Paper No: 05 ICT for Libraries

Principal Investigator
&
  Dr. Jagdish Arora, Director
INFLIBNET Centre, Gandhinagar
Module : 16Subject
OpenCoordinator
Source Library Software and Applications

Development Team
Principal Investigator
Paper Coordinator
Dr. Jagdish Arora, Director
&
INFLIBNET Centre, Gandhinagar
Subject Coordinator
Content Writer

Dr. Usha Mujoo Munshi, Librarian,

Paper Coordinator Indian Institute of Public Administration
Content Reviewer

Dr. Parveen Babbar,

Content Writer Deputy Librarian
Jawaharlal Nehru University

Dr. Usha Mujoo Munshi, Librarian,

Content Reviewer Indian Institute of Public Administration
 

Paper Coordinator
Content Reviewer  
 
 Open Source Library Software and Applications

I. Objectives
• To learn basics of Open Source Movement
• Study the History of Open Source
• Enumerate the Advantages and Disadvantages of Open Source Software
• Open Source Software available for library automation
• Open Source Library Applications

II. Learning Outcomes

After completion of this lesson, learners would be acquainted to the concept of
open source software. They would learn about evolution of concept of open
source and popular open source software that are available for automating
libraries.
III. Module Structure
1. Introduction
2. Open Source: Evaluation
2.1 History of Open Source
2.2 Open Source Platforms
2.3 Common OSS licenses
2.3.1 GNU General Public License (GPL) /Affero General Public
License
2.3.2 Creative Commons
2.3.3 GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL)/ Artistic
License
2.3.4 Berkley System Distribution License (BSD)/ Apache
Software License/ MIT License/ NCSA License
2.3.5 OCLC Research Public License
3. Open Source Software
3.1 Open Source
 3.1.1 Free Redistribution
3.1.2 Source Code
3.1.3 Derived Works
3.1.4 Integrity of The Author's Source Code
3.1.5 No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups and against the
fields of endeavour
3.1.6 Distribution of License
3.1.7 License Must Not be Specific to be a Product
3.1.8 License Must Not Restrict Other Software
3.1.9 License Must Be Technology-Neutral
3.2 Advantages of Open Source Software
3.3 Disadvantages of Open Source Software
3.4 Some examples of general use popular Open Source Software's
4. Open Source Library Software (Integrated Library Systems)
4.1 Open Source Integrated Library Systems
4.1.1 Koha
4.1.2 Evergreen
4.1.3 OpenBiblio
4.1.4 NewGenLib (NGL)
4.1.5 SOPAC (Social Online Public Access Catalog)
5. Digital/Electronic Library Softwares
5.1 Dienest
5.2 DSpace
5.3 EPrints
5.4 Fedora
5.5 Greenstone
5.6 Invenio
 6. Some important popular Library Management Applications
6.1 ATutor
6.2 CORAL
6.3 CUFTS
6.4 Drupal
6.5 GODOT
6.6 Joomla
6.7 Manhattan
6.8 Moodle
7. Summary
8. References

1. Introduction
Open Source Software (OSS), term was coined by Eric Raymond, it is the
software for which the source code is freely and publicly available, though the
specific licensing agreements vary as to what one is allowed to do with that
code. Open source software (OSS) has gained importance worldwide and in the
last few years open source has triggered a vast volume of research and has
entered the mainstream software market, with the adoption of packages such as
Linux (operating system), mySQL (relational database), PHP, Perl, Python
(scripting and programming languages), Apache Web Server and the Zope
content management system and many more.
However the Free software [FS], term was given by Richard Stallman in 1984,
is the software which can be obtained at zero cost i.e. software which gives the
user certain freedoms. FS provides only executable file to the end user, through
public domain and end user is free to use that executable software in any way,
but the user is not free to modify that software.
Similarly the alternative term Free/Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS)
refers to software licenses which give users four essential ‘freedoms. These
include running the program for any purpose, studying the workings of the
program, and modify the program to suit specific needs. One can also
redistribute copies of the program at no charge or for a fee, and finally to
improve the program, and release the improved, modified version.
2. Open Source: Evaluation
2.1 History of Open Source
The open source movement started in the 1980s with Richard Stallman who
resigned from MIT founded GNU project. Unix is an operating system, whose
functionality, he wanted to copy and build upon, but it required community
effort. Wanting it to be a free software, he created a different kind of copyright
licence, which he termed “copyleft”. “
Milestones in the history of open source software are:
• 1983 - Richard Stallman formed GNU project;
• 1985 - Creation of Free Software Foundation;
• 1991 - Development of Linux kernel by Linus Torvalds;
• 1998 - Open Source Initiative (OSI) formed by Eric Raymond.
2.2 Open Source Platforms
a. Open Source Initiative [http://opensource.org/]- The Open Source
Initiative (OSI) is a non-profit corporation with global scope formed to
educate about and advocate for the benefits of open source and to build
bridges among different constituencies in the open source community.
b. SourceForge [http://sourceforge.net/ ] - SourceForge is an Open
Source community resource dedicated to helping open source projects,
be as successful as possible. It thrives on community collaboration to
help create a premiere resource for open source software development
and distribution.

2.3 Common OSS licenses

Some of the most common licenses used for Open Source are:
2.3.1 GNU General Public License (GPL) /Affero General Public License-
GNU is the most common of OSS licenses, the GPL implements a concept
known as “copyleft” that attempts to negate copyright for the purposes of
collaborative software development. Under the GPL license, the code for a
GPL-licensed application can be used anywhere in any situation; it can be
distributed to anyone as long as the code is included and the GPL license is
retained; and anyone can create a derivative work from the code and redistribute
it, as long as the resulting code is made available and also licensed under the
GPL. The Affero General Public License is almost identical to the GPL but
includes additional provisions for network access.
2.3.2 Creative Commons - Creative Commons licensing is similar to that of the
GPL, but is not designed around software. The Creative Commons license was
originally designed for other creative works such as music and film, though it is
increasingly utilized within software projects.
2.3.3 GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL)/ Artistic License- LGPL
is normally used to designate source code that can be used by applications for
which a charge is levied, so that this code can be used in commercial products,
hence “lesser”. The Artistic License is similar and also attempts to mitigate the
fear of using code for commercial purposes.
2.3.4 Berkley System Distribution License (BSD)/ Apache Software
License/ MIT License/ NCSA License - The BSD license is basis for many
other licenses, including Apache Software License/ MIT License/ NCSA
License. It is mainly concerned that the copyright of the code be recognized as
belonging to the creators and that this copyright be promulgated to applications
built with the source code. The BSD license, like almost all OSS licenses, also
specifies that the copyright holder is not liable for the consequences of using the
source code.
2.3.5 OCLC Research Public License - The OCLC license ensures that
modifications are reported back to OCLC if the intent is to redistribute the
changes externally.
3. Open Source Software
Open source software is where the source code of programs is made freely
available for anyone to change and distribute, provided they abide by the
accompanying licence. This differs from closed source or propriety software
which may only be obtained by some form of payment, either by purchase or by
“leasing”. The difference between open and closed source can be characterised
by the word freedom: users of open source software have the freedom to alter
the source code while users of closed source software do not.
Open Source Proprietary

Provides support
Commercial Open Yearly License + Yearly
and legal
Source Maintenance Maintenance
indemnification
 Community Open Freeware or Normally no
Free
Source Shareware formal support

Fig.1: Open Source is a licensing or business model

3.1 Open Source
Open source is the access to the source code and its distribution terms must
comply with the following criteria:
3.1.1 Free Redistribution: By free distribution it is meant that the license shall
not restrict any party from selling or giving away the software as a component
of an aggregate software distribution containing programs from several different
sources. Royalty or any other kind of fees cannot be charged for the sale of such
software.
3.1.2 Source Code: The open source software includes the source code. If the
source code is not provided the downloading via the Internet without charge
must be allowed in that case. The source code must be preferred form in which
a programmer would modify the program.
3.1.3 Derived Works: The modifications and derived works must be allowed
under the same terms as the license of the original software.
3.1.4 Integrity of The Author's Source Code: The license may restrict source-
code from being distributed in modified form with different name and version
only if the license allows the distribution of "patch files" with the source code
for the purpose of modifying the program at build time.
3.1.5 No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups and against the fields
of endeavour.
3.1.6 Distribution of License: The rights attached to the program must apply to
all, to whom the program is redistributed without the need for execution of an
additional license. Similarly the rights attached to the program must not depend
on the program's being part of a particular software distribution.
3.1.7 License Must Not be Specific to be a Product.
3.1.8 License Must Not Restrict Other Software.
3.1.9 License Must Be Technology-Neutral: No provision of the license may
be predicated on any individual technology or style of interface.
3.2 Advantages of Open Source Software
The benefits with Open Source Software are as follows:
• Lower Software Costs: Open source solutions generally require no
licensing fees. Expenditures can be for media, documentation, and
support, if required.
• Simplified License Management: Obtain the software once and install
it as many times and in as many locations as you need. There’s no need
to count, track, or monitor for license compliance. It provides
collaborative, parallel development involving source code sharing and
reuse.
• Lower Hardware Costs: In general, Linux and open source solutions
are elegantly compact and portable, and as a result require less
hardware power to accomplish the same tasks as on conventional
servers (Windows, Solaris) or workstations. So they are less expensive.
• Scaling/Consolidation Potential: Open source applications and
services can often scale considerably as they have multiple options for
load balancing, clustering.
• Support: Open source support is freely available and accessible
through the online community via the Internet. Many tech companies
also support open source with free online and multiple levels of paid
support.
• Escape Vendor Lock-in: Frustration with vendor lock-in is a reality
and with ongoing license fees, there is lack of portability and the
inability to customize software to meet specific needs. Open source
exists as a declaration of freedom of choice.
• Unified Management: Specific open source technologies such as CIM
Common Information Model) and WBEM (Web Based Enterprise
Management) provide the capability to integrate or consolidate server,
service, application, and workstation management for powerful
administration.
• Quality Software: The peer review process and community standards
makes the open source softwares, a quality software. It gives shared
approach to problem solving through constant feedback and peer
review. The fact that source code is out there for the world to see, tend
to drive excellence in design and efficiency in coding of these
softwares.
3.3 Disadvantages of Open Source Software
• Possibility of slower results due to the rapid development environment
leading to the absence of formal management structures.
• Open source software can tend to evolve more in line with developers’
wishes than the needs of the end user.
• Strong user involvement and participation throughout a project become
problematic as users tend to create bureaucracies which hamper
development.
• Rapid releases and typically more iterations than commercial software
creates more management problem. Version control systems are
required to track multiple revisions.
• The user interfaces of open source products are not very intuitive. Can
be less “user-friendly” and easy to use because less attention is paid to
developing the user interface.
• No single source of information, so users have no ‘definitive’ answers
to problems.
• System deployment and training is often more expensive with OSS as
it is less intuitive and does not have the usability advantages of
proprietary software.
3.4 Some examples of general use popular Open Source Software's

• 7-Zip: file compression - 7-Zip is open source software and most of

the source code is under the GNU LGPL license. It is a file archiver
with a high compression ratio.
• Apache - It is a leading server software and scripting language on the
web.
• Blender - It is a open source 3D graphics and animation software.
• FileZilla - It is an FTP client with a fast and reliable cross-platform
FTP, FTPS and SFTP client with lots of useful features and an intuitive
graphical user interface.
• FireFox - Mozilla Firefox (known simply as Firefox) is a free and
open-source web browser a web browser.
• Linux – Linux is a Unix-Based operating system used predominantly
in server. Linux was created by a student in 1991 along with other
developers around the world. Linux operating system is free to use and
everyone has the freedom to contribute to its development.
 • MySQL - Mysql is the world's most popular open source database
management system.
• OpenOffice.org - an office suite software with word
processor, spreadsheet, and presentation capabilities, now forked to
LibreOffice after lock-in claims from companies which supported
OpenOffice.
• Perl - A programming/scripting language.
• PHP - A widely used open source general-purpose scripting language.
• SendMail - e-mail software.
• Speak Freely- Internet telephony software.
• Thunderbird - Thunderbird is a full-featured email, RSS and
newsgroup client that makes emailing safer, faster and easier than ever
before.
• Wikipedia - Online encyclopaedia open for anyone to update and
revise content.

4. Open Source Library Software (Integrated Library Systems)

OSS represents an exciting opportunity for libraries rather than forcing a library
to depend on products which may not fully meet its needs. Open source allows
the library to participate directly in the development of its systems and innovate
services in a manner consistent with the values of librarianship. Open source
software is software licensed to users with freedom to run the program for any
purpose, to study and modify the program and to freely redistribute copies of
either the original or modified program (without royalties, etc.). Open source
software are also termed as libre software, free software, FOSS, FLOSS and
they are reciprocal to proprietary software, closed software (Bretthauer, 2002).

4.1 Open Source Integrated Library Systems

4.1.1 Koha - Koha is a full featured open source library management system
and it was initially developed by Harowhenua Library Trust, New Zealand in
2000. Now the project has grown as one of the popular Open Source Library
management system by large group of volunteers from various parts of the
world. The Software consists of several modules supporting all the activities of
a library: on-line catalog (OPAC), cataloging, authorities management,
circulation, user management, acquisitions, periodicals, reporting, and
administration. It is translated in over 100 languages, and is implemented in
more than 900 institutions around the world.
4.1.2 Evergreen- Evergreen is an open source Integrated Library System (ILS)
which includes circulation and cataloguing features, OPAC, SIP2.0 support for
interaction with management software and search/retrieval through Z39.50. It is
a robust, enterprise level ILS solution developed to be capable of supporting the
workload of large libraries in a fault-tolerant system. It too is standards
compliant and uses the OPAC interface, and offers many features including
flexible administration, work-flow customization, adaptable programming
interfaces. It features the Open Scalable Request Framework (OpenSRF), that
allows developers to create applications for Evergreen with a minimum of
knowledge of its structure. It Operates on Debian or Ubuntu Linux servers.

4.1.3 OpenBiblio - OpenBiblio is an easy to use, open source, automated

library system written in PHP containing OPAC, circulation, cataloging, and
staff administration functionality for the particular interest to small libraries
with limited technical expertise and resources of less than 50,000 volumes.

4.1.4 NewGenLib (NGL) - NewGenLib is an outcome of collaboration

between Verus and Kesavan Institute of Information and Knowledge
management in Hyderabad, India. NGL is developed and maintained by Verus
Solutions and Kesavan Institute has provided the domain expertise. It provides
many basic ILS functions as well as having several social media functions built
in. NGL comprises many open source components, chief among which are
Apache Tomcat, PostgreSQL Database and the well-known search engine
SOLR. NewGenLib is licensed under the GNU version 3. It supports MARC21,
OAI-PMH and z39.50.

4.1.5 SOPAC (Social Online Public Access Catalog) - SOPAC is a module for
the Drupal CMS that provides true integration of library catalog system with the
power of the Drupal content management system while allowing users to tag,
rate, and review your holdings. User input is then incorporated into the
discovery index so that SOPAC becomes a truly community-driven catalog
system.

5. Digital/Electronic Library Softwares

5.1 Dienest- Dienest is a system for configuring a set of individual services

running on distributed servers to cooperate in providing the services of a digital
library. It has been written in PERL. It works more comfortably on Unix/Linux
runwebservers.

5.2 DSpace - DSpace is a digital library system to capture, store, index,

preserve, and redistribute the intellectual output of a university’s research
faculty in digital formats. DSpace has been developed jointly by MIT Libraries
and Hewlett-Packard (HP). It is now freely available to research institutions
world-wide as an open source system.

5.3 Eprints - Eprints is generic archive software under development by the

University of Southampton. It is intended to create a highly configurable web-
based archive. EPrints primary goal is to set up as an open archive for research
papers, but it could be easily used for other things such as images, research data,
audio archives - anything that can be stored digitally by making changes in
configuration. It works on Linux O/S and it needs MySQL, PERL modules and
Apache webserver.

5.4 Fedora - Fedora is an Open-Source digital repository management system

based on the Flexible Extensible Digital Object and Repository Architecture
(Fedora). The Fedora repository system is open source software licensed under
the Mozilla Public License. It requires Sun Java Software Development Kit,
v1.4. Optionally one can use MySql or Oracale 9i to create relational database.
It works both on Windows and Unix versions of O/S.

5.5 Greenstone - Greenstone is a suite of software for building and distributing

digital library collections. It provides a new way of organizing information and
publishing. It is available for both Windows and Linux O/S. It requires PERL
software to build collections.

5.6 Invenio -Invenio software developed , maintained , and used at the CERN
Document Server. It allows to run electronic preprint or digital library server,
online library catalogue or a document system on the web. It complies with the
Open Archives Initiative Metadata Harvesting Protocol (OAI-PMH) and uses
MARC 21 as its underlying bibliographic standard. It is a free software issued
under GNU-GPL license.

6. Some important popular Library Management Applications

6.1 ATutor [http://atutor.ca/] - ATutor's is a Open Source technology and cost

effective tool for both small and large organizations, presenting their
instructional materials on the Web, or delivering fully independent online
courses. It is a Open Source Web-based Learning Content Management
System (LCMS) designed with accessibility and adaptability in mind.

6.2 CORAL [https://erm.library.nd.edu/] - CORAL is an open source

Electronic Resources Management System developed at the University of
Notre Dame licensed under a GPLv3 license. It is web-based and runs in an
Apache, MySQL, PHP environment. It delivers modules to manage resources,
licensing, organizations (publishers, vendors, societies, etc.), and statistics.
These modules link resources to licenses and providers, but they can be
implemented independently. It also allows integration with different link
resolvers (currently only SFX).

6.3 CUFTS [http://researcher.sfu.ca/cufts] - CUFTS is open source software

developed at the Simon Fraser University Library. It was designed for use in a
consortial environment, but can also be used by individual libraries. CUFTS is
an Online Serials Management System, which includes a knowledge base of
full-text journal collections, a searchable A-Z database of databases (the
CUFTS Resource Database or CRDB) and A-Z journal database (the CUFTS
Journal Database or CJDB), MARC records for each title, direct to article
OpenURL link resolving (GODOT), and electronic resource management
(ERM) tools.

6.4 Drupal [https://www.drupal.org/]- Drupal is a free and open-source content

management framework written in PHP and distributed under the GNU General
Public License that allows to easily organize, manage and publish content, with
an endless variety of customization. It is a content management platform
powering millions of websites and applications. It’s built, used, and supported
by an active and diverse community of people around the world.

6.5 GODOT [http://researcher.sfu.ca/godot] - GODOT is open source

software developed at the Simon Fraser University Library. It is Full-text Links
from CUFTS, Interlibrary Holdings Locator. GODOT provides direct links to
fulltext collections, using the CUFTS knowledge base, and also reveals holdings
in the library catalogue or in other locations. It also embeds links in library's
citation databases or other resources.

6.6 Joomla [www.joomla.org/] - Joomla is a Content Management System

(CMS), which enables to build Web sites and powerful online applications. The
core Joomla framework enables developers to quickly and easily build
Inventory control systems; Data reporting tools; Application bridges; Custom
product catalogs; Integrated e-commerce systems; Complex business
directories; Reservation systems and Communication tools.

6.7 Manhattan [http://manhattan.sourceforge.net/]- Manhattan was

developed by Steven Narmontas, head of the Educational Technology Center at
Western New England College. The first version of the system was used at the
college back in 1997. In October 2000, the software was released in its entirety
on the Internet for free under the GNU General Public License. Manhattan
Virtual Classroom is a fast, stable and effective Course Management System
that runs on Linux and other Unix-like systems. It's written entirely in the C
programming language and is a database-free software. Today, Manhattan is in
use around the world, and continues to be actively developed.

6.8 Moodle [https://moodle.org/] - Moodle is freely Open Source software

for learning, under the GNU General Public License designed to provide
educators, administrators and learners with a single robust, secure and
integrated system to create personalised learning environments. Moodle is built
by the Moodle project which is led and coordinated by Moodle HQ, an
Australian company of 30 developers which is financially supported by a
network of 60 Moodle Partner service companies worldwide. It provides the
most flexible tool-set to support both blended learning and 100% online
courses.

7. Summary
Open Source Softwares are dominating the infrastructure of Internet and Web
services and present libraries also. OSS has continued to grow and so come the
open source applications in libraries. These softwares and applications are more
stable, secure, auditable and extensible than the commercial alternatives.
Moreover using OSS guarantees that the standards and protocols used in the
library will be open to examination and helps the library community to build
upon previous success.

8. References
1. Barahona, J.M.G. (2008), “The advantages of openness”, El professional
de la information, Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 5-7.
2. Feller, J. and Fitzgerald, B. (2002), Understanding Open Source Software
Development, Addison Wesley,London.
3. Open Source Initiative http://opensource.org/osd
4. Open Source Softwares- E-Learning Resources
[http://www.grayharriman.com/open_source.htm
5. Parminder Kaur, Hardeep Singh. Open Source Software Development
Models – A State of Art 2nd International Conference on Methods and
Models in Science and Technology (ICM2ST-11) AIP Conf. Proc. 1414,
128-132 (2011); doi: 10.1063/1.3669943
6. Perens, B. (1999). The open source definition. In M. Stone, S. Ockman &
C. Dibona (Eds.), Open sources: Voices from theopen source revolution.
Sebastopol, California: O'Reilly & Associates.