FLOSS News

For the past year, 6 libraries from Malawi to Nepal have been learning a great deal about free and open source software (FOSS) integrated library systems (ILS). Case studies of their investigations, successes, and learning points are now available. The participating pilot sites in this project range from the relatively small (50,000 to 70,000 volumes) to the very large (more than 4 million volumes). They also stretch from libraries with a single systems librarian to libraries with an entire IT team. This project was not merely about installing and using a FOSS ILS; it was about learning to engage with FOSS development and support communities. It's all about participation.

The Southern African Greenstone Support Network (SAGSN) consists of many libraries developing digital collections with the aid and assistance of a number of National Centres of excellence. The Support Network would like to include more countries in and beyond the Southern African Region through the establishment of a number of new National Centres.

eIFL award winning story “Open Source Software brings a new lease of life to libraries in Palestine”

The UNESCO Information for All Programme (IFAP) recently invited UNESCO Member States, NGOs and professional groups to share their stories and good practices in using information for development in all parts of the world. The stories collected provide practical examples to inspire others and raise the visibility of the critically important role that information plays in development. eIFL.net submitted stories from its “Spotlight” series, which highlights achievements of eIFL members, and the users of their library services, in developing and transition countries.

Technical leads from each of the pilot institutions for the eIFL-FOSS ILS project will gather in Yerevan, Armenia, on 10-11 June 2008 for a two-day workshop. Evergreen developer, Dan Scott, of Laurentian University in Canada and Koha developer, Henri-Damien Laurent, of BibLibre in France will provide the expert input for the event. The workshop is being hosted by the Fundamental Library of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. Further information on the workshop may be found here.

The response to the Call-For-Participation for the eIFL-FOSS ILS project was heartening. Applications were received from 12 countries, representing 11 language groups, with library collections ranging in size from 10 thousand volumes to 3.5 million volumes. The following institutions were selected to conduct pilots as part of the project:

eIFL-FOSS ILS is a project of the eIFL-FOSS program supporting evaluation of and migration to free and open source (FOSS) integrated library systems (ILS). It is an opportunity for librarians in eIFL member countries to engage directly with the Koha or Evergreen development communities and to contribute to that ongoing development. In particular it is an opportunity for pilot institutions, in conjunction with the active participation of the eIFL-FOSS country coordinators, to identify and draft support documentation to aid themselves and other libraries that may wish to pursue this FOSS ILS path.

Call for Participation:

Core funding for the eIFL-FOSS program has been secured from the Open Society Institute. eIFL-FOSS advocates free and open source software (FOSS) use in libraries in developing and transition countries. Funding from the Open Society Institute for this program will help eIFL.net raise awareness and understanding of FOSS across its membership, facilitate eIFL.net member engagement with FOSS development communities, and undertake projects of special significance to eIFL.net members. The initial project within the eIFL-FOSS program is a support project for migration to FOSS integrated library systems (ILS).

Once the nomination of the Southern African institutions which will serve as the major local network points of the project has been complete, Stefan Boddie, from DL Consulting, will be running the first series of workshops on the installation of Greenstone sofware for digital libraries. He will start his training at the sub-regional centre for the project, the University of Namibia, on August 6th and will continue visits to the national centers in the other participating countries: the National University of Science and Technology in Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) on August 9-11, the National University Library and the Lesotho College of Education Library in Maseru (Lesotho) on August 12-15 and the Bunda College Library in Lilongwe (Malawi) on Augu

Each eIFL consortium is being asked to nominate an eIFL-FOSS coordinator from their country. This coordinator will serve as the main point of contact with the larger eIFL-FOSS body, and act as a point of contact for open source software community building in the libraries in their country. The coordinator should currently work in some capacity with the library IT infrastructure in one of the local eIFL consortium libraries. Details about the required qualifications, responsabilities and submission procedures are available in the document attached. The deadline to submit your nominations is July 20, 2007.

The development of digital libraries is an important concern in facilitating access, sharing and preservation of content. eIFL believes that the open source Greenstone Digital Library (GSDL) software suite  (www.greenstone.org), whose development and distribution are coordinated by the University of Waikato in New Zealand, provides a unique resource to promote the development of DLs in Africa in keeping with our objective of empowering libraries through Open Source solutions.

Library Geeks podcast which just went live covered eIFl-FOSS meeting in Cupramontana, to listen to, please go to: onebiglibrary.net/geeks.