryan Eby
| Lansing/Ann Arbor, MI
| Jolly Pumpkin, Founders, others by request (below). Driving so can do growlers.
| Dark or Hoppy
|-
| Julie Hardesty
| Bloomington, IN
| Growler of Java Porter or Ruby Bloom Amber from Bloomington Brewing Co. (depends on what they're making). You can give it a try before you make the trek to Lennie's.
| Going for stout and/or flavor
|-
| Esmé Cowles
| Gainesville, FL
| Cigar City or homebrew scotch ale.
| Anything malty and/or aromatic. French Broad Wee Heavy-er (or -est) if anybody's coming up from Asheville.
|-
| Tim Donohue
| Champaign, IL
| Three Floyds, Two Brothers, or whatever I find that looks good at local [http://www.friartuckonline.com/ Friar Tucks] (welcoming requests)
| Most anything except fruity/spicy. I like hoppy, dark and/or malty.
|-
| Linda Ballinger
| Chicago, IL
| Half Acre (probably)
| Dark, bitter
|-
| Your name here
|
|
|
|}

=== Suggestions ===

* mjgiarlo: Stoudts, Weyerbacher get decent distribution around MI at least. the otto/elk sounds interesting. special victory's --eby
* eby: atwater (anarchivist), founders and bells (bigd)

[[Category: Code4Lib2011]]

Craft Brew Drinkup

2011-01-22T20:52:28Z

Eby:

Sources Of Metadata

2010-04-30T21:54:35Z

Eby:

== Books ==

* [http://openlibrary.org/dev/docs/restful_api OpenLibrary]
* [http://www.librarything.com/services/ LibraryThing]
* [http://worldcat.org/devnet/wiki/Services WorldCat]
* [http://api.comicvine.com/ ComicVine] - comics, manga

== Music ==

* [http://www.last.fm/api/intro Last.fm] ([http://www.last.fm/api/tos tos])
* [http://musicbrainz.org/doc/XML_Web_Service MusicBrainz]
* [http://developer.billboard.com/ Billboard]
* [http://www.discogs.com/help/api Discogs]

== Video ==

* [http://developer.netflix.com/ Netflix]
* [http://api.internetvideoarchive.com/ Internet Video Archive]
* [http://developer.nytimes.com/docs/movie_reviews_api NY Times Movie Reviews]
* [http://www.linkedmdb.org/ Linked MDB]

Main Page

2010-04-30T15:34:49Z

Eby: /* Interest Groups */

__NOTOC__
= Code4Lib Wiki =

== About Code4Lib ==

* [[About Code4Lib]] - Background and history of the community

== Local / Regional Groups ==

* [[NYC|Code4LibNYC]] - NYC and surrounding areas
* [[NEC4L|New England Code4lib]] - New England
* [http://se.code4lib.org Southeastern Code4lib] - North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, etc.
* [[NL|Code4Bib]] - Dutch Code4Bib
* [[MDC|Code4libMDC]] - Maryland, Washington D.C and surrounding areas
* [http://groups.google.com/group/pnwcode4lib?hl=en PNWCode4Lib] - Pacific Northwest
* [[North|code4lib North]] - Ontario and surrounding areas ''(new for Jan 2010!)''
* [[Midwest|Code4Lib Midwest]] - Wherever that is...
* [https://listserv.nd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind1003&L=CODE4LIB&T=0&O=D&P=112849 Hungary] - interested in Code4Lib in Hungary?

== Interest Groups ==

* [[ILS_Interop|ILS Interoperability]] - A group working to develop an infrastructure for interoperating between discovery layers and integrated library systems.
* [[Open_Source_Book_Widgets|Open Source Book Widgets]] - A list of open source book widgets
* [[Discovery|Open Source Discovery]] - Open Source application to enhance and support "discovery" in libraries
* [[Mobile_Apps|Mobile Applications]] - A group interested in mobile web and native application development for libraries
* [[Sources_Of_Metadata|Sources Of Metadata]] - list of api's and sources of interest to libraries

== Software Usage and Documentation ==

* [[Umlaut]] - OpenURL link resolving middleware
* [[:Category:Patterns|Patterns for Collaborative Code]] - Patterns to make your open source 'more open', more amenable to distributed development and use at multiple institutions without forking.
* [[ILS Documentation]]
* [[OSS Directory]]
* [[Working with MaRC]]
* [[Rogue]] - principles for standards creation

== Code4lib Journal ==

* [[:Category:Code4Lib Journal|Code4Lib Journal]] - information and working documents

== Current topics ==

* [[Logo Design Process]]
* [[OCLC Policy Change]]
* [[SirsiDynix: Integrated Library System Platforms on Open Source]]

== Other Code4Lib Sites ==

* [http://www.code4lib.org/ code4lib.org]
* [http://planet.code4lib.org planet.code4lib.org]

== Earlier Conferences and events ==
== Code4libcon 2010 ==
''See also the [http://wiki.code4lib.org/index.php/Category:Code4Lib2010 Code4lib2010 category]''
* [http://code4lib.org/conference/2010/schedule Finalized schedule]
* [[2010 Lightning Talks Signup]] - sign up to give a lightning talk
* [[2010 Breakout Sessions]] - suggest a breakout here
* '''[[2010 Conference Buzz]] - Conference announcements and a place for code4libbers to plan stuff'''
* [[C4L2010_social_activities|Social Activities]] - ideas & sign-up
* [[Committees sign-up page]] - '''Volunteer to help'''
* [[C4L2011_planning_wishlist|'''Put your ideas for 2011 here!''']]

=== Transportation ===
* [[Asheville Airport to Hotel Van Manifest]]
* [[C4L2010rideshare|General shared travel/transportation planning]]
* [[C4L2010planning:RoommatesRidesEtc|Roommates, Rides, Etc]]

=== Deals ===
* [[C4L2010_manning_discount|Manning Publications Discount]] - discount code (40% off) for use by attendees through Feb. 28, 2010
* Thanks also to our other sponsors!

=== Asheville planning ===
* [[C4L2010planning|2010 Planning]]
* [[C4L2010planning:_wishlist | 2010 Planning Wishlist]] - planning page for issues, expectations, etc. for the 2010 conference

=== Code4libcon 2009 ===
* [[BookRaffle]] - coordinate begging publishers for books to raffle off at the conference
* [http://inkdroid.org/c4l2009/attendees Get FOAFed] - add your FOAF profile to the network of c4l2009 attendees
* PreConferences:
** [[GIS_preconf_code4libcon2009]] - Open source GIS just like mom used to make
** [[LinkedData]] - A proposal for a linked-data code4lib2009 pre-conference
** [[LibX_Preconference]] - Proposal for a half-day pre-conference targeted at developers who wish to use the LibX 2.0 platform
** [http://code4lib.org/2009/oclc-precon OCLC Grid Services Preconference]
* [[RoommatesRidesEtc]] - Find roommates for Code4Lib 2009, share rides, etc.
* [[2009 Conference Buzz]] - Conference announcements and a place for code4libbers to plan stuff

=== Other workshops ===
* [http://barcamp.org/SearchCampDC SearchCampDC] - barcamp style event in DC with usual suspects from code4lib
* [[code4lib/elag2010]] - 1-day code4lib preconference at elag2010

[[AdminToDo]] - ideas and tasks for maintaining the Code4Lib sites

Sources Of Metadata

2010-04-30T15:32:41Z

Eby: New page: == Books == * [http://openlibrary.org/dev/docs/restful_api OpenLibrary] * [http://www.librarything.com/services/ LibraryThing] * [http://worldcat.org/devnet/wiki/Services WorldCat] == Mu...

== Books ==

* [http://openlibrary.org/dev/docs/restful_api OpenLibrary]
* [http://www.librarything.com/services/ LibraryThing]
* [http://worldcat.org/devnet/wiki/Services WorldCat]

== Music ==

* [http://www.last.fm/api/intro Last.fm] ([http://www.last.fm/api/tos tos])
* [http://musicbrainz.org/doc/XML_Web_Service MusicBrainz]
* [http://developer.billboard.com/ Billboard]
* [http://www.discogs.com/help/api Discogs]

== Video ==

* [http://developer.netflix.com/ Netflix]
* [http://api.internetvideoarchive.com/ Internet Video Archive]
* [http://developer.nytimes.com/docs/movie_reviews_api NY Times Movie Reviews]
* [http://www.linkedmdb.org/ Linked MDB]

SirsiDynix: Integrated Library System Platforms on Open Source

2009-10-30T20:17:09Z

Eby: /* The Report */

== Background ==
Around 09-Sept-2009, a SirsiDynix Corp position paper, "Integrated Library System Platforms on Open Source" by Vice President of Innovation Stephen Abram, was authored and distributed to a group of SirsiDynix customers.

On 29-Oct-2009, the report was posted on Wikileaks, which "spreads a fantastic amount of fear, uncertainty and doubt about both open source software in general and, more specifically, the suitability of open source integrated library systems" [1].

[1] http://thesecretmirror.com/open-source/leaked-sirsidynix-report
== The Report ==

* [http://wikileaks.org/wiki/SirsiDynix_Corp_restricted_lobby_paper_against_Open_Source_technologies,_Sep_2009 Integrated Library System Platforms on Open Source]
* [http://stephenslighthouse.sirsidynix.com/Open%20Source%20Position%20Paper%2020090909%20FINAL%5B1%5D.pdf The report as released by Stephen Abram (pdf) ]
* [http://etherpad.com/9OzS9eowye Etherpad document for collaborative annotation] - limited to 16 users. to just read see [[SirsiDynix Etherpad]]
* [[SirsiDynix Etherpad]] - Dump of Etherpad (may be out of date)

== Commentary ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="text-align: left;"
! Date !! Author !! Title
|-
| 2009-10-30 || Breeding, Marshall || [http://www.librarytechnology.org/blog.pl?ThreadID=134&BlogID=1 Clifford Lynch clarifies views relative to open source ILS efforts]
|-
| 2009-10-30 || Matienzo, Mark || [http://thesecretmirror.com/open-source/clifford-lynch-response-to-leaked-sirsidynix-report Clifford Lynch Clarifies Position on Open Source ILSes]
|-
| 2009 || Digg || http://digg.com/software/SirsiDynix_Corp_shovels_open_source_FUD_onto_its_customers
|-
|-
| 2009-10-30 || Abram, Stephen || http://stephenslighthouse.sirsidynix.com/archives/2009/10/its_about_a_res.html
|-
|}

== Relevant articles ==

"Some of the most security-conscious entities, like the United States Department of Defense, restrict the use of open source software for fear that it could pose a terrorist opportunity."
* [http://brlcad.org/d/about BRL-CAD]
* [http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2009/10/dod_says_yes_to.html;jsessionid=TFP02AM1CPPM3QE1GHPSKH4ATMY32JVN DOD Says Yes To More Open Source], 28-Oct-2009

SirsiDynix Etherpad

2009-10-30T20:15:27Z

Eby: New page: == Dump of Etherpad as of 10/30 4:14 Eastern == "Integrated Library System Platforms on Open Source" by Stephen Abram, MLS, FSLA ~ Vice President of Innovation, SirsiDynix Chief Strategis...

== Dump of Etherpad as of 10/30 4:14 Eastern ==

"Integrated Library System Platforms on Open Source"
by Stephen Abram, MLS, FSLA ~ Vice President of Innovation, SirsiDynix
Chief Strategist, SirsiDynix Institute

This document was copied from the original, leaked report posted on WikiLeaks (<http://wikileaks.org/wiki/SirsiDynix_Corp_restricted_lobby_paper_against_Open_Source_technologies,_Sep_2009>) for the purpose of collaborative annotation, fact-checking, and commentary/critique.

==============

Introduction: caveat emptor
On February 18, 1815, Hector M. Organ purchased 111 hogsheads (111,000 pounds) of tobacco from Peter Laidlaw and Company. It was the same day that the news broke of the signing of the Treaty of Ghent between the United States and Britain, which ended the War of 1812 and lifted the naval embargo that had drastically depressed the price of American tobacco by 30 to 50 percent.

Organ, who had spoken of the news of the treaty with his brother, speculated that the price of tobacco would rise within the next two days. But Laidlaw was unaware of the news at the time of the sale. During the discussion of the contract, Laidlaw asked Organ if he was aware of any reason for the price to be higher. But Organ remained silent over the news of the embargo lifting, and kept his price low.

The next day, when prices rose, Laidlaw incurred a large loss on the sale relative to the previous day's price, and repossessed the tobacco by force.

A lawsuit ensued, which eventually reached the Supreme Court and a unanimous ruling from the John Marshall court establishing caveat emptor, or "let the buyer beware" doctrine in the United States. Under this ruling, "the buyer cannot recover from the seller for defects on the property that rendered the property unfit for ordinary purposes." While this ruling happened almost two centuries ago, some buyers ignore some of the most critical facts of their purchases.
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laidlaw_v._Organ

Today, we see that happening when libraries get into talks about moving their Integrated Library Systems to open source platforms systems. What we have found is that they often are not aware of the heavy drawbacks of what open source systems cannot offer at this point in time.

Therefore, to help buyers become aware of the limitations of open source, we set out to clarify what open source is, how it is different from proprietary software platforms, and why Integrated Library Systems (ILS) are not ready for open source at this point.

So what is open source?
The concept of open source is fairly misunderstood and quite vague. Most organizations courting the idea of open source development do so because they feel they can project their dreams and desires onto a blank slate and have the features they want sitting at their fingertips quickly and easily.

This is a misunderstanding of how open source software development works. By definition, "Open source is an approach to the design, development, and distribution of software, offering practical accessibility to a software's source code."

A more technically correct term to define what open source is would be "peer production development," meaning that the open source model allows concurrent input of differing agendas and ideas to the development of software. Essentially, anyone can join the collaboration effort with the goal of making it stronger and more feature-rich.

Some of the most successful open source developments include the Linux operating system, Apache HTTP Servers, the Internet address system Internet Protocol, and Mozilla's Firefox Internet Browser.

The open source community repeatedly points to these efforts as the poster children of how successful open source can be. However, each of these developments has a major issue in common: they were developed because the public demanded it--they each had a critical mass.

Nevertheless, it should be noted that it is rare for completely open source projects to be successful. Rather than focusing on best-in-class software choice decision-making, these projects often end up being archipelagos of systems driven by a philosophical principle that is anti-proprietary.
[[Criteria for measuring success needed?]]

How are open source developments and proprietary platforms different?
There are a number of assertions that proponents of open source claim as the strengths of open source, including:
* Total cost of ownership (TCO)
* Opportunity costs
* Software as a Service (SaaS)
* Features and Functions
* Customization
* Security
* Networking
* Open Formats
* Necessary expertise
* Testing
* Integration
* Community-driven
* Scalability
* Speed
* Reliability
There are many more arguments on behalf of the open source community, but we will focus our attention on these subjects due to the importance of these assertions.

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): The Real Price
The open source proponents state that it has a much lower price and a much lower total cost of ownership (TCO). What they tend to leave out, however, are the entry costs of switching systems. Especially in the library market, the two main open source players haven't been around long enough nor do they have enough clients to provide evidence for this argument.

There is a difference between price and TCO. Open source proponents tend to focus on the `free' license that commits them to the software. And if it is free, they are not committed to keeping it, since no costs are out of pocket. They can even switch freely if it does not work out for them.

However, all software has a true TCO, which includes the sales price, initial implementation time and costs, any hardware and software upgrades, hosting costs, maintenance and technical support, upgrades, and training (or re-training). It is important to determine the overall costs of adopting a new mode.

It is very unlikely that an open source solution is any less expensive than a proprietary solution. In fact, in all of the data SirsiDynix has collected, we are not seeing quotes that conflict with this assertion. Indeed there are very few green fields in the ILS marketplace. Most libraries already have an ILS and receive upgrades as part of their maintenance contract from us or other proprietary vendors. These maintenance contracts are a small percentage of the initial price.
[[ I am pretty sure that at the UK AGM, some people were told they'd be responsible for upgrades - can anyone else confirm? ]] [[ As far as I understand it, Unicorn/Symphony customers have to apply their own upgrades and patches ]] [[ Correct. Unless you are a SaaS (Software as a Service) customer, you are responsible for downloading patches / upgrades, applying them yourself and doing any cleanup afterward. ]][[And if things go wrong, at least as of 2008, the last time I tried it, you can only get support for upgrades during Eastern US time zone working hours, *even if you have paid extra for 24-hour/critical support*.]]

To convert to an open source option like Evergreen or Koha using vendors like Equinox or LibLime the library must start over with conversions and implementations, usually paying another vendor or consultant to accomplish these. As open source companies assert, it is free like kittens, not free like beer. [[ This is also true for propietary software. The difference is that with OSS you might have more freedom of choice as to whom to contract to do the above; or you could do it yourself if you understand the code and/or available documentation]]

Generally there will be significant limitations to the hardware and operating system options. This limits the ability to cooperate consortially or share resources with host cities or institutions that may use a different standard. The library is at risk of being an island in the community. [[This is also true for propietary software. The difference might be that with OSS you can take the available source code, and recompile it or otherwise make it work in whatever hardware or other restrictions; or possibly have more freedom in choosing it who can do it for you.]]

SirsiDynix offers--and has offered for many decades--a wide variety of options for servers, operating systems and plug-ins. Open source ILS offerings do not offer the diversity of choices that SirsiDynix offers. [[But, as an SD client, do I have the freedom to adapt or extend the software to my own situation? I assume SD's software isn't OSS. =) ]][[ Where you can, e.g. with the OPAC products, you will normally forfeit technical support if you make changes that are outside of the ones allowed by the supplied admin tools. The HIP documentation has a statement to that affect. ]]
[ CHART ]
Open source proponents and proprietary companies disagree on the total cost of ownership.

Proponents claim that even if open source requires more expertise, the TCO is ultimately lower. Companies claim that the required expertise is daunting and the other costs of proprietary solutions are exaggerated. (These charts illustrate concepts, not actual numbers.)"

[[ I'd agree that TCO *might* be higher in OSS vs. Propietary. It might also be higher in one propietary ILS vs. another one. It might also be in one OSS vs another OSS. The reasons given above don't seem to be dealing with TCO, but "look, OSS is limited", "look, we offer a wide variety of options".. not actually giving reasons why OSS TCO is higher vs. propietary overall.]]

Opportunity Costs
Some software isn't compatible with open source. Choosing any solution may foreclose on other software. This opportunity cost may not be apparent for years when the need for the other software emerges.

In many markets, there are major systems in accounting, intranets, e-learning, and so on that must tie in to the ILS. In many cases, open source is still the minority solution because, for example, the number of Linux desktops is meager compared to Microsoft Windows desktops. By choosing a Linux desktop, a user closes the door on some software because it may never be created for or ported to Linux. Add to this the major changes in allied systems that require an adaptation for the ILS and the issue grows exponentially.
[[First, the Linux desktop is hardly the right comparison for the ILS. Second, the opportunity costs of a proprietary ILS can be enormous as well - for example, as proprietary ILSs have been slow to add modern search functionality (relevance, faceting), we've lost a couple of years at least in comparison to the current open-source offerings. We've watched helplessly as Amazon has lapped us. This is crucial, user-facing functionality; the cost in user trust of our systems has been huge. (Though I suppose I should add: citation needed).]] [[ Two words: fuzzy searches. ]]

So for libraries that choose an open source system, the opportunity to integrate different systems into the solution is limited, at best.

SaaS
Real cost savings in the ILS come from improving the architecture of the whole system. This can be done through Software as a Solution (SaaS), where a proprietary software developer like SirsiDynix hosts a library's ILS and takes over responsibility for upgrades to hardware, updating, backup, and hosting activities. [[Some institutions already have people to do this on their own servers. Other propietary vendors can do this too. OSS-support vendors can do this (e.g. Acquia support everything "drupal", even the custom bits you add on). Is this related to OSS at all? ]]

The emergence of SaaS is growing very fast across all types of technology-dependent industries. It is cost effective, more flexible, and delivers significant benefits than traditional software installations, with few downsides.

This can result in total cost of ownership savings of nearly 50 percent. With the best professional hosting facilities available, SirsiDynix operates on a global basis. From the point of view of the end user, the ILS workflows and the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) are invisible and are truly adaptable to the Internet.[[These last two paragraphs name something that at-least two of the current OSS ILS vendors in the US are also offering--hosting, at world-class facilities, is not something you have to close the source to offer. These two paragraphs, therefore, really don't relate to OSS ILS solutions *directly*, but more to the companies that offer them.]]

While some open source ILS companies are offering hosted solutions, these solutions are not at the scale or professionalism of a proprietary SaaS solution, nor do they provide the service level agreements or service expectations that SirsiDynix commits to. Some open source SaaS services are hosted on servers in a small vendor's office, which are not professional hosting solutions and come with extremely high risk to the library.[[Who, currently? If you're going to accuse an organization of un-professional solutions, name names, so they can answer questions about it.]]
[[ I believe that Dynix UK used to host customer systems from their small-ish offices in rural Chesham? Vaguely remember being given a tour of their server room circa 2003. ]]

Features and Functions
When one is evaluating the differences between open source ILS and proprietary ILS, the theories need to be overridden by practical applications.

It is one thing to subscribe to a belief system when one is talking philosophy. It is quite another when the discussion turns to provable issues like specific ILS programs features, reliability, security, power, speed, and ease of customizing the software for specific needs. The use of agreed international standards is essential to using the wide range of third-party products used in libraries as well as any that may be considered in the future.

Generally, the available open source ILS platforms have less than half of the features and functions of any SirsiDynix ILS[[citation needed]]. Some of these features and functions may not be essential to some clients, some will be. However on this order of scale, and with that potential number of needed features, SirsiDynix has the ability to offer libraries the most robust feature set on the market. It becomes incumbent on the library's decision-making process to clearly outline what they are giving up or planning to develop on their own if they choose to go open source. [[I agree you have to plan ahead. It's also relevant if you want to change to another propietary ILS.]]

When we compare where we are today with proprietary platforms versus where we are with open source systems the development priorities for Evergreen and Koha are the same priorities that SirsiDynix had in the 1980s. How many years will it take for them to achieve a full feature set, if ever?

Proprietary software has more features. Period. [[ Citation, please. ]] Proprietary software is much more user-friendly. [[ Citation, please.]] SirsiDynix has been building this ILS for more than 30 years. It has a feature set second to none. [[Citation, please.]] It is important to note that a SirsiDynix ILS has two main user groups ¬≠ the library workers who process the resources for the library as acquisitions, cataloguing, circulation, ILL, etc. and the end-users who use the OPAC features and other add-ons like self-check. Open source software developers are spending the majority of their time and resources on getting the back room operations right, 30 years after we already completed the process.[[Not to be tacky, but here, SA proves that he has not been involved in the Koha community much. Some very subtle functionality features are being worked on quite a bit lately, not "back room operations."]]

Customization
Probably the most attractive claim by the open source community is its ability to be customized by anyone, for anyone. This claim is technically true. Much of the desire for customization comes from Innovative Interfaces Inc. (III) clients. However, III has a long history and tradition of not allowing its clients to write APIs to the underlying data and fields in the ILS.[[Speaking as a vendor, many of the customization requests we are getting are from *Horizon* clients, not III.]]

Meanwhile, SirsiDynix consultants have written custom API programs since the company introduced the Application Programming Interface (API) nearly 20 years ago. Other proprietary software companies like LibLime and Equinox have always offered customization to their clients.

However, it should be stated that customization is not without risk. Extensive customization, especially with potentially little or no documentation can make upgrades and changes increasingly difficult. SirsiDynix mitigates this with our API training as well as the option to have our consultants to review APIs for errors and bugs. [[ I believe you're required to sign an NDA if you take API training? I know the SirsiDynix customer email list for API discussion is restricted only to people who have taken the class. Customers can't just go out and download scripts that make use of SirsiDynix's API. ]][[That is essentially correct. When I took API in 2002, you did *not* have to sign an NDA, but I understand they do now. The list is closed. API-enabled customers can download scripts from a repository set up a long time back, but non-API-trained customers are not supposed to.]] [[ It may also be worth adding in the approximate cost of taking the API course. I've heard five figures but cannot source this. ]][[2002 price: $3,000...anyone have newer numbers?]][[ A figure of $5,000 was being quoted by customers at the 2006 EMEA conference in Barcelona ]]

In the open source world anyone can make significant changes to open source code. This is often presented as a great option to management who don't completely understand the consequences of too much customization. Too much source code change can result in completely new versions that are neither forward nor backwards compatible with the innovations of the overall open source community. Rogue programming teams may decide to create a better version, while exclaiming "Damn the torpedoes." The result is that the relationship to the core kernel of the software can be broken or made `odd'. In some of the big open source communities, there is an individual or group who gives permission to make change in the software. For example, Linus Torvalds, the genius behind the Linux platform, is materially involved in every Linux code addition to protect the kernel.
>> Linus is not involved with every Linux addition. He explicitly does not want to oversee every change. [ Find Reference ]

Customization can be a risky undertaking. Again, customization comes with the caveat emptor warning. [[ How risky, though, is the inability to do customizations that are needed? ]][[ Agreed. We had to undertake customizations "in house" to deliver functionality that was missing from the product and that was unlikely to be delivered by the vendor in the forseeable future. ]]

Libraries considering an open source ILS should seriously review how they handle version control and customization, as well as who handles the responsibilities and contracts for customization. If they don't, they may end up being an outlier or be forced into a proprietary environment like Red Hat. [[As opposed to a proprietary environment like SirsiDynix Unicorn/Symphony? SA has an interesting definition of "proprietary", I am thinking, and it's probably not the same as the one the rest of us use.]]

Security
Open source is often represented as more secure. This, too, is debatable. Some of the most security-conscious entities, like the United States Department of Defense, restrict the use of open source software for fear that it could pose a terrorist opportunity.
>> http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2009/10/dod_says_yes_to.html;jsessionid=K1DMBECLDPL1XQE1GHPSKH4ATMY32JVN : DOD Says Yes To More Open Source, 28-Oct-2009
>> http://www.cmswire.com/cms/enterprise-20/cia-invests-in-open-source-lucene-solr-search-004830.php : CIA Invests in Open Source Lucene, Solr Search, Jun 16, 2009

It is not an accident that SirsiDynix ILS systems and SaaS operations are the choice of the U.S. military ¬≠ possibly the most security-conscious environment in the entire world. [[No, it's not an accident--merely good marketing--but it may be an accident that they do not know that, without purchasing additional layered products, patron and staff userids and passwords are stored in the database and transmitted in plaintext (at least, as of Unicorn GL 3.1, this was true). It seems to me that calling OSS ILS products insecure here is a pots-and-kettles problem.]]

In open source, anyone can release code. But extensive testing is needed to ensure those codes are secure. The three big open source applications--Firefox, Apache, and Linux--have communities large enough to do this to find and isolate threats. It would be naive for the library market to think that the ILS community of open source programmers is large enough to create this assurance--it isn't even close. [[ **If** the community is not large enough, is this document intended to prevent it from ever becoming so? ]][[Define "large enough", please. I would contend that the Koha community, in particular, is plenty large enough to handle this; indeed, we are doing so. It is naive of SA to think that all of those programmers have to be on paid staff or customer-beta-testers to produce valid test results.]]

To date the ILS has not been a target for security threats, although associated systems for servers and communication have. This may change if a large installed base of open source ILS platforms emerges.
>> http://store.2600.com/fall2002.html Fall 2002 issue of 2600 had article called "Breaking Down the Dynix Door" which featured discussion of security issues within the Dynix ILS. Also see Marshall Breedings 2003 article "Defending your ILS against security threats" http://www.librarytechnology.org/ltg-displaytext.pl?RC=10575. Breeding states "The article describes the author's observation that at least some implementations of the Dynix ILS lacked even the most basic security precautions. He provides a basic recipe for discovering servers that run Dynix and identifying ones with lax security, and what exploits might be successful in gaining access."
[[ The Horizon OPAC currently supplied to UK academic sites contains numerous security holes that, to date, have not been fixed by the company. At least one academic site has had their OPAC server compromised on multiple occasions. ]]

Networking
Some open source vendors claim that open source is more network-friendly and relies on the Internet and other networks for its performance. Unfortunately for the ILS community, this is a grossly over-stated exaggeration.

The proprietary ILS market currently utilizes large-scale networks that work at speeds and performance measurements that far exceed any open source ILS installation anywhere. [[Citation, please.]] In fact, SirsiDynix SaaS solutions are world class, and our references in consortia and large complex accounts demonstrate the ability of a SirsiDynix ILS to perform on a network scale at excellent performance.[[ I thought Georgia developed Evergreen/Pines primarily because Unicorn failed to scale? ]]

Open Formats
An open format is a published specification for storing digital data, which basically can be used and implemented by anyone. For example, the format is interoperable among diverse internal and external platforms and applications.

The argument by the open source community is simply that open formats are better. SirsiDynix agrees. We try to use open formats and international standards as much as possible. Ideally, this would be all the time. But the reality is that open formats are not always the most "open" to formats that a host city or institution uses. It is our opinion that the ILS works with the formats that are needed by their clients rather than engaging in missionary work for greater openness. [[How about something as basic as RSS feeds that aren't created via screen-scraping?]]

Data management and migration highlight a number of these issues. Open formats are helpful in this area but even accepted standards like MARC have many legacy issues, data quality repair issues, and a company like SirsiDynix has infinitely more experience in migration and implementation issues than any new vendor, open source or not. If you wanted to argue that LibLime or Equinox do not respect the skills and depth at SirsiDynix, just ask why they have hired so many alumni from SirsiDynix.[[ I think question is rather "why did so many experienced staff leave SirsiDynix in a relatively short period of time?" Whilst many high profile/senior staff joined LibLime and Equinox, many others were also snapped up by the other commercial vendors (III, Ex Libris, Polaris, etc). At the time, the customer base expressed concern about the apparent "brain drain" and loss of product knowledge. ]]

Necessary Expertise
Is open source harder to deploy? All software solutions require some expertise to deploy, secure, and maintain. Some open source software is technically challenging and requires considerable expertise. This is a particularly important point in the library market where there is rarely a large systems department with a variety of programming levels and skills quickly available internally. [[ Is this intended to convey that SirsiDynix's software does not require equal expertise to deploy? ]][[One admin's experience--39 hours for a Unicorn upgrade (v 2001-2002), vs two hours for a Koha installation. Which one sounds "harder?"]][[ As a Horizon admin of 4 years and counting, I still feel that I barely understand how the system works. The product documentation, whilst comprehensive, is also volumous. ]]

Libraries considering open source should clearly evaluate the skills required. This might involve hiring an expensive consultant. Libraries would be well advised that they have a long tradition of working with application software and that the management of a proprietary ILS involves a different skill set than managing an ILS that must be extensively customized to assure performance. Application programming is different than development programming. [[ Open source ILSes are also customized to meet user needs ]]

The employment market for development programmers is different than application programmers. It also requires a different type and level of project manager and software leadership. These people are extremely rare and cost more. And most libraries cannot cover the salaries required to retain the talent they need. Moreover, these programmers won't necessarily be in the library programming space, meaning that libraries will have to compete with a larger development market than the limited library programming space. Indeed it is an interesting strategy for some library programmers to upgrade their skills in the library open source environment and leave as their worth increases. [[ It would be interesting to note how SirsiDynix has coped with this very issue, as the company has changed hands twice in recent years and shifted operations from Huntsville, Alabama to Provo, Utah. ]]

Testing
SirsiDynix has rigorous testing procedures. These are brought about through large investments in automated professional testing programs and procedures, regression testing, a mature beta testing process, managed protocols, and testing with partners. We certify
some third parties using actual tests to ensure that the customer experience is as seamless as possible. We test for scalability and for the stress of large numbers of users. We test for all major browsers. We test on all supported servers and operating systems. We test
aggressively and well. We test at every step of the development process. We do all of this before we have actual clients partner with us to beta test the pre-release candidates. Over the past few years our product has arrived in new releases with a higher standard of
performance and more features than ever before. We have released 20 major releases and upgrades in the past two years on time. [[ The Horizon upgrades in the last two years have been region-specific and primarily focused on the US customer base. Many Horizon customers in Europe are running systems that have not seen an upgrade for several years. However, the company has assurred customers that the next release of Horizon will be a "global" release suitable for many European customers. The lack of upgrades means that libraries are tied to using older Windows OSs and outdated versions of Java (e.g. 1.4.2). ]]

This is not the pattern that open source initiatives follow. [[ Citation, please. ]] Testing is the responsibility of the original programmer and their buddies. [[ Inflammatory, not factual. ]] Then the philosophy is caveat emptor, or "Installer beware!" And the testing heavily falls on the early adopters. [[ This, I acknowledge, is true, but early adopters of any software project, open or closed source, often bear the brunt of testing or bug identification. ]][[SD should not try to present here that they have been the barely-adequate testers for the last three decades. The memory of pre-2002 Unicorn upgrades is still present in people's minds. We're old, but not that old. Anecdotes from the period should adequately document that whatever "testing" they were doing was *not* adequate, in those days.]][[ Dynix (pre-merger with Sirsi) was also regularly accussed of releasing untested and/or buggy upgrades. Jack Blount admitted as much and promised to change the testing regime. ]]

Yet, when reviewing the list of bugs in the open source ILS software as compared to the same bugs for the proprietary software, investigators have to go back decades in the list to find the same bugs open source platforms are fixing today. [[ Surely that's simply because Unicorn is considerably older than the OS ILS products? ]][[Seems so to me, too. Age is not a virtue in and of itself. Anyone want to switch to DOS? It's an older, more-developed product than this Windows business...]]

This is evidence of a very young development program and the lack of real management in the process. The open source process is too organic and lacks tight priorities and strong management oversight.[[ As someone who has been keeping half-an-eye on the OS ILS development program over the last 18 months, it seems to be relatively well organised with some clear (customer driven) priorities. ]]

Integration
Some argue that it's difficult to integrate open source with proprietary solutions. It's always a professional task to make software work well.

The truth is that the software world will always be one of hybrid solutions. SirsiDynix has a long tradition of using open source in our solutions, properly tested and integrated, as well as ensuring that our APIs and portal solutions allow for integration of any desired solution. We also ensure that these work with all of our ILS solutions, multiple platforms, operating systems, servers and browsers.[[Not to ask too-pointed a question here, but when will SD come out with a version of Symphony that will allow use of MySQL? It's been a customer request at least as far back as 2003, about the time I joined the SD user community. (should be sourcable) If you want SQL compliance, you have to go with Oracle, which is spendy, or you can used the older ISAM databases. If you're committed, show it.]]

Community-driven
"Open source exists because a large community of motivated, generous programmers work together. Some are corporate employees, but open source development thrives on volunteers. Even users without programming or other technical skills find ways to help by filing bug reports, writing documentation, or answering questions on email lists."
[[Source: http://www.netc.org/openoptions/pros_cons/principles.html#community . It continues: "Current users report a sense of belonging and accomplishment by sharing and collaborating. This cooperation and focus on the common good resonates with why they work in education." I think the "common good" in this quote is broader than the common good of SirsiDynix customers in SA's following paragraph.]]

There is no difference between this assertion about open source and the SirsiDynix approach. Indeed we have many decades of experience in tracking development suggestions and requests and testing, reviewing and replicating bug reports from programmers and users alike. SirsiDynix also has a history of participation in the care and feeding of a community of users and programmers that share and collaborate with us and with each other for the common good.

Scalability
Some open source system vendors describe their software as "consortially aware" or having been built for consortia from the ground up. This is fairly weaselly language. Yes, this software can be `consortially aware' without any of the attendant performance (One didn't even support the Z39.50 international ISO standard until recently!) Having been designed for a single consortium such as PINES, does not guarantee that the software will work for another consortia's needs, particularly with the diversity of needs and variety of system architectures that exist in a fully dimensional marketplace.

If clients are concerned about their ability to scale they should check the actual performance of the ILS in actual complex and consortia environments. The PINES system is actually a very poor performer at its current scale of small public libraries. For example, all large library systems in Georgia have generally decided to stick with SirsiDynix. In fact, several library systems in Georgia have declined the use of the Evergreen system specifically due to scalability and response times. [[ Citation, please. ]] One tester of that system wrote, "Slow response time in Evergreen Staff Client. This includes unexpected "crashes" and "frozen" screens which may or may not be due to response time lag. This problem causes extreme delay and long lines at Circ Desk and results in both major staff and patron frustration."[[ Source: http://pines.georgialibraries.org/files/PINES%20priorities%201009.xls , cell J13. The solution, scheduled for November (not clear what year as the spreadsheet isn't dated - need to find its context on the site), is a server hardware upgrade. This isn't a "tester" who tested Evergreen and declined to use it, as far as I can tell: it's a problem report from libraries using the PINES system. PINES != Evergreen. ]]

SirsiDynix encourages libraries to visit our large-scale clients and see the sub-second search performance on 10's of thousands of users. Such SirsiDynix Symphony clients as the Toronto Public Library, Alliance Library System, Los Angeles County Public Library, and more enjoy very strong and stable performance. This is not the case with the small libraries of Georgia who are captive to sub-optimal open source systems. Indeed, despite stating that they were built for consortia, simple consortia features are not available or supported. Add to this the even better performance and TCO improvements of the SirsiDynix SaaS solutions and we offer a much better solution with significantly superior performance.[[Sub-second search performance doesn't require closed-source, it requires efficient hardware and programming. Hardware is (relatively) cheap, particularly in hosting environments, and having many interested programmers looking at code, rather than a hired few, is one way to lead to increased code performance. The hired way *may* be an effective one, but it is certainly not the *only* one.]]

Speed
End-users are not satisfied with sub-Google performance. The expectation has been set outside of the ILS market and the ILS market doesn't get by without meeting it. Therefore, SirsiDynix is focused on speed.[[as opposed to what? Useful results? Enter "to be or not to be" into a Unicorn/Symphony search box, and enjoy the meaningless-to-patrons error message that results. Try the same thing in Google, or Koha, and enjoy finding Shakespeare. Speed is not a be-all, end-all of search-engine work. Failing to produce meaningful results would, I think, constitute "sub-Google" performance.]] [[ Agreed. Also try typing in the name of any book or movie whose title starts with 'and' -- without putting the title in quotes. ]][[Or the example that Joshua Ferraro seems to love: "It."]]

Our stress testing is done on the professional stress testing facilities at Sun Microsystems, Microsoft and UNIX servers. We test at 50,000 users per configuration for over a week. We use advanced automated testing procedures that cost money but deliver a definite positive result and tell us where to invest time in improving the performance of our software.

In addition we also test for all major browsers and try to ensure compliance with all standards and browsers evident in our market. This includes PC and Macintosh.

This has not been the case in the open source ILS systems. If anything, one of the major complaints by users and clients is that it is so slow. Simple searches in PINES can hang for minutes, resulting in the `searching..." bar popping onto the screen to encourage user patience. This is unacceptable in ILS software, which is why we test our system so rigorously.

Reliability
Finally, one of the biggest claims of open source proponents is that it is more reliable. They argue that since any programmer can find and fix bugs, the software will be repaired and improved more quickly. There is, however, no guarantee that the bug you want fixed will
engage a member of the community to fix it. A bug fix can work in one environment and not others and the testing is up to each individual organization in open source. [[Whereas in closed source, the customer is wholly dependent on the supplier's decision to put money and time toward fixing the problem. This is not a problem if the needs or the problems are widespread, but if your issue is small or you are one of only a few customers who have it, you have no way of fixing it yourself and no guarantee that your supplier will deem the problem important enough to fix. ]]

With open source, the advantage depends on the participation of enough competent programmers who are deeply committed to the entire development process. Without enduring, sufficient, talented interest, an open source project is doomed to fail, and many do.

Unfortunately for the open source proponents in the ILS community, there currently isn't a critical mass that is demanding the development of open source software. At this point in time, the open source community for ILS software is tiny.

Therefore, the reliability of ILS software developed on an open source platform is questionable. Just like proprietary software, the reliability of an open source program depends on clear feedback after rigorous use in a variety of environments. But that simply cannot be the case at this point in time because the variety of environments is small, and the critical mass needed has not been reached.[[Again, SA asserts that the user/developer community is too small to be effective. I cannot speak for the Evergreen community, but it seems to me that the Koha community has easily surpassed a "critical mass" point, particularly in India, the US, and Western Europe, with a signfiicant and growing Pacific Rim presence, as well. The Koha IRC is manned nearly around-the-clock with knowledgeable members of the community.]]

Open Source and Libraries
Although many in the ILS industry are taking an in-depth look at the viability of open source development over the long run, we believe the movement is premature. Moreover, we are joined in our opinion by none other than Cliff Lynch, the head of the Coalition for Networked Information and a leading thinker in the library space.
>> http://www.cni.org/

Cliff called the development of the open source ILS by OLE, Pines, etc. one of the "stupidest strategies ever undertaken" in the library world. At a time when libraries should be investing in systems to improve the priority issues in the end-user's research, discovery and learning experience, here we have a cadre of libraries investing in the reinvention or at least, recreation, of something they already have and have at a cheaper cost than the redevelopment effort.
>> Cliff Lynch clarifies position here: < http://www.librarytechnology.org/blog.pl?ThreadID=134&BlogID=1 >

In addition, these projects do not have a compelling vision of what the end result will be and appear to be driven by library workers' desires rather than institutional strategies or end-user needs. As such, they are tying up resources in an open source ILS effort at a time when budgets are constricted and other priorities are much more important and strategic.

SirsiDynix on Open Source
SirsiDynix is not de facto against open source. We use open source software a great deal in our development efforts, in our software and in our company. We easily support clients using the poster children of open source software ¬≠ Linux, Apache, and Firefox. We have done so for many decades. Simply put, it's a good solution when it matches the needs of our clients. [[Linux support for Unicorn is fairly recent. 2003? 2004? (source this, someone?) certainly not "many decades". Don't know how long Apache has been an option for Unicorn web services, though the staff client is just now getting to the Web--also not "many decades." Firefox, by that name, has only existed since 2003/2004.]]

SirsiDynix has been an early leader in building more open library management systems and indeed, being more open to even greater integration. This is especially true in the user experience end of our products where clients have added hundreds of applications onto our OPAC easily using our API strategy. We also have a very long track record in being open to our customers with beta tests, discussion forums, user groups, feedback mechanisms, and more.

However, SirsiDynix has also been in the ILS industry since 1979 and has developed the best-in-class solutions year-in and year-out. We've led the development of some of the most advanced features and capabilities of ILS platforms. So we know a thing or two about what it takes for library systems to be successful.
[[So you might also recognize that healthy competition and open debate are key to a robust marketplace.It's important for individual libraries and institutions to have important opinions, but they also need to be their own.]]
While we encourage the development of open formats, we must discourage libraries from jumping headlong into an open source platform to operate their ILS system on. At the current production cycle, jumping into open source would be dangerous, at best.

Caveat emptor! [[Good advice at any time, and especially if there is a lot of money involved. Weigh the options, take a good hard look at the TCO, with *real* numbers for your library--get quotes--and talk to real customers and users, not marketing folks or lobbyists.]]

OCLC Policy Change

2008-11-07T21:55:15Z

Eby:

* [http://www.oclc.org/worldcat/catalog/policy/ Policy for Use and Transfer of WorldCat® Records] (second and final version)
* [http://marc.coffeecode.net/oclc_2008_11_02/ Archived copy of first version]
* [http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php?title=OCLC_Policy_Changes&diff=11748&oldid=11747 Diff between the two versions]

== Commentary Regarding First Revision (nov 2) ==

* pmurray - [http://dltj.org/article/oclc-gbs-speculation/ Is OCLC’s Change of WorldCat Record Use/Transfer Policy Related to the Google Book Search Agreement?]
* jrochkind - [http://bibwild.wordpress.com/2008/11/03/viral-nature-of-oclc-usage-policy-like-open-source-no/ viral nature of OCLC usage policy–like open source? No.]
* Thingology - [http://www.librarything.com/thingology/2008/11/worldcat-policy-change.php OCLC Policy Change]
* Ed Summers - [http://inkdroid.org/journal/2008/11/03/bibliovirus/ Bibliovirus]

== Commentary Regarding Second Revision (nov 5) / General ==

* jrochkind - [http://bibwild.wordpress.com/2008/11/05/more-on-oclcs-policies/ More on OCLC’s policies]
* jrochkind - [http://bibwild.wordpress.com/2008/11/06/copyright-trivia/ copyright trivia]
* jrochkind - [http://bibwild.wordpress.com/2008/11/07/a-logical-oclc-argument/ A logical OCLC argument]
* Karen Calhoun - [http://community.oclc.org/metalogue/archives/2008/11/notes-on-oclcs-updated-record.html Notes on OCLC's Updated Record Use Policy]
* Repohate - [http://repohate.blogspot.com/2008/11/declaration-of-independance-of-metadata.html Declaration of Independance of Metadata]
* Rob Styles - [http://dynamicorange.com/2008/11/06/oclc-record-usage-copyright-contracts-and-the-law/ OCLC, Record Usage, Copyright, Contracts and the Law]
* Panlibus - [http://blogs.talis.com/panlibus/archives/2008/11/what-are-oclc-playing-at.php What are OCLC playing at?]
* Library Journal - [http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6612175.html After Delay, OCLC Lays Out New Policy for Records Use and Transfer]
* Terry Reese - [http://oregonstate.edu/~reeset/blog/archives/574 OCLC’s proposed new guidelines for the transfer of bibliographic records]
* Terry Reese - [http://oregonstate.edu/~reeset/blog/archives/579 What would it look like if OCLC was broken up?]
* Terry Reese - [http://oregonstate.edu/~reeset/blog/archives/582 A look at the Policy for Use and Transfer of WorldCat Records revision]
* Ed Corrado - [http://blog.ecorrado.us/2008/11/05/karen-calhoun-on-worldcat/ karen calhoun on oclc’s updated record use policy]
* Ed Corrado - [http://blog.ecorrado.us/2008/11/05/new-oclc-policy-on-worldcat-records-re-released/ new oclc policy on worldcat records re-released]
* Ed Corrado - [http://blog.ecorrado.us/2008/11/07/update-on-oclc-worldcat-policy/ update on oclc worldcat policy]
* Karen Coombs - [http://www.librarywebchic.net/wordpress/2008/11/05/whos-record-is-it-anyway/ Who’s record is it anyway?]

OCLC Policy Change

2008-11-07T21:42:40Z

Eby:

OCLC Policy Change

2008-11-07T21:28:04Z

Eby: New page: * [http://www.oclc.org/worldcat/catalog/policy/ Policy for Use and Transfer of WorldCat® Records] (second and final version) * [http://marc.coffeecode.net/oclc_2008_11_02/ Archived copy o...

Main Page

2008-03-14T16:05:13Z

Eby:

= Code4Lib Wiki =

== On the Wiki ==

* [[Umlaut]]
* [[:Category:Code4Lib Journal|Code4Lib Journal]]
* [[ILS Documentation]]
* [[OSS Directory]]

== See Also ==

* [http://www.code4lib.org/ Code4Lib.org]
* [http://planet.code4lib.org Planet.Code4Lib]

Emilda

2008-03-14T16:04:37Z

Eby:

[[Category:OSSDirectory]]
* http://www.emilda.org/
* License: GPL

The Emilda project began in 2000 as a simple Perl-based ILS. It then grew into a more full-featured PHP-based ILS which was released under the GPL in March 2003. The last version listed on their website is 1.2.3 which was released in 2005. This version uses Zebra for MARC indexing, MySQL for other functions and includes an OPAC, circulation and various administrative functions. Emilda is no longer under active development [http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.education.libraries.emilda.devel/442/focus=443 as discussed on their mailing list]:

"Emilda is currently undergoing a fairly stagnated phase. The company behind Emilda, Realnode Oy, is realigning its business focus which implies that Emilda no longer fits into the core portfolio of the company."

"Emilda is however currently also being developed in cooperation with other parties, however not under any strict or binding release schedule. This means that every now and then there are new features being added to the SVN-repository, but there are no plans to release any stable releases any time soon. The code on SVN is currently in production use, so it IS stable, but not a release."

OpenBiblio

2008-03-14T16:04:18Z

Eby:

[[Category:OSSDirectory]]
* http://obiblio.sourceforge.net/
* License: GPL

OpenBiblio is a PHP-based ILS that includes a catalog, circulation and cataloging functionality. While still in it's early stages there are already a handful of libraries using it.

=== User Comments ===

[http://oss4lib.org/node/523 Mediatheek Marcanti College]:
"OpenBiblio with Z39.50 MARC Lookup add-on provided our high school library with express cataloging. In just a few weeks we updated our main collection and circulation increased more than 300%."

PhpMyLibrary

2008-03-14T16:03:48Z

Eby: New page: Category:OSSDirectory * http://sourceforge.net/projects/phpmylibrary * License: GPL phpMyLibrary is a PHP-based ILS that includes a catalog, circulation and cataloging. The last relea...

[[Category:OSSDirectory]]
* http://sourceforge.net/projects/phpmylibrary
* License: GPL

phpMyLibrary is a PHP-based ILS that includes a catalog, circulation and cataloging. The last release was in April of 2006.

OpenBiblio

2008-03-14T16:02:00Z

Eby: New page: * http://obiblio.sourceforge.net/ * License: GPL OpenBiblio is a PHP-based ILS that includes a catalog, circulation and cataloging functionality. While still in it's early stages there ar...

* http://obiblio.sourceforge.net/
* License: GPL

OpenBiblio is a PHP-based ILS that includes a catalog, circulation and cataloging functionality. While still in it's early stages there are already a handful of libraries using it.

=== User Comments ===

[http://oss4lib.org/node/523 Mediatheek Marcanti College]:
"OpenBiblio with Z39.50 MARC Lookup add-on provided our high school library with express cataloging. In just a few weeks we updated our main collection and circulation increased more than 300%."

Emilda

2008-03-14T16:00:07Z

Eby: New page: * http://www.emilda.org/ * License: GPL The Emilda project began in 2000 as a simple Perl-based ILS. It then grew into a more full-featured PHP-based ILS which was released under the GPL ...

* http://www.emilda.org/
* License: GPL

The Emilda project began in 2000 as a simple Perl-based ILS. It then grew into a more full-featured PHP-based ILS which was released under the GPL in March 2003. The last version listed on their website is 1.2.3 which was released in 2005. This version uses Zebra for MARC indexing, MySQL for other functions and includes an OPAC, circulation and various administrative functions. Emilda is no longer under active development [http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.education.libraries.emilda.devel/442/focus=443 as discussed on their mailing list]:

"Emilda is currently undergoing a fairly stagnated phase. The company behind Emilda, Realnode Oy, is realigning its business focus which implies that Emilda no longer fits into the core portfolio of the company."

"Emilda is however currently also being developed in cooperation with other parties, however not under any strict or binding release schedule. This means that every now and then there are new features being added to the SVN-repository, but there are no plans to release any stable releases any time soon. The code on SVN is currently in production use, so it IS stable, but not a release."

Evergreen

2008-03-14T15:58:29Z

Eby: New page: Category:OSSDirectory * http://open-ils.org/ * License: GPL Evergreen is a consortia-level ILS that allows clustering and other enterprise-level options, including fault tolerance and...

[[Category:OSSDirectory]]
* http://open-ils.org/
* License: GPL

Evergreen is a consortia-level ILS that allows clustering and other enterprise-level options, including fault tolerance and redundancy. The system was designed to use commodity hardware allowing cost savings and the ability to scale gradually with demand. Multiple open source technologies are used including Jabber and PostgreSQL. The staff client uses the XUL language which allows cross-platform access using a Mozilla-based browser.

The system currently includes circulation, cataloging and a robust OPAC which includes FRBR-like groupings and faceted search. The addition of other modules, such as acquisitions and serials management, is planned for future releases. The project is currently young and is in use by the Georgia Public Library Service, powering 44 library systems and over 250 locations. Other institutions such as the University of Windsor are actively working with the project. Commercial support is also available.

== User Comments ==

[http://libraryjournal.com/article/CA6396354.html Dusty Gres, director of the Ohoopee Regional Library System]:
“For my system—rural small libraries, many of them staffed by one person, relying solely on my small professional staff and me for training, computer expertise, and backup—I have had less trouble with this system in the two months we have been in operation than I did in the first two weeks when we automated on a commercial system.”

Koha

2008-03-14T15:55:46Z

Eby:

[[Category:OSSDirectory]]
* http://www.koha.org/
* License: GPL

Koha, a seven-year old project, was the first open-source ILS and is licensed under the GPL. It's developed on the L.A.M.P. (Linux, Apache, MySQL, Perl) platform though it also runs on Windows. Basic features include circulation, borrower management, cataloging, and a powerful OPAC. Advanced features include budget-based acquisitions, serials management and MARC authorities control (MARC21 and UNIMARC). It also supports spell checking, enriched bibliographic content (jacket covers, "read inside", reviews, ratings and descriptions from Amazon.com), RSS feeds of searches and borrower account data, E-book integration, patron-initiated reservations and renewals as well virtual shelves (lists) for organizing collections of records. Notably, recent versions of Koha's OPAC include a powerful standards-based search engine built around [http://indexdata.dk/zebra Zebra], the high-performance indexing and retrieval database. Zebra supports large databases (more than ten gigabytes of data, tens of millions of records) as well as incremental, safe database updates on live systems. Zebra also brings native support for important library standards such as Z39.50 and SRW/SRU. Koha supports multiple formats for bibliographic records including several flavors of MARC (UNIMARC, MARC21, KORMARC, ESMARC, etc.), MARCXML, MODS and Dublin Core.

Koha was initially developed in New Zealand by [http://katipo.co.nz Katipo Communications Ltd.] and first deployed in January of 2000 for [http://library.org.nz Horowhenua Library Trust]. It is currently maintained by a team of software providers and library technology staff from around the globe and is in use in over 350 libraries. While initial versions were developed for small and medium-sized libraries, Koha is now in use at large libraries including the [http://library.neu.edu.tr/cgi-bin/koha/opac-main.pl Near East University] in Cyprus with over two million titles. A [http://contribs.koha.org community exchange site] was recently opened to allow libraries to easily share contributions to the project. Koha supports a rich translation framework and has been translated into nearly a dozen languages. A [http://translate.koha.org translation site] exists to facilitate additional translations. Commercial support is available from several vendors worldwide.

== User Comments ==

[http://liblime.com/news-items/press-releases/koha-zoom-goes-live-and-it-rocks/ Owen Leonard, Nelsonville Public Library System Webmaster]:
"Koha ZOOM really leverages the full potential of the MARC format to bring advanced and intuitive search functionality to our patrons,” says Owen Leonard. “The OPAC also now [allows] us to integrate content from external web services to expand and improve the information we offer to our patrons.”

[http://webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=1172 Stephen Hedges, Director of Nelsonville Public Library]:
"Was it the right thing to do? We think so. Frankly, after experiencing the sensation of having total control over our software, we could probably never go back to a commercial system."

[http://liblime.com/news-items/press-releases/stow-munroe-falls-for-koha-zoom Darrell Ulm, systems administrator for Stow-Munroe Falls]:
"For instance, if we need to add a feature--no matter how specific--we can either develop it in-house, or contract with a support company like !LibLime. As more libraries switch to Koha and sponsor new functionality, other libraries will benefit when the next upgrade cycle occurs. Koha has a steady stream of updates, and the momentum for this open-source product is excellent."

ILS

2008-03-14T15:55:29Z

Eby:

[[Category:OSSDirectory]]
* [[Koha]]
* [[Evergreen]]
* [[Emilda]]
* [[OpenBiblio]]
* [[phpMyLibrary]]

Category:OSSDirectory

2008-03-14T15:55:11Z

Eby: New page: See OSS Directory for more information.

See [[OSS Directory]] for more information.

OSS Directory

2008-03-14T15:54:32Z

Eby:

[[Category:OSSDirectory]]
Below is a growing list of open source projects that relate to libraries. The hope is that it will allow this projects to be easier to find. For news about open source systems in libraries, check out http://oss4lib.org/ .

'''Note:''' The licenses given are those of the software itself. Some have dependencies which may have different licenses. Please take this into account when applicable.

* [[ILS|Integrated Library Systems]]
* [[MetaSearch|MetaSearch and Resolver]]
* [[DigLib|Digital Library and Repository]]
* [[OPAC|OPAC Replacements]]
* [[ILL|Interlibrary Loan]]
* [[LangLib|Classes and Libraries]]
* [[ProjInt|Other Projects of Interest]]

OSS Directory

2008-03-14T15:54:19Z

Eby:

[[Category:OSSDirectory]]

Below is a growing list of open source projects that relate to libraries. The hope is that it will allow this projects to be easier to find. For news about open source systems in libraries, check out http://oss4lib.org/ .

'''Note:''' The licenses given are those of the software itself. Some have dependencies which may have different licenses. Please take this into account when applicable.

* [[ILS|Integrated Library Systems]]
* [[MetaSearch|MetaSearch and Resolver]]
* [[DigLib|Digital Library and Repository]]
* [[OPAC|OPAC Replacements]]
* [[ILL|Interlibrary Loan]]
* [[LangLib|Classes and Libraries]]
* [[ProjInt|Other Projects of Interest]]

Koha

2008-03-14T15:52:55Z

Eby: New page: * http://www.koha.org/ * License: GPL Koha, a seven-year old project, was the first open-source ILS and is licensed under the GPL. It's developed on the L.A.M.P. (Linux, Apache, MySQL, P...

* http://www.koha.org/
* License: GPL

Koha, a seven-year old project, was the first open-source ILS and is licensed under the GPL. It's developed on the L.A.M.P. (Linux, Apache, MySQL, Perl) platform though it also runs on Windows. Basic features include circulation, borrower management, cataloging, and a powerful OPAC. Advanced features include budget-based acquisitions, serials management and MARC authorities control (MARC21 and UNIMARC). It also supports spell checking, enriched bibliographic content (jacket covers, "read inside", reviews, ratings and descriptions from Amazon.com), RSS feeds of searches and borrower account data, E-book integration, patron-initiated reservations and renewals as well virtual shelves (lists) for organizing collections of records. Notably, recent versions of Koha's OPAC include a powerful standards-based search engine built around [http://indexdata.dk/zebra Zebra], the high-performance indexing and retrieval database. Zebra supports large databases (more than ten gigabytes of data, tens of millions of records) as well as incremental, safe database updates on live systems. Zebra also brings native support for important library standards such as Z39.50 and SRW/SRU. Koha supports multiple formats for bibliographic records including several flavors of MARC (UNIMARC, MARC21, KORMARC, ESMARC, etc.), MARCXML, MODS and Dublin Core.

Koha was initially developed in New Zealand by [http://katipo.co.nz Katipo Communications Ltd.] and first deployed in January of 2000 for [http://library.org.nz Horowhenua Library Trust]. It is currently maintained by a team of software providers and library technology staff from around the globe and is in use in over 350 libraries. While initial versions were developed for small and medium-sized libraries, Koha is now in use at large libraries including the [http://library.neu.edu.tr/cgi-bin/koha/opac-main.pl Near East University] in Cyprus with over two million titles. A [http://contribs.koha.org community exchange site] was recently opened to allow libraries to easily share contributions to the project. Koha supports a rich translation framework and has been translated into nearly a dozen languages. A [http://translate.koha.org translation site] exists to facilitate additional translations. Commercial support is available from several vendors worldwide.

== User Comments ==

[http://liblime.com/news-items/press-releases/koha-zoom-goes-live-and-it-rocks/ Owen Leonard, Nelsonville Public Library System Webmaster]:
"Koha ZOOM really leverages the full potential of the MARC format to bring advanced and intuitive search functionality to our patrons,” says Owen Leonard. “The OPAC also now [allows] us to integrate content from external web services to expand and improve the information we offer to our patrons.”

[http://webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=1172 Stephen Hedges, Director of Nelsonville Public Library]:
"Was it the right thing to do? We think so. Frankly, after experiencing the sensation of having total control over our software, we could probably never go back to a commercial system."

[http://liblime.com/news-items/press-releases/stow-munroe-falls-for-koha-zoom Darrell Ulm, systems administrator for Stow-Munroe Falls]:
"For instance, if we need to add a feature--no matter how specific--we can either develop it in-house, or contract with a support company like !LibLime. As more libraries switch to Koha and sponsor new functionality, other libraries will benefit when the next upgrade cycle occurs. Koha has a steady stream of updates, and the momentum for this open-source product is excellent."

ILS

2008-03-14T15:49:55Z

Eby: New page: * Koha * Evergreen * Emilda * OpenBiblio * phpMyLibrary

* [[Koha]]
* [[Evergreen]]
* [[Emilda]]
* [[OpenBiblio]]
* [[phpMyLibrary]]

OSS Directory

2008-03-14T15:47:46Z

Eby: New page: Below is a growing list of open source projects that relate to libraries. The hope is that it will allow this projects to be easier to find. For news about open source systems in libraries...

Below is a growing list of open source projects that relate to libraries. The hope is that it will allow this projects to be easier to find. For news about open source systems in libraries, check out http://oss4lib.org/ .

'''Note:''' The licenses given are those of the software itself. Some have dependencies which may have different licenses. Please take this into account when applicable.

* [[ILS|Integrated Library Systems]]
* [[MetaSearch|MetaSearch and Resolver]]
* [[DigLib|Digital Library and Repository]]
* [[OPAC|OPAC Replacements]]
* [[ILL|Interlibrary Loan]]
* [[LangLib|Classes and Libraries]]
* [[ProjInt|Other Projects of Interest]]

Main Page

2008-03-14T15:41:38Z

Eby: /* On the Wiki */

= Code4Lib Wiki =

== On the Wiki ==

* [[Umlaut]]
* [[ILS Documentation]]
* [[OSS Directory]]

== See Also ==

* [http://www.code4lib.org/ Code4Lib.org]
* [http://planet.code4lib.org Planet.Code4Lib]

III Search URL Structure

2008-03-14T15:40:35Z

Eby: New page: This page goes over the URL structures for the normal III OPAC. This can be useful when trying to link back to functions that don't exist via API such as holds. http://magic.msu.edu - nor...

This page goes over the URL structures for the normal III OPAC. This can be useful when trying to link back to functions that don't exist via API such as holds.

http://magic.msu.edu - normal hostname. Brings up page based on mainmenu.html

http://magic.msu.edu/search/ - specifies a search. Should be followed by the search type

http://magic.msu.edu/search/t - title search

http://magic.msu.edu/search/tgenetics - title search for genetics

== A Full Browse URL ==

http://magic.msu.edu/search/tgenetics/tgenetics/1,491,609,B/browse

* The first tgenetics is used to populate the search box and does not appear to affect the search
* The second tgenetics is the actual search terms. Changing this will change the results
* The '1' is the starting result. Changing this to '5' would have the results start at the 5th result.
* The '491' is the number of titles (or groups) retrieved. For a title search where titles are grouped this would be the number of groups. For keyword it is the same as number of results. Changing this will affect the number of titles displayed except for '1' which will display 12.
* The '609' is the number of results returned. Changing this does not actually affect the number displayed, just the text saying how many are returned.
* The 'B' is the display type. 'B' for Brief or 'E' for Expanded
* The /browse gives browse screens. There is also /limit for limiting the search, /marc for marc display if the search is for a bibnum, /request for requesting the book, /export to export all records from screen

Innovative Documentation

2008-03-14T15:39:32Z

Eby: New page: == WebOPAC == * III Search URL Structure * III XRecord == XMLOPAC == * III Searching the XMLOPAC * III Including III Data * III Including Attached Item Records * [[I...

== WebOPAC ==

* [[III Search URL Structure]]
* [[III XRecord]]

== XMLOPAC ==

* [[III Searching the XMLOPAC]]
* [[III Including III Data]]
* [[III Including Attached Item Records]]
* [[III Including Checkin Records]] - for journals, etc
* [[III Reserves]]
* [[III Known Problems]]
* [[III Tips and Tricks]]

ILS Documentation

2008-03-14T15:37:34Z

Eby: New page: * Innovative Documentation

* [[Innovative Documentation]]

Main Page

2008-03-14T15:36:15Z

Eby:

= Code4Lib Wiki =

== On the Wiki ==

* [[Umlaut]]
* [[ILS Documentation]]

== See Also ==

* [http://www.code4lib.org/ Code4Lib.org]
* [http://planet.code4lib.org Planet.Code4Lib]