The document provides an outline and overview of open source software. It discusses how open source software is free but also has an open license allowing customization of the source code. Popular open source tools are mentioned for tasks like file sharing, screen recording, and office productivity. Open source software has advantages like increased flexibility, reduced vendor lock-in, and potential cost savings. Support for open source software is discussed, as well as resources for learning more about applying open source in libraries. Sections two and three then provide extensive lists of available open source software for libraries, education, and general tasks.

1. SECTION 1 of 3: OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE PRESENTATION: OUTLINE OVERVIEW –
I. Clarification: Open Source, It is free but it is not just “Freeware”
Familiar “Freeware”: tools we know of and use
YouTube FaceBook Twitter Picasa Flicker SurveyMonkey Blackboard
Some more specific but popular Freeware tools
Dropbox.com (file sharing and portability from one computer to another)
Screenomatic.com…. (also Jing, Screener); three similar audio-video screencasting online tutorial creation software, as alternatives to
proprietary expensive Captivate and Camtasia
GoggleDocs….office alternative to all the familiar applications of MSOffice: presentation, word processing; spreadsheet
Prizi.com – free presentation software as an alternative to 15 years+ use of Microsoft PowerPoint
II. DEFINITION: OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE: Free, but also the software LISCENSE IS OPEN and software code is
flexible / customizable : Here are Some open source software awareness tips and cautions if you need to download:
● Make sure good pc/mac security program is installed and updated on your computer
● Check what file type you are downloading
● Check what operating system the open source works with Pc Windows, Linux, Apple-Mac Os
III. TIME OR NEED FOR OPEN SOURCE OPTIONS
Webinar student on Open Source discussion list: “It's a great plus that the open source applications provide source code, but my
library doesn't have the time or resources to tinker with the code, so that is not currently a major draw of open source for us”. 2012
Webinar Instructor Response: “When I think about the benefits of open source over "free of cost" options the difference that jumps
to mind is the community of developers behind open source. Free of cost sites go away all the time - see Yahoo! products that are
being cancelled because they're offered by one organization and if it can't sustain itself they abandon it, but open source always has
someone to pick up where the others left off.” -Nicole Engard, Infopeople instructor, Practical Open Source For Libraries 2012
IV. SECURITY, COST ADVANTAGES, INCREASED FLEXIBILITY
A US Department of Defense memo encourages the use of open source with many reasons “including cost advantages,
reduced risk of vendor lock-in, better security, and increased flexibility. It says that the positive aspects of open source
software should be given consideration during procurement research.
http://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2009/10/dod-military-needs-to-think-harder-about-using-open-source.ars
V. TECHNICAL SUPPORT IF NEEDED FOR OPEN SOURCE
“One of the greatest barriers facing wide acceptance of open-source software relates to the lack of technical and general
support. Open-source companies often combat this by offering support sometimes under a different product name. Acquia
provides enterprise-level support for its open-source alternative, Drupal, for instance.” …..Open Source for America
http://opensourceforamerica.org raises awareness in the U.S. Government about the benefits of open source software.
VI. FURTHER RESOURCES ON OPEN SOURCE AND ITS APPLICATION TO LIBRARIES
April 2012 edition of Computers in Libraries, an article entitled "Determining if Open Source Is Right for You". It's a
short but informative article that describes how FOSS4LIB can be a useful tool in the decision process for open source
http://FOSS4Lib.org A directory website serves as a great example of open source out there for libraries.
http://www.opensourcesoftwaredirectory.com/ Alyson Kaye, MLS- OPEN SOURCE 5-8-12
SECTION 2 OF 3: LIST OF OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE ESPECIALLY FOR USE LIBRARIES AND EDUCATION page 1
Web Page Creation and Web-content management systems (also known as CMS)
*WordPress.org Many say the learning curve for Word press is simpler than Drupal and there are many libraries using it for whole
website CMS, not just its original use as a blogging tool. Example libraries: http://www.nekls.org/
*Drupal.org Libraries and colleges use for websites: Example libraries: http://www.vencolibrary.org www.darienlibrary.org
Drupal is an open-source content management system -- or CMS—deployments are becoming more commonplace.

2. In 2009, the US White House switched its CMS system from a proprietary system to Drupal open-source.
*Joomla.org open-source content management system Example library: http://www.alfred.edu
Integrated Library System Example for searching: “Tattoos on the heart” in the 2 below – compare look to commercial ILS
*Evergreen http://open-ils.org/ Example library: http://ulysses.calvin.edu/opac/en-US/skin/default_hekman/xml/index.xml
*Koha http://www.koha.org the first open source ILS since 1999 Example library: http://trinity.kohalibrary.com/
Learning Content Management Systems (also known as LCMS) (compare to Blackboard, WebCt, Desire2Learn)
ATutor http://atutor.org - a web-based Learning Content Management System
*Moodle http://www.moodle.org - Learning Content Management System Example: http://www.classes.ala.org/
Subject Pathfinders
*Library A La Carte Example library: www.ica.library.oregonstate.edu/subject-guides
*SubjectsPlus http://www.subjectsplus.com/ (compare to LibGuides for creating subject pathfinder, database lists, course guides)
Example library: http://www.ithacalibrary.com/subjects/ click on any subject, especially the e-ref guide bottom right corner
Astronomy
Celestia http://www.shatters.net/celestia/
Celestia is a 3D astronomy program. The program allows the user to travel through an extensive and accurate universe at any speed, in
any direction and at any time in history. (GPL)Linux, FreeBSD, Windows, MAC OS X Educational Activities for Celesta ; NASA's
Celestia Exploration Activity
Stellarium http://www.stellarium.org/
Stellarium is a free open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked
eye, binoculars or a telescope. (GPL)
Foreign Languages
OpenTeacher http://www.milanboers.nl/openteacher
OpenTeacher is an opensource application that helps you learning a foreign language. Enter a list of words in both a known and a
foreign language, and OpenTeacher tests you. (GPL)
Mathematics
GeoGebra http://www.geogebra.org
GeoGebra is dynamic mathematics software for all levels of education that joins arithmetic, geometry, algebra and calculus
Examination
AMC http://home.gna.org/auto-qcm/
Manage multiple choice tests. Answer sheets are formatted with LaTeX and automated scoring is available from papers scans. (GPL)
iTest http://itest.sourceforge.net
iTest is a simple program which allows you to take advantage of the best of computerized examination. (GPL)
Linux, FreeBSD, Windows, MAC OS X Alyson Kaye, MLS- OPEN SOURCE 5-8-12
SECTION 2 OF 3: LIST OF OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE ESPECIALLY FOR USE LIBRARIES AND EDUCATION page 2
Video Player
VLC. www.videolan.org/vlc (open source video player plays type all types) good to know of when Windows Media Player doesn’t
open or play the DVD movie you been waiting all week to watch.
Graphics/Multimedia creation
Inkscape http://inkscape.org an open-source vector graphics editor similar to Adobe Illustrator.
Camstudio http://camstudio.org for video creation

3. Gimp http://www.gimp.org for image creation
Office tools (compare to MSOffice tools-proprietary for a fee; or even GoogleDocs which is freeware, not open source)
LibreOffice http://www.libreoffice.org/ LibreOffice is the free power-packed Open Source personal productivity suite for Windows,
Mac OS X and Linux that gives you six feature-rich applications for all your document production
Nitro http://nitrotasks.com/ Nitro is a fully-featured note taking application. It sports a clean, minimal interface that makes using the
application straightforward and intuitive. (BSD)
Email
Thunderbird www.mozilla.org/thunderbird Compare to Microsoft’s Outlook
Web Browsers
Firefox http://Firefox.com (compare to IE or Safari) All studies in the past (at least 5 years) have shown Firefox to be more secure
and more stable than IE.
Goggle Chrome http://Chrome.google.com
Library Reference statistics
LibStats http://code.google.com/p/libstats/ reference statistics collection
Web Analytics
Piwik – http://www.piwik.org a web analytics system to track visitors to your website (compare to Google analytics)
In August 2009, Piwik was named among the best of open source enterprise in InfoWorld's 2009 Bossie Awards.
E-book manager
Calibre http://www.calibre-ebook.com works with any e-reader
Citation and Bibliography Managers
*Zotero http://www.zotero.org (compare to EndNote, Refworks, OneNote (which comes with Microsoft office) *Zotero works for
both citation and article saving in all file formats.
Survey and Course Evaluation tools
*LimeSurvey http://www.limesurvey.org (compare to surveymonkey.org, a freeware, some say Survery monkey is easier to uee)
*Presentation Software
Slideshare http:///slideshare..net Example http://www.slideshare.net/TheLinuxFoundation/open-source-strategyslideshare-
10594761:
Sozi http://sozi.baierouge.fr/ (compare to MS PowerPoint or freeware Google documents presentation slideshow software)
Unlike in most presentation applications, a Sozi document is not organized as a slideshow, but rather as a poster
SECTION 3 OF 3:
Open Source Software for Libraries: A Checklist for Evaluating Open Source Software
You can use this checklist to evaluate an Open Source application and compare it to a similar proprietary-fee based
product.
Open Source Application evaluated: ____________________Compared to: _____________________________
1. How easy was it to install the application? Did you install to your computer’s hard drive or use a portable app?

4. 2. How easy was it to use the documentation on installing the software?
3. How well did the documentation answer your questions on using the software?
4. Does the software do what you need? (Depending on the software, expand this to a list of questions about specific
tasks you’ll need to complete regularly.)
5. How does the Open Source application compare to a similar proprietary application?
6. Will you need additional staff or outside support to manage this software? What support is available?
7. Do you know any other libraries/organizations that are using this application? What do those libraries/
organizations say about the application?
8. What are your impressions of the community developing this Open Source application?
Alyson Kaye, MLS Open Source 5-2012