[OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Media request regarding K12 library automation

[Ron Gagnon]

One other important point is control.  As the software is not owned 
controlled by a single vendor, like proprietary systems, no one can 
unilaterally decide the software is end-of-life, no longer supported, etc. 
And since there are multiple support options, unlike proprietary systems, 
no single vendor can unilaterally decide to raise maintenance costs on a 
take it or leave it basis.  You always have options with open source, no 
single vendor is dictating the terms for your most important automation 
system.

Ron Gagnon

-- 
Ronald A. Gagnon, Executive Director
North of Boston Library Exchange
Danvers, Massachusetts
gagnon at noblenet.org
Ph: 978-777-8844   Fax: 978-750-8472

On Tue, 15 Jul 2014, Jason Etheridge wrote:

> Hi Kylie,
>
>> How does open source software “work” exactly for K12 schools?
>
> Open source software can work just like other software, the difference
> is that you have more options--you have the freedom to develop your
> own expertise with running and using the software, or paying someone
> else to do it, or some combination of the two.
>
> For Evergreen (and Koha), there are multiple organizations (commercial
> companies, cooperatives, libraries, etc.) that offer support, hosting,
> customization, training, etc. for the software.  Not a single one of
> these entities "owns" the software, which is freely licensed for use,
> distribution, and modification.
>
> There are also online (and sometimes offline) communities (like this
> one), comprised of people (and companies and organizations) that use,
> develop, test, document, and make suggestions about the software.
> They collaborate and help each other use and improve the software, but
> it's essentially a volunteer effort.  The software license empowers
> the community.
>
>> What’s the implementation process like?
>
> This can vary depending on who is doing the work.  Generally, you
> decide whether you want or need to start from scratch with cataloging
> your inventory and registering your patrons/students/users, or if you
> want to migrate data from an existing system, or some combination of
> the two.  For some scenarios, it can happen quickly, for others, it
> may take a couple of months.  There will typically be a project plan.
>
>> Where is the software hosted?
>
> A running instance of the software in use by a hypothetical library?
> It could be hosted at a datacenter by a hosting company.  Or it could
> be hosted in-house (or at a datacenter) by a local IT department.
> There are no restrictions here, and a lot of options.  Some companies
> will even support a library that runs the software locally.
>
>> What are the greatest benefits of Evergreen?
>
> It has to be the people and how their efforts all add together to make
> a larger whole.  You _could_ treat Evergreen just like a piece of
> proprietary software and pay some vendor or consultant to manage all
> the details for you.  But you'd get the most _benefit_ from
> interacting with the community, sharing your ideas, your expertise,
> your difficulties, because this sharing will have a larger impact and
> ultimately make the software better, even if you don't funnel money
> directly into improvements by paying someone to do development (which
> is a nice option to have).
>
>> From a technical/feature-set mindset, Evergreen is built for
> scalability, for large consortia.  It can handle a huge amount of data
> and complexity.  It may be overkill for a K12.  Yet a lot of smaller
> libraries use and are very happy with Evergreen.
>
>> How do upgrades, etc. work?
>
> This too can vary, particularly depending on who is doing the work and
> how the software has been configured.  Evergreen _can_ be deployed in
> such a way that minor upgrades can happen seamlessly without any
> downtime, and major upgrades very quickly (while allowing for a
> read-only view of the catalog and SIP interface during the upgrade).
>
>> What are the potential challenges of using open source software?
>
>> From a technical standpoint, it's not much different from proprietary
> software, though proprietary software can have its own challenges.
> Any type of change can be hard for folks.  In the past, there would be
> a lot of "FUD" cast against open source software, and there may still
> be pockets of that.  These days, in my opinion, open source is
> ubiquitous, though often used behind the scenes.  Even proprietary
> vendors often use open source tools and components, like Linux, MySQL,
> PostgreSQL, Apache, Perl, etc.  They benefit from the open communities
> behind these, and libraries can benefit from having this same openness
> be higher in their technology "stack".
>
> Can anyone think of anything else we should tell Kylie?
>
>