The
Mixed economy of open source
Open Source Library Management Systems
Colin Campbell – Chief Software Engineer
colin.campbell@ptfs‐europe.com
Keith Shell – Business Development Manager
keith.shell@ptfs‐europe.com
Nick Dimant – Managing Director
nick.dimant@ptfs‐europe.com
Mixed economy of open source
Background
Uptake in the UK and worldwide
What is the mixed economy?
Role of the support company
Role of the user
Conclusion
Open Source Software (OSS)
• A worldwide community develops and maintains it
• You can instal and modify it yourself
• Main development now comes from companies whose business model is to help you implement and support it
• Over 40 companies worldwide support Koha or Evergreen, e.g.:
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Biblibre
PTFS Europe
Equinox
ByWater Solutions
• Users are free from lock in with single supplier
PTFS Europe
• An example of a support company
• Staff with wide range of experience in library automation
• Promoting open source library management systems – Koha and Evergreen
• Plan to support VuFind or similar later in 2011
• Significant growth
• UK based
Products
Benefits of Koha
• Web based throughout
– Staff and public interfaces
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Excellent Web 2.0 OPAC
Full suite of modules
Fast development environment
Low maintenance
Low cost
Benefits of Evergreen
• Unsurpassed consortial functionality
– Designed originally for 250 library consortium of the state of Georgia
– Universal granularity of permissions and parameters
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High performance
Unlimited scalability
High throughput
Ergonomic client
Good standalone capability
Sophisticated administration and reporting
Why promote both?
• Koha:
– Appropriate for a wide range of libraries
• Evergreen:
– Specifically designed for large consortia
Customers of PTFS Europe 2008‐11
UK:
A government department
Booz & Co
CAMLIS
College of York St John (AW)
Dept Communities and Local Gov (AW)
Dame Alice Owens School
Halton Borough Council
Kettering NHS Foundation Trust
Kings Fund
National Botanic Gardens Wales
Planning Inspectorate (AW)
Race Equality Foundation
Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Scottish Poetry Library
Staffordshire University
Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust
University of Notre Dame (London)
Belgium:
Flemish Cultural Heritage Organisation
Finland: UN University Wider
France: Council of Europe (AW)
Germany:
European College of Liberal Arts
European Southern Observatory
Ireland:
Irish Parliament (AW)
Italy:
ICCROM
UN Food and Agriculture Organisation
Russia:
Skolkovo Management School, Moscow
Sweden:
World Maritime University
Breaking news –
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Jan 2011 Scottish consortium of public libraries chooses Evergreen supported by PTFS Europe
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Stirling Council (16 libraries)
East Dunbartonshire (8 libraries)
Full competitive tender
First Evergreen project in UK
Consortium expected to grow
Open Source Library Systems:
gaining acceptance?
Marshall Breeding: Integrated Library System turnover in 2010
http://www.librarytechnology.org/ils‐turnover.pl
Caveats:
• Worldwide coverage but North American emphasis
• Statistics show number of new instals, not value
• Self selecting respondents
Integrated Library System turnover in 2010
http://www.librarytechnology.org/ils‐turnover.pl
New installations worldwide of systems used in UK, 2010
Source: Marshall Breeding: Integrated Library System turnover in 2010
Distribution of Koha installations 2010
Source: Marshall Breeding: Integrated Library System turnover in 2010 Some conclusions:
• Open source LMS are a mainstream option
• Of those libraries choosing Koha or Evergreen, almost all but the very smallest have done so with the assistance of a support company
• Until recently, UK has been trailing in this international trend
Mixed economy of open source
What is a mixed economy?
“Where the government and private sector interact in solving economic problems.”
“A mixed economy is an economy that includes a variety of private and government control; reflecting characteristics of both capitalism and socialism.”
“Supporters view mixed economies as a compromise between classic socialism and pure laissez‐faire capitalism that is functionally superior to either one.”
What is a mixed economy?
In OSS terms:
A compromise between vendor‐led software provision and implementation by users working alone.
This compromise is functionally superior to either approach
Role of the supplier
• Contractual anchor
• Commitments on:
– Functionality
– Cost
– Timescale
• Service levels
Role of the supplier
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Hosting (SaaS)
Installation and configuration of LMS
Data conversion and loading into LMS
Training
Software development
Managing the open source repositories
Custom/integration work
Ongoing support
Bug fixes and upgrades
Managing Open Source
• Updating and co‐ordinating code repository
• Sharing software development with the broader community
• Keeping up to date with developments
• Applying bug fixes
• Regular upgrades
Git: managing an open source project
• Used by large number of high‐profile software projects, e.g. Linux, Android, Fedora, Perl
• Distributed version control
• Every Git working directory is a full‐fledged repository
• Protects local custom work and configuration
• Git branches can be shared
• Eases upgrades
• Resilience
Role of the user
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Understanding the changing business need
Prioritising changing requirements
Placing the LMS in the broader institutional context
Managing change
Managing change
Get buy‐in of all interested parties
– Library staff and management
– IT dept
– Procurement, legal, contractual and financial
Involve potential suppliers at an early stage
Risk analysis
– Is going open source more or less risky than staying with current supplier?
What you should do
• Get involved with the community:
– Listservs, Wikis, IRC
– User groups
– Explore the wealth of information on websites
• Prioritise any unmet requirements
• Fund developments IF necessary, possible and relevant
• Collaborate with other users
• If you have the skills ‐ contribute
What skills are useful?
Your existing knowledge!
Perl, XSLT, JavaScript, web technologies in general
SQL for data interchange, advanced reporting
If planning on doing local customisation or developments learn to use Git (or whatever system is used by the software product) • Broad understanding of the underlying technologies of the product involved
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What you do not need to do
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Get involved with development of core modules
Recruit additional staff (in fact you might save staff)
Be over‐reliant on specific staff
Take on more responsibility for solving support calls Continuum, not dichotomy
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It is not an “either, or” choice
You can get involved as much or little as you want
Can draw on skills in Library and IT depts
Reduces cost
Increases involvement
Increases autonomy
Risk minimised due to assistance of support company
Working with a support company
• Benefits of open source software and the new technologies
• High quality implementation and support services
• Reduced cost
• Increased autonomy
• Opportunities to collaborate
• Fast development
• Low risk
Colin Campbell – Chief Software Engineer
colin.campbell@ptfs‐europe.com
Keith Shell – Business Development Manager
keith.shell@ptfs‐europe.com
Nick Dimant – Managing Director
nick.dimant@ptfs‐europe.com