[OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Open Source Time and Print Management

[David Fiander]

Time management is tricky. There are probably ways of doing it, but it
will be complicated.

If you are thinking about migrating your public internet PCs away from
Windows to Linux, then printing will require some development, but not
as much as time management.

Because the Linux printer subsystem is built from the ground up to
support networked printer servers, the PCs can all be configured to
submit their printer jobs to a central server very easily. It would
only take a little bit of programming to enable associating print jobs
with individual library users. The internet terminals would probably
not need to know anything about ILS accounts or anything like that. If
the system was built properly, it would probably even be possible to
enable users to print to the public printers from their own laptops on
the wireless network.

The challenging part would be charging. The printer release station
would require some custom software to either handle a printer debit
card system (which is common in academic settings) or adding a charge
to the patrons record in the ILS, and then releasing the job to the
printer.