Tag: library

Open Repository – a U.K.-based DSpace implementor

http://www.openrepository.com/

As if additional proof was needed that there is legs to the value-added open source service model, another example in the field of ‘institutional repositories’ (in addition to the Fedora implementors, VTLS) is this U.K.-based company that is making a business of implementing DSpace.
In addition, the existance of not one but 2 commercialized Institutional Repository packages gives weight to the idea that the IR market is likely to become more well-formed, quicker, than the LOR market (whose budget do you think is bigger – the ed tech department’s or the library’s?) – SWL

Presentations from the Digital Library Forum Spring Forum 2004

http://www.diglib.org/forums/Spring2004/
springforum04abs.htm

Thanks to Dr. Tom Carey for passing on the reference to the presentation archive for the DLF’s 2004 Spring Forum. There’s lots of interest here; in particular, one of the 9.00am-10.30am sessions from April 21, titled “Digital Repository Interoperability with Learning Systems” gives some insight into how the library/archives world is approaching the issue of interoperating with various learning systems, notable not only CMS are mentioned but also weblogs! (Ironically, for all of the focus on metadata, this page itself is unstructured HTML, hence my lack of ability to point you directly to the section containing this presentation’s references). – SWL

Open standards and software for bibliographies and cataloging

http://wwwsearch.sourceforge.net/
bib/openbib.html#haystack

Comprehensive collection of pointers to information on open standards and open source software for managing bibliograpies and library metadata. See also oss4lib, the Open Source software for Libraries listing. – SWL

Paper on CMS & Libraries

http://careo.elearning.ubc.ca/weblogs/martha/
archives/000580.html

From Michelle comes reference to both this useful paper and a new blog by her colleague, Martha Whitehead, the Head of Information Services at the University of British Columbia Library. The paper is a brief summary of some of the issues and progress made to date to bring library systems, and the services librarians have to offer, into the insitutional elearning/CMS mix. Contains a useful bibliography of citations on this issue. – SWL

“Libraries and the Enhancement of E-learning” – a report from the OCLC E-LEARNING TASK FORCE

http://www5.oclc.org/downloads/community/elearning.pdf

As the authors state early on, this wide-ranging report from the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) on the relationship between academic libraries and elearning in higher education is not just for librarians. It focuses topics such as the role of libraries towards learning objects and object repositories, how libraries need to interact and interroperate with course management systems, and what the libraries role should be in relation to the institutions content and knowledge management needs. Well worth the read. – SWL

– via [ResourceShelf]

The recombinant library: portals and people

http://www.oclc.org/research/staff/dempsey/
dempsey_recombinant_library.pdf

I love papers on portals that begin by thoroughly trashing the word ‘portal,’ as my experience has been that it is one of the most unuseful pieces of modern tech jargon.

But this paper takes the conflation of the meanings of the word portal as its starting point and explores it to rich effect. Although it’s written by and for librarians, one of the reason the paper’s so effective is in arguing that approaching portals from the library’s perspective is precisely the wrong end to come at it; you need to approach it from the user’s perspective. Well worth reading for anyone involved in campus-wide portal initiatives. – SWL

– via [ResourceShelf]

Koha – open source library/OPAC software

http://www.koha.org/

“Koha is the first open source integrated library system … the Koha system is a full catalogue, OPAC, circulation and acquisitions system.”

I’m not an expert in OPAC systems, so I leave it to the librarians to judge how full-featured this software is, though on the surface it seems fairly mature. I’m posting this, though, as just another example of how wide the range of open source projects has become. It wasn’t that long ago that people (usually in an attempt to maginalize their effects as part of a FUD campaign) would characterize open source projects as focusing on only those types of programs of interest to the geeks who could build them. There’s probably always going to be a bit of that at play, but a quick glance at, for instance, sourceforge projects by intended audience shows just how broadly the phenomenom has spread. – SWL

– via [OpenSector.org]