Open Source Tools and Resources

Content Management Systems

• Drupal is an Open Source content management system. It can be used to maintain, administer, and develop a website.  It is also the content management system used in the PALS Sitemaker project.
• Joomla! is a very powerful Open Source content management system which can administer, manage, and maintain a website. It is written in PHP and utilizes MySQL databases. Joomla! is also cross-platform.
• Plone is one of the most powerful Open Source content management system currently available. It is built upon Zope which is an application server for administering a content management system. Both Zope and Plone are written in Python.  Plone and Zope are also the content management system and which drive the Prairie Area Library System website.
  

Integrated Library Systems

• Avanti MicroLCS is an OPAC and cataloging system which is designed for use in smaller library systems. It requires Java to run.
• Emilda is an Integrated Library System that uses Z39.50 and MARC capabilities as well as incorporating Zebra technologies.
• Evergreen is an automated library system product developed for the Pines library system in Georgia. Evergreen is built upon Open Source software and is freely licensed under the GNU GPL.
• Koha is an Integrated Library System product developed in New Zealand, which is built upon Open Source products such as Apache and MySQL, but can work in a Windows environment as well.
• Liblime is an organization behind several Open Source library projects such as Koha and Evergreen. Additionally, their website contains many useful links and news articles related to successfully implementing Open Source software into a library setting.
• OSS4Lib is "Open Source Systems for Libraries." A project dedicated to building better Open Source Systems for libraries. The project started at the Yale Medical Library in early 1999 and continues to be a driving force in the Open Source community.
• OpenBiblio is a completely Free (and free) OPAC with cataloging, circulation, and administrative capabilities. OpenBiblio is written in PHP and available through SourceForge.
• phpMyLibrary is an Open Source Integrated Library System written in PHP and which utilizes MySQL databases. The project is still in the early development stages.
• VUFind is an Integrated Library System which focuses on Web 2.0 technology. It is "modular" in design, so one can implement all or select components of the system once the base system is installed.

Web Tools

• CUFTS is an Open Source OpenURL resolver designed with the library consortia in mind. It can support multiple sites from a single server and accesses over 420,000 records. CUFTS is written in Perl, uses a PostgreSQL database, and runs on top of an Apache server application.
• Firefox is a cross-platform web browser. A project at Mozilla, Firefox is built on XUL runtime environments. There are many plug-ins or add-ons which enhance its effectiveness and usability.
• LibraryFind was developed at Oregon State University Libraries LibraryFind is an Open Source metasearch tool with librarians in mind. It is built on Ruby on Rails and incorporates OpenURL.
• MediaWiki is an Open Source wiki product which is written in PHP and which utilizes MySQL databases.
• MoinMoin is a powerful wiki tool. It is written in Python and uses a flat-file database structure.
• Sunbird is a cross-platform calendar application. A project at Mozilla, Sunbird is built on XUL runtime environments. There are a few plug-ins or add-ons which enhance its effectiveness and usability.
• Thunderbird is a Mozilla project and is built on XUL runtime environments. It serves as a cross-platform email and News client.
• WordPress is Open Source and free blogging software written in PHP and which utilizes MySQL databases. WordPress is highly customizable and has many plug-ins or add-ons which enhance its effectiveness and power. WordPress is cross-platform.

Miscellaneous Library Tools and Resources

• Audacity is an extremely powerful audio editor and recorder. It can be used to record and edit, among other things, Podcasts. Audacity has many plug-ins. It is available through SourceForge.
• Greenstone is a suite of software tools for creating and publishing digital library collections. The project was started in New Zealand with UNESCO, but is now available from SourceForge.
• HTTrack is an offline website tracker. It allows a person to download a website from the Web and browse through it on his or her own computer. To a very high degree, it maintains the format of the original website.
• iVia  is a portal tool or virtual library software project. Infomine was the original user of iVia, but it is now an Open Source venture. It is a powerful set of tools for managing information resources in a virtual environment.
• Librivox.  While not technically an Open Source venture, Librivox is very much in the spirit of what can be accomplished in the library community by taking an Open Source approach. Librivox allows registered users to create audio "books" out of literature in the public domain. These books are then made available for free (no cost) and claim No Rights Reserved under Creative Commons licensing.
• OpenGIS is an Open Source geographic information system designed to index and define related geographic tools.
• Open Journal Systems (OJS) is a journal management and publishing system. OJS can be used in a wide variety of publishing situations, from submissions through to online publication and indexing. It is a project supported by The University of British Columbia and Stanford University.
• OpenOffice is a cross-platform media suite. It often serves as a partial replacement for Microsoft's office suite. It has word processor, spreadsheet, database, slide show presentation, and math tools.
• Prospero is an Open Source Internet Document Delivery (IDD) system offered by the [ http://www.osu.edu/ Ohio State University].
• Tech Support Alert's Free Utilities is a website with dozens of links to websites and also reviews of free utilities. While it is primarily geared toward a Windows user, there are still many Open Source utilities listed which are cross-platform.
• VLC media player  is a cross-platform media player. VLC can be used a wide variety of audio and media files. It lacks some of the features of other products such as iTunes and Windows Media Player, but it makes up for this in terms of the number of audio and video formats it supports. And, in its ease-of-use.

Non-Library Specific Open Source Software

• Filehippo is a resource to both free and Open Source software. There are hundreds of applications available broken down into categories such as Browsers and Plugins, Anti-Spyware, Office and News, and Audio and Video. Filehippo has an RSS feed (and other formats) available to make it rather easy to keep track of software as it is released.
• Only the Best Freeware  is primarily a resource for Windows users, but many of applications available are still Open Source. The website is not kept up-to-date (at least the News section hasn't been updated since 2004), but there are still many great applications to be found. Several which have been lost or forgotten on other similar websites.
• PortableApps is a resource for many Open Source applications to be used on portable devices. You can find links to portable versions of Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird, and Pidgin (a cross-platform and multi-support instant messenger).
• SourceForge is perhaps the single best resource for tracking Open Source software. At the time of writing this, there are over 160,000 applications available through SourceForge. Not only are there links to the applications, but also extensive documentation and also forums where individuals can seek assistance with implementing a particular project.

General Open Source Information

• Open Source Software and Libraries Bibliography is a rather extensive "bibliography" of Open Source software which is either geared toward or serves a particular use for libraries and librarians. This bibliography provides links (in many cases) to articles and describes Open Source software used in libraries.
• Open Source Initiative (OSI) is an effort to educate persons about the benefits of Open Source projects. While not restricted to the Library and Information Sciences profession, it is an excellent source of information about Open Source projects in general.
• Distro Watch  is a website devoted to tracking many Open Source operating and server systems. Popular Linux distributions (or Distros) found here are Ubuntu, MEPIS, Mandriva, Debian, and Fedora. This site provides detailed information on what Open Source operating or server systems may best suit your needs.
• Free Software Foundation.  As the website says, "Free software is a matter of liberty not price." The Free Software Foundation is a general resource for information about Free software projects.
• Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki is an excellent wiki that serves as a "one-stop shop" for best practices in the library world. The entire site is well organized and comprehensive. Under the technology section, there is a page directed at Open Source software in the library.
• Library Technology Guides is a website devoted to providing up-to-date information on happenings in the library world as relates to technology. Many of the topics covered here focus on Open Source developments.
• Linux Librarian is the blog of a systems librarian at a small public library in Massachusetts. The site is packed full of Open Source solutions for librarians. This blog is updated every few days and contains useful tips and tricks every librarian will find useful.