2. List two open source digital library solutions.

“Open source software is here to stay, and it is not just for geeks anymore.” This comforting statement from Tennant (2003, p. 30) is included in an article that reviews several different types of open source software (OSS) packages designed for libraries. Of the four packages he mentions, two are made specifically for digital libraries: DSpace and Greenstone.

Developed at MIT, DSpace is “designed to accept digital file uploads from a large group of individuals [and] allows management of and access to those files” (Tennant, 2003, p. 30). A survey by Jose (2007) of 44 organizations around the world found that DSpace was the most popular choice, particularly among educational institutions.

Greenstone began as a digital library project at the University of Waikato in New Zealand. Like DSpace, it enables users to search and browse digital text and images. In Jose’s (2007) survey, Greenstone is the third most popular OSS digital library package, after EPrints.

References

 

Jose, S. (2007). Adoption of open source digital library software packages: a survey. In Kumar, M. K., Ed.

     Proceedings CALIBER 2007: 5th International Convention on Automation of Libraries in Education and

     Research Institutions, pp.98-102. Chandigarh, India:Punjab University. Retrieved July 12, 2008 from

     http://eprints.rclis.org/archive/00008750/01/Sanjojose.pdf

Tennant, R. (2003). Open source goes mainstream. Library Journal, 128(13), p. 30. Retrieved July 12, 2008

     from Wilson Web database.