Presentation Type
Panel Session
Conference Track
Other
Description
Use of open source software (OSS) is common in the server rooms of many libraries. Many have even taken the step of switching their public workstations to the open source web browser Firefox. However, making the jump to an open source operating system for public computers has not caught on quite as well. In this presentation, we will detail how several libraries in Coos County, Oregon, have switched their public internet terminals predominantly to open source software, specifically Ubuntu Linux, Firefox, and OpenOffice. We will show how Coos County libraries are able to provide the excellent range of services - and indeed improved over the services - available on Windows- or Mac-based public computers. We will detail the software we use, the costs and benefits of the change, and how the switch has been received by the public and library staff. The presentation will include a demonstration and screenshots of what patrons experience when they sit down at a computer. It will also provide tips for supporting the wide variety of media, file types, and devices that patrons may bring to the library. Finally, we will briefly discuss how the computers are administered behind-the-scenes using a variety of open source tools. This presentation should interest any librarians interested in increasing their use of OSS, whether for the public or staff.
Rights
© Copyright the author(s)
IN COPYRIGHT:
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
DISCLAIMER:
The purpose of this statement is to help the public understand how this Item may be used. When there is a (non-standard) License or contract that governs re-use of the associated Item, this statement only summarizes the effects of some of its terms. It is not a License, and should not be used to license your Work. To license your own Work, use a License offered at https://creativecommons.org/
Start Date
2-5-2010 9:00 AM
End Date
2-5-2010 11:00 AM
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/19915
Even Internet Computers Want to be Free: Using Linux and Open Source Software on Library Public Workstations
Use of open source software (OSS) is common in the server rooms of many libraries. Many have even taken the step of switching their public workstations to the open source web browser Firefox. However, making the jump to an open source operating system for public computers has not caught on quite as well. In this presentation, we will detail how several libraries in Coos County, Oregon, have switched their public internet terminals predominantly to open source software, specifically Ubuntu Linux, Firefox, and OpenOffice. We will show how Coos County libraries are able to provide the excellent range of services - and indeed improved over the services - available on Windows- or Mac-based public computers. We will detail the software we use, the costs and benefits of the change, and how the switch has been received by the public and library staff. The presentation will include a demonstration and screenshots of what patrons experience when they sit down at a computer. It will also provide tips for supporting the wide variety of media, file types, and devices that patrons may bring to the library. Finally, we will briefly discuss how the computers are administered behind-the-scenes using a variety of open source tools. This presentation should interest any librarians interested in increasing their use of OSS, whether for the public or staff.
Comments/Notes
This presentation is licensed under a Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution United States license. For more information, visit http://www.creativecommons.org