Posted by: jlguallar
on December 16, 2003 05:15 AM
Hi,
I forwarded the article to a professional librarian from a well known US institution. She had some words of wisdom that I'm sharing here:
(librarian) This article is interesting. However, there are some aspects the author hasn't discovered about why libraries don't carry copies of Linux. First, most libraries, public, university or otherwise, have collection development policies (that's what I do). CD policies state what information a library will and will not acquire, which formats, etc. Many libraries chose not to purchase software of any kind for patron's consumption... for licensing and copyright reasons, but also for reasons of maintenance, renewability, etc. So, it's not that we don't know about it, it's that we've made a conscious decision not to acquire it.
His understanding of costs is good though underestimated. For every traditional book the library acquires, one can estimate it's value at $75 to $100 on average. Many dollars are invested in cataloging, maintenance, preservation, overhead, selection, etc. People are generally surprised to learn that a library spends 1/3 of it's budget on actually buying content and the other 2/3 on personnel and equipment. If we were to carry software, our investment would be much more than the $75 to $100 because of the frequency with which new versions come out - when superceded editions of content (be it in book format or any other), we have to acquire it, catalog it, monitor when new editions come out, if it doesn't come in on time, we have to claim it... etc., etc. The overhead is enormous.
I must admit the open source movement has in some ways missed the boat on libraries. The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation has firmly established itself in public and private libraries through the LSTA Act, supplying thousands of libraries with free computers and windows OS. Now libraries are stuck with all of that infrastructure and a shortage of IT maintenance people. What libraries could really use are thin client solutions and outreach technologies in the community, technical people to teach patrons to install Linux (installfests in libraries?), Linux compatible on-line catalogs with the big vendors (we call them OPACs), Linux compatible content databases (see any libraries' e-resources page for example databases) and for technical people to publish in open access journals rather than subscription based ones... but those are other topics... (/librarian)
Learn about Linux
Download Linux
Get Linux help
Words from a Librarian
Posted by: jlguallar on December 16, 2003 05:15 AMI forwarded the article to a professional librarian from a well known US institution. She had some words of wisdom that I'm sharing here:
(librarian)
This article is interesting. However, there are some aspects the author hasn't discovered about why libraries don't carry copies of Linux. First, most libraries, public, university or otherwise, have collection development policies (that's what I do). CD policies state what information a library will and will not acquire, which formats, etc. Many libraries chose not to purchase software of any kind for patron's consumption... for licensing and copyright reasons, but also for reasons of maintenance, renewability, etc. So, it's not that we don't know about it, it's that we've made a conscious decision not to acquire it.
His understanding of costs is good though underestimated. For every traditional book the library acquires, one can estimate it's value at $75 to $100 on average. Many dollars are invested in cataloging, maintenance, preservation, overhead, selection, etc. People are generally surprised to learn that a library spends 1/3 of it's budget on actually buying content and the other 2/3 on personnel and equipment. If we were to carry software, our investment would be much more than the $75 to $100 because of the frequency with which new versions come out - when superceded editions of content (be it in book format or any other), we have to acquire it, catalog it, monitor when new editions come out, if it doesn't come in on time, we have to claim it... etc., etc. The overhead is enormous.
I must admit the open source movement has in some ways missed the boat on libraries. The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation has firmly established itself in public and private libraries through the LSTA Act, supplying thousands of libraries with free computers and windows OS. Now libraries are stuck with all of that infrastructure and a shortage of IT maintenance people. What libraries could really use are thin client solutions and outreach technologies in the community, technical people to teach patrons to install Linux (installfests in libraries?), Linux compatible on-line catalogs with the big vendors (we call them OPACs), Linux compatible content databases (see any libraries' e-resources page for example databases) and for technical people to publish in open access journals rather than subscription based ones... but those are other topics...
(/librarian)
#