Open source examples

There is a very good definition of open source software as describe in a blog post back in April: http://cccu-lib-tech.blogspot.com/2009/04/open-source.html or you can go directly to the open source initiative website and view the definition there: http://www.opensource.org/docs/osd

The following are five examples of how open source software could be used to augment our current systems:


Example 1 - using Juice to add functionality to the OPAC or 'Search it'

Juice is three lines of Javascript used to add web2.0 functionality to existing websites like the OPAC. Here is an example of juice in action: http://prism.talis.com/sandbox-ac/items/1258339
This page show the Talis 'sandbox' OPAC embedding information from other websites to enhance what the user sees when searching for an item. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page you will notice that you can see a limited amount of the contents of the book embedded straight from Google books into the OPAC. The user can experience added value without leaving the familiar surroundings of the institutional OPAC. Some other web2.0 things that can be added using Juice include tag clouds, book reviews, meet the author videos, or bookmarks. In fact virtually anything that can pass back a JSON call (http://json.org/) can be added using Juice.


Example 2 - using Jangle to add information of relevance to a search

Jangle is a standardised API to any library catalog that allows programmers to incorporate data from the LMS straight into other applications. One of the topics that is getting a lot of buzz on Twitter and the blogs at present is adding some statistic information to searches to allow the user to make an informed choice. For example if a user expanded a particular item within the OPAC the page could show how many times the item (or more specifically an average of like items) has been loaned, searched for, or reserved within the last year. Another example might display the ten most popular titles that have been loaned to users who have also loaned this item. This is very similar to Amazons: 'customers who bought this items, also bought...'.


Example 3 - using web2.0 to communicate with users

A lot of libraries are now using innovative ways to communicate with users. some libraries have been using Meebo (http://www.meebo.com/) to present a live chat session within a web page so that users can get instant feedback and support. Libraries are also using direct feeds to social networks like MySpace and Facebook through simple APIs. Twitter is alos being used to disseminate information such as opening times, new acquisitions, and even replacing the email version of courtesy notices.


Example 4 - Using VuFind as a consistent interface

VuFind is very similar to Primo, in fact they both use the same underlying technology: Solr/Lucene (http://lucene.apache.org/solr/). VuFind is a unified resource discovery service that provides one consistent interface to many distributed applications. VuFind has been adopted by many academic organisations in the US and some Universities in the UK (LSE, Swansea University, Swansea Metropolitan University, Trinity University College). The positive aspect of VuFind is that its code is open so developing the product to suit the institutions needs is relatively simple. Here is the LSE beta OPAC showing VuFind in action: https://beta.catalogue.lse.ac.uk/ . Here you can see how clean and simple the search interface is.


Example 5 - using Drupal for project documentation

Drupal is one of the largest open source content management system in use. This type of content management system is increasingly being used by technical teams to provide structure and documentation to projects. Drupal contains versioning for documents, wikis, blogs, shared calenders, and a whole host of other add-ons that aid project planning. Where online content management systems win over other types of project planning is the online aspect. All the project documentation, planning, and tools are available 24/7 and from any location that has an internet connection. Drupal also has an integrated authentication/authorisation system that allows a granular approach to access to restrict viewing or amending of documentation and other tools. With this type of system it may be possible to conduct projects over disparate teams (or even disparate sites) without the needs for continual meetings; which should speed-up the development process.