On libraries and librarians using open source software
I was just reading about how universities are encountering free and open source software because they’re setting up virtual learning environments. My background is that of a librarian’s and I do know that sometimes we need the tools immediately but we don’t have the resources to allocate, at least not all the time. That’s why I tried to let my former boss know about open source software for libraries and Linux, of course.
Librarians need to give access to the information that the library users need. I recall a time when we didn’t have licenses for two of the machines and yet the students needed internet access and I didn’t have the guts to install Linux because I was such a newbie. I used Ubuntu’s live CD so that the machines will be usable for them and though they found it weird, they used it to check their mail and to write documents that they needed. Librarians need to be resourceful and that is an example of when that kind of resourcefulness is necessary.
Aside from such cases, there’s also the need for an integrated library software. Back then, we were mainly looking at Athena because it was recommended by someone from the IT department. But it was too expensive. I was exploring the various options but because I didn’t have enough time during that time, I opted to stay with the system that the library had.
I am not a librarian anymore but I definitely applaud and cheer on librarians who are making sure that they would experience freedom to run their libraries and that their users would also have freedom of access (and good access at that!) to the information that they need. And one of the videos on YouTube is that of Jessamyn West as she installs Ubuntu on two of the computers in the library.
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POSTED IN: The Free World.
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