[OPLINTECH] GCP and open source projects

[Mann, James H.]

I'm going to try to respond to Ed's question about our open source projects without writing the great American novel.
There are two projects which I'm coordinating. The first involves a group of volunteers from the NASAC computer club who received a computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse and a Ubuntu 7.04 CD on the condition that they could keep the computer system if they only ran it on Ubuntu for 6 months and that they documented there switch from Windows to Ubuntu. The members of this group while having more than basic computer skills are older and not what I'd call early adopters of any new software. The second project involves 12 highly skilled volunteers from the Linux SIG of the Dayton Microcomputer Association who are working to build a open source library from the ground up. This group has broken into four teams and is currently working on building and modeling back office servers, staff workstations, public workstations including OPACS and children's computers, and a ILS install of either Koha or PINES.
While it may seem like a backdoor approach, the goal of the first project is to create a cadre of volunteer mentors who can work with local social service agencies who would switch from donated or recycled Windows computers to donated or recycled Ubuntu computers. The process is to train the trainers (or let them learn by themselves or as part of a small group) and then have them train representatives from social service organizations who then get their donated computers which they use with various levels of consumers.
The goal of the second group is to model and document all the parts of an open source library instead of just doing it piece meal. Frankly it's pretty easy to set out a Linux computer with a hacked version of Firefox and call it a public computer, or switch staff to Firefox and OOO but at the end of the day you are still in a mixed environment because you haven't looked at Linux equivalents for your ILS client, your firewall, your filtering solution or PC management solutions and you don't have anything that can be replicated in the way the Gates Foundation provided not only computers but training materials. We're providing the group with three servers, server space and desktop systems to model our workstation environments. The group is hopeful that we can take our show on the road to OLC conferences or maybe do a workshop here in Xenia for smaller libraries who would benefit from a total switch to open source. There is a role for library "advisors" in this project but to date I haven't made a very general announcement.
Hope this answered the question and sparks further discussion.



Jim Mann

Technology Coordinator

Greene County Public Library

Xenia Ohio 45385

(937)352-4000 x1210

mailto: jmann at gcpl.lib.oh.us

Humor is always based on a modicum of truth Have you ever heard a joke about a father-in-law? -- Dick Clark


-----Original Message-----
From: Ed Liddle [mailto:eliddle at marysvillelib.org]
Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2008 5:12 PM
To: Mann, James H.
Cc: OPLINTECH
Subject: Re: [OPLINTECH] public software foundation


On Thu, 2008-05-29 at 13:08 -0400, Mann, James H. wrote:
> My two cents.
> I don't think a library needs to circulate open source software CDs.
> They are too easy to download or purchase and you'll never get the
> distro right or up to date.
> But I will suggest that an important role for libraries is to have a
> good collection of Open Source user manuals since this is where the
> Open Source convert will go wrong most often.
> Not that it is statistically relevant but I currently have 10 normal
> folk using a Ubuntu computer that they will get to keep after 6 months
> if they seriously switch from Windows. Only a couple of these users,
> now in the second month of the project, have used a book as a help
> tool. Most are using Google to get to howtoforge or the Ubuntu project
> website. I don't know what it means  but it seems to be saying that
> even a normal person using open source for the first time will
> gravitate to the web and these users are all in their fifties or
> sixties and two have dial up and the rest some sort of broadband.
> Anyway here's an entry to our catalog so you can critique our
> collection.

I personally find that popular open source applications seem to evolve
at a faster rate than the time it takes for authors and publishers to
produce manuals and have them in the market place. Information found
online about opensource software is often more up to date than what can
be found in published book format. One advantage of the public software
foundation are the support resources provided on their website that
point to the "offical" support site of the software as well as give
information about system requirements.
I often find myself using a couple of linux command line books to
reference and recall checking out many a book on open source software
from my local library.

Jim, what project are the "10 normal folk" in? I am a little curious
about it and what the final outcome will be.

--
-Ed Liddle

Technology Assistant

Marysville Public library
231 S. Plum Street,
Marysville, OH  43040

      * Phone: 937-642-1876 ext.45
      * Fax: 937-642-3457