John
This is one of the most cogent comments I have read from you, and I
think you have made some very key and appropriate points, covering most
of the ground.
The following paragraph is not from me, but from an email someone sent
me on this topic, a and which I think is very apt. I hope he/she does
not object to my quoting it here
" Open Source currently reminds me too much of the old days when public
sector (not just library) systems were developed by small bands of
enthusiasts who followed their own agendas; didn't necessarily engage
with a wide range of end users and then declared that what they had put
together was universally applicable and that the structures and
conventions they came up with were "standards." If Open Source becomes
widely imposed in public libraries (if only because it would be
perceived as being cheaper) then it would mean that each of the affected
services would need to take on staff in order to do in-house product
development and support. It feels like the re-infantilism of a barely
mature technology sector. We wouldn't expect mobile library services to
buy kit cars to run their services."
Where I think the sector could help itself and get better value for
money and the system they do actually need, is by better co-operation
between and with each other., more demands made for less but better in a
system., less compliance with suppliers when they are patently not doing
the job and not giving the support., and maybe going for a lighter
version LMS. But I do agree with both John's comments and those in the
quotes above
Open source does seem to work well in the type of work (not library), I
am involved in now, but the product and the customer is quite different,
and the relationship between the company and the customer is entirely
different. But the comment is right it needs a first class technical
person with hands on all the time.
f
-----Original Message-----
From: lis-pub-libs: UK Public Libraries
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Usher, John
Sent: 10 August 2007 13:09
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Open Source LMSs
Hi Ken,
Aren't we barking up the wrong tree with Open Source? Isn't it just
another techie issue for libraries to get bogged down in?
You've been in the industry for many years - as a user, as a supplier,
and now a consultant - so you've seen trends come and go.
We started on proprietary Minicomputers for catalogues and proprietary
mainframe processing of offline captured data - Hollerith punch cards,
punch tape and mag tape - for circulation.
Then we went to the Mini-based 'turnkey' systems - you tried to sell me
CLSI, remember? - on proprietary Mini's and then on more 'Open'
standardised processors such as DEC PDP's, and Intel arrays such as
Pyramid.
Then we all went Unix, 'cos it was 'Open' - but which Unix? Sun
Solaris,? DG-UX (etc. etc..) or the 'standardised 'SVR4' version for ISO
compliance, which was never *quite* standard.
Then the proprietary suppliers (e.g. IBM and ICL) went 'POSIX' compliant
for ISO to beat back Unix, so Unix flavours' retreated.
And we couldn't run Microsoft, 'cos NT Server wasn't truly multi-user -
but the world has clearly moved on.
Now we're all moving to Microsoft or Linux - but which 'Linux
distribution'? Dell recently said it would love to ship Linux PC's, but
will someone please tell it which 'flavour' to standardise upon? It gave
up on an earleir attempt for this reason - One version of Microsoft OS
at a time is hard enough to support, but multiple Linux distributions!
And we had the database wars - Index-Sequential (ISAM), Pick, Relational
(or Pick or ISAM sitting on top of Relational)
But which relational database - Ingres? Sybase? Oracle? SQL Server?
MySQL?
And then we had programming language debate - proprietary, C, C++, then
Object Oriented Programing (OOP's) and Fourth Generation Languages
(4GL's) were going to revolutionise speed of programming - but whatever
happened to the latter two?
And now it's the shift to Platform and Web/Library 2.0, with 'Sprints'
and 'Permanent Beta' etc. etc.
And there'll be something else coming down the pike - be very sure.
Remember the Gartner Production Adoption Hype Cycle!
It's enough to frighten the horses!
Many years ago, I was asked in an interview which I thought more
important - hardware or software? (This was before Sun's motto of 'the
Network is the computer'), so I said they were interdependent - and was
offered the job!
But today I think that there is one thing more important than the
hardware, software or network, and that's the 'Wetware' - what's between
people's ears!
I think we need to concentrate on other issues:
a) the tasks we need the applications to do, and the workflows inside
them, in a rapidly changing world - e.g. why does a public library need
to buy separate, expensive (and complex to integrate with the LMS) ERM,
PC Booking and Self-Services systems for low percentage of their total
business when the LMS could be extended to encompass these new roles?
b) the close working of suppliers and customers to define the business
needs and produce 'quality' applications - quality defined as 'fitness
for purpose' - rapidly, and evolve them quicky in a rapidly changing
environment. But do library services really know what they want from
these systems?
c) develop solutions (e.g. standardised 'front ends') which mean that
the *true* costs of moving from one LMS supplier to another (I submit
these are the inertia and staff training issues) are lowered. We used to
by everything from one supplier, but that is now not the case, and that
needs, IMHO, to go deeper.
Change only seems to occur when a 'Tipping Point' is reached in any
authority - e.g. the old system is 'time-expired', a corporate edict is
issued on the OS or database to be used, otherwise it's 'stick with what
you know'? Nice for the suppliers!
d) good support - from library staff, from IT staff, from suppliers. If
Open Source is the tool to do this, then fine, but is it? IBM seem to be
making good use of Open Source, so perhaps its the level of commitment
and owhership by suppliers to support that Open Source (or anything
else) which is the real issue?
Feel free to tear this to pieces - would be good to see a real debate
about this!
Regards
JU
John Usher
ICT Development Manager
Islington Library & Cultural Services
Islington Council
Central Library
2 Fieldway Crescent
LONDON N5 1PF
Tel: 020 7527 6920
Mobile: 07825 098 223 <NEW NUMBER>
Fax: 020 7527 6926
Alternative contact: Michelle Gannon - 020 7527 6907
www.islington.gov.uk
-----Original Message-----
From: lis-pub-libs: UK Public Libraries
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Ken Chad
Sent: 08 August 2007 16:43
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [LIS-PUB-LIBS] Open Source LMSs
I'm just completing an article for CILIP Library+Information Gazette on
Open Source--and more particularly Open Source LMSs. In the US
especially, a number of major libraries, (inc. large publics, research
and academic libraries as well as smaller libraries) has gone this open
source route but I haven't detected anything here in the UK (yet?). Have
I missed something?
If you are looking at (or even interested in) Open Source solutions for
your LMSs I'd be really interested to know.
In the US there is *very* vocal dissatisfaction with the LMS vendors.
The consolidation, changes of ownership, private equity stuff,
paradoxically seems to be much more strongly resented there. There is a
strong feeling in some quarters that the market model has failed
libraries and a new paradigm is needed. A growing community is
springing up dedicated to the support and further development of Open
Source LMSs. Commercial companies are emerging (cf Redhat and Linux) to
support and develop Open Source LMSs
I don't detect the anything like the same depth of feeling here in the
UK.
Is this true or are we in true Brit fashion just less demonstrative
('mustn't grumble')? Or maybe the LMS vendors simply do a better job
here in the UK? Or could it be that the sector is so wedded to the
traditional procurement model (RFP/Tender), which organisations like OSS
watch in the UK think are not appropriate for Open Source
Of course some LMS vendors (VTLS and Talis --others? ) do offer Open
Source solutions that they make freely available but they have not yet
gone the route of offering the complete LMS in this way.
Any view on the role of Open Source in the UK LMS marektplace?
Ken
Ken Chad Consulting Ltd. www.kenchadconsulting.com Tel 07788 727 845
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