There is a new open access journal devoted to the law of Free & Open Source Software. We all know the basics of the GPL and other such licenses, but sometimes we get confused with the minutia - now we can keep up with the International Free and Open Source Software Law Review and learn about the legal aspects of the software we all love!

The International Free and Open Source Software Law Review (IFOSS L. Rev.) is a collaborative legal publication aiming to increase knowledge and understanding among lawyers about Free and Open Source Software issues. Topics covered include copyright, licence implementation, licence interpretation, software patents, open standards, case law and statutory changes.

There is a great article in the recent Code4Lib Journal release about developing open source applications. How Hard Can It Be? : Developing in Open Source by Joann Ransom with Chris Cormack and Rosalie Blake talks about the process of developing Koha:

In 2000 a small public library system in New Zealand developed and released Koha, the world’s first open source library management system. This is the story of how that came to pass and why, and of the lessons learnt in their first foray into developing in open source.

Make sure you read the entire thing to learn all about the Koha project.

Technorati Tags: koha

The newest issue of the Code4Lib Journal is available and has an article by Edward M. Corrado and Kathryn A. Frederick that might be of interest to you all:

Free and Open Source Options for Creating Database-Driven Subject Guides

This article reviews available cost-effective options libraries have for updating and maintaining pathfinders such as subject guides and course pages. The paper discusses many of the available options, from the standpoint of a mid-sized academic library which is evaluating alternatives to static-HTML subject guides. Static HTML guides, while useful, have proven difficult and time-consuming to maintain. The article includes a discussion of open source database-driven solutions (such as SubjectsPlus, LibData, Research Guide, and Library Course Builder), LibGuides, Wikis, and social tagging sites like del.icio.us. This article discusses both the functionality and the relative strengths and weaknessess of each of these options.

The newest issue of D-Lib Magazine has an article that would probably be of interest to us all. The article is titled: Using Open Source Social Software as Digital Library Interface:

This article investigates the use of social software applications in digital library environments. It examines the use of blogging software as an interface to digital library content stored in a separate repository. The article begins with a definition of digital library approaches and features, examines ways in which open source and social software applications can serve to fill digital library roles, and presents a case study of the use of blogging software as a public interface to a project called Digital Forsyth, a grant-funded project involving three institutions in Forsyth County, NC. The article concludes with a review of positive and negative outcomes from this approach and makes recommendations for further research.

Read the entire thing here.

Want to share you experience with an open-source OPAC? I received this email and thought I’d share it with you all.

This is a call for articles for a special issue of _Library Hi Tech_, whose focus will be on new-look and open-source OPAC solutions. The editor of this special issue is looking for innovative and interesting ways that libraries are either adding 3rd party software front-ends to their OPACs, 3rd party software back-ends that power-use structured metadata, or open-source OPAC replacements as add-ons or are totally reconstructed for new uses and applications of the structured metadata. Applications that focus on user needs, user ease-of-use, and Library 2.0 ideas are especially encouraged.

If you are interested in submitting an article, please send a short proposal, discussing the topic and a suggested title, to the email below by March 30, 2008. Draft articles are due to the editor by October 1, 2008. Inquiries and questions are also welcome.

Dr. Brad Eden
Associate University Librarian for Technical Services and Scholarly
Communication
University of California, Santa Barbara
Associate Editor, _Library Hi Tech_
eden@library.ucsb.edu

Can’t wait to see what everyone writes!!

Via Web4Lib:

The Computers in Libraries March 2008 issue has some great articles on Open Source Software:

- Using Open Source to Give Patrons What They Want (by Amy Begg De Groff)

- Making a Business Case for Open Source ILS (by Marshall Breeding)

- What Librarians Still Don’t Know About Open Source (by Daniel Chudnov)

- Open Source Becomes More Accessible (by Janet L. Balas)

- What Can Open Source Do for You? (by Rachel Singer Gordon and Jessamyn West)

Too bad I don’t have access to the issue anymore - going to have to go see if my new local library has it!!