Swansea University and PTFS Europe Ltd would like to invite you to a joint
seminar on Open Source Library Management Systems & software
The market for the traditional LMS is changing with the supplier/customer
relationship coming under increasing pressure due to: initial and on-going
costs, quality of support, slow product development and lack of a shared
vision. There has been much discussion lately over the potential for open
source library management system software to radically extend the options
that can be considered when looking for a new library system.
What are the benefits and drawbacks of going open source? What functionality
do the open source products offer? How would they be implemented and
supported? What are the cost implications of taking the open source route?
Open source is the fastest growing sector in the library management systems
marketplace, not simply because of the free software but also due to:
* support of a vibrant and active “global” support and development
community
* freedom from the "lock-in" of proprietary system
* the ability to benefit from other users' customisations and
contributions
* and importantly, removal of dependence on a single supplier
This joint seminar hosted at Swansea University will look at these issues
and outline PTFS Europe's role in promoting open source library management
systems. It will then go on to compare and contrast two of the leading
products in the field - Evergreen and Koha. There will also be brief
demonstrations of these products. We will then conclude by discussing the
project management, support, data conversion and other issues to consider
during the implementation of an open source library management system.
We will compare the benefits of having the library system hosted by the
library or hosted in a Software as a Service(SaaS) environment.
Swansea University will talk about the South West Wales Higher Education
Partnership (SWWHEP) and how they are implementing the Open Source product
'VuFind# as part of an exciting joint resource discovery portal project
along with Swansea Metropolitan University and Trinity University College
Also being covered as part of the day is the newly launched ‘Open RFID in
Libraries Specification’, showing that Open Source is not just about Library
Management Systems, but can also be applied in other areas of library work.
WHEN: Friday 17th April 2009
VENUE: Seminar Room, Library & Information Services, Swansea University
Location map: http://www.swan.ac.uk/alumniandvisitors/MapsLocation/
AGENDA:
10.00 - 10.30 Arrival and tea / coffee.
10.30 - 10.45 Swansea University – Introduction & Welcome
10.45 – 11.45 PTFS - Overview Open Source
11.45 - 12.30 Swansea University / SWWHEP - VuFind and Resource discovery
12.30 - 13.30 Lunch
13.30 - 14.45 PTFS Open Source demo
14.45 - 15.00 Swansea University – Open RFID in Libraries Specification (ORILS)
15.00 - 15.30 Q&A's & Tea / Coffee
15.30 Close.
**Attendace at the seminar is free**
To attend this seminar:
Reply by email to [log in to unmask] This e-mail address is being
protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it before 10th
April 2009.
Or book online at :
http://www.openlibraries.eu/index.php?option=com_jforms&view=form&id=4&Itemid=7
We look forward to seeing you.
Mark Hughes
Head of Collections
Swansea University
01792 296026
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