FLOSS in FE Koha library system and wider issues

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FLOSS in FEKoha library system and wider issues

• Tony Whitmore
• Regents Park Girls School

MJ Ray Turo Technology LLP (AFFS Treasurer)
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FLOSS in FE

• Typical factors for educational institution
• User retraining
• Replacement of encouraged applications
• Replacement of custom applications (e.g. VB)
• Perceived lack of educational software
• Document compatibility
• Support staff retraining
• Increased user support requirements initially
• New management interfaces / tools
• Outside technical support

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FLOSS in FE

• Reduced software licensing costs
• Reduced hardware upgrade costs
• Eliminate vendor lock-in
• More options for support
• Freedom to redistribute helping inclusion
• Long term savings after short term expenditure
• In the short term, significant cost savings are
  not achievable by switching to strategy
  based-upon Open Source software. Newham Council,
  November 2003
• http//www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/34077
  .html

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FLOSS in FE

• FLOSS for file storage
• Samba / LVM
• FLOSS for mail services scanning
• Sendmail, Postfix, Exim
• Spamassassin, Mailscanner
• Squirrelmail, IMP
• FLOSS for internet access control
• CensorNet
• Lower hardware requirements
• Software kept secure for little or no cost

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FLOSS in FE

• Commercial considerations
• Profitability of courses
• Perception of usefulness of courses
• Greater freedom than Primary/Secondary
• Able to consider FLOSS solutions
• Greater control over network facilities
• e.g. JANET rather than LEA WAN

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Koha Library Project
Koha Library Project

• Free software library management
• 1999/2000 start, v2.0 RSN
• HLT, NPL, ESIEE, UNIDO
• Open Public Access Catalogue
• Internet by default
• Catalogue Maintenance (librarian)
• Machine Readable Cataloguing
• Reading Lists
• RSS, z39.50, LDAP extensions
• 2003 case study

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Koha Library Quotes

• Asst Prof Christopher Brown-Syed
• This has made training and knowledge available
  of a sort rarely offered in library schools. Such
  experience usually must be learned on the job.
• Stephen Hedges, Library Director
• as much commitment as commercial software ...
  with free software that same money can fund the
  development of the software modules that the
  library really wants.

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FLOSS in FE

• FLOSS programmers cannot know what their users
  will need.
• FLOSS cannot be evaluated against the same
  criteria as other software.
• Users should plan to adapt FLOSS.
• Unforeseen uses will occur.
• Collaboration is part of education.
• FE institutions need to develop a policy on
  FLOSS

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FLOSS in FE

• Concerns
• Benefits
• Examples
• FE is special
• koha case study
• Discussion

• You have been watching
• Tony Whitmore
• www.tonywhitmore.co.uk
• MJ Ray
• www.ttllp.co.uk