Knowledge Organisation in Academic Libraries (KOAL)
2016
ADOPTION OF OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE FOR LIBRARY MANAGEMENT Mohamed Haneefa K* , Divya P** and Lakshmi K***
*Assistant Professor, Department of Library & Information Science. University of Calicut. E-mail:
[email protected] **Research Scholar, Department of Library & Information Science, University of Calicut, E-mail:
[email protected] *** Lecturer, Department of Library & Information Science Farook College, Kozhikode
Abstract This study investigates the current status of the adoption of Open Source Software for library management in Calicut University. Structured questionnaires were employed to collect data from the library professionals of the Central Library and Departmental libraries of the University. It is revealed that a majority of the library professionals have positive attitude towards the adoption of Open Source Software. However, they have negative attitude towards the problems faced while using Open Source Software. Keywords: Open Source Software, Library Management Software, Library Professionals, Digital Library, Institutional Repository, Koha
1. Introduction Open Source Software (OSS) has become critical for almost every organization. Be it telecommunication systems, inventory, accounting, personal productivity applications, contact management and operating systems, almost everything requires open source software. The term "open source" refers to something that can be modified because its design is publicly accessible. While it originated in the context of computer software development, today the term "open source" designates a set of values—called as open source way. OSS source code is available under a license that permits users to use, change, and improve the software, and to redistribute it in modified or unmodified form. It is often developed in a public, collaborative manner. In proprietary software or closed software the source code is the property of its original authors, who are the only ones legally allowed to modify or copy it.
Kelly & Swartz (2009) shows that 1950’s IBM was used the open source model for their company which is of free of charge and source code is free, later 1980’s they have changed that into closed source and of cost charging . Open source projects, usually, start as volunteer 185
projects, and the developers’ community normally crosses national boundaries. Internet technologies facilitate the easy sharing and distribution of the project announcements, source codes, software, patches, etc.
LMS is an enterprise resource planning system for a library, which is used to track items owned, orders made, bills paid and patrons who have borrowed (Randhawa, 2013). As the commercial LMS is very expensive, open source library management system can be appropriate alternatives for automatic library systems. Cherukodan, Kumar & Kabir (2013) evaluated the design and development DSpace at CUSAT. They found that CUSAT has been successfully adopted the DSpace mainly for previous question papers of exams, research papers, articles and documents.
Randhawa (2013) suggests that open source LMS is a best solution for the reduction of cost. Some individuals incline toward open source software on the grounds that they think of it as more secure and steady than proprietary software. OSS is typically self-supporting, it requires technical expertise to operate and maintain open source costs more to support. Rafiq and Ameen (2008) discussed the issues of social disparity, conceptual confusions, digital divide, lack of technological, financial, and human development while adopting the OSS for Pakistani libraries.
2. Objectives of the Study The main aim of the study was to assess the adoption of Open Source Software for library management in Calicut University. The specific objectives of the study were the following: 1. To assess the current status of adoption of open source software for library management. 2. To examine the problem or difficulties faced by the library professionals with the adoption of open source software; and 3. To dictate the attitude of library professionals towards the adoption of open source software.
3. Methodology The universe of the study consists of the library professionals in the University of Calicut. Around 55 library professionals are working in the university campus. The tool used for the data collection was mainly the structured questionnaire. Questionnaires were delivered in 186
person to the library professionals. Out of 55 questionnaires distributed, 51 were received back, and the response rate was 93 per cent.
3. Results and Discussion Worldwide, around thirty per cent of infrastructural computers run GNU/Linux, an open source operating system. Libraries are also, like most organizations, frequent users of OSS, though staff in libraries and other organizations may often be unaware of how many mainstream library services are delivered using OSS options. All the library professionals of the University of Calicut use the Linux operating systems. Koha is the LMS used by all the library professionals of the Calicut University campus. Koha is the first open source fully featured Integrated Library System (ILS). Kumar and Jasimudeen (2012) in a study analyzed the strength of the Koha like availability of community support and commercial support, learning tools and library standards.
The Koha ILS includes catalogue, OPAC, circulation, member management, and acquisitions package. Koha is a promising full featured open source ILS currently being used by libraries all over the world. Well an ILS is a system of keeping track of the operations of a library payroll, expenses, purchases, and most importantly, keeping track of the various media being checked out by the librarians patrons. Many smaller libraries cannot afford to purchase, install, and maintain an ILS, and Koha is a perfect alternative. The field of content management system has seen particularly strong growth in open source solutions, perhaps in direct response to the very high prices that commercial content management system has historically demanded (Naik & Shivalingaiah, 2009).
Among the fifty one library professionals one of them uses, Drupal content management software and rest of them do not mark any of the content management software. Drupal is a free software package that allows easily organizing, managing and publishing the content with an endless variety of customization. MySQL is the database used by five of the professionals out of fifty one professionals. For the open source projects that require a fullfeatured database management system often use MySQL. MySQL is a popular choice of database for use in web applications, and is a central component of the widely used LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL and Perl) open source web application software stack.
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There are many commercial digital library and institutional software are in use in the different libraries, but open source LMS has generated lot of interest among the library professionals over the past years, Investigator aimed to collect and analyze data on the extent of use of digital library and institutional repository software usage among the library professionals and the results have shown in Table 1.
Table 1. Use of Digital Library and Institutional Repository Software
Sl. No 1 2
Digital Library & IR Software DSpace Fedora
3
Greenstone
4
None Total
Responses 19(37.26%) 3(5.89%) 5(9.80%) 24(47.05%) 51
The table shows that 19 (37.26%) library professionals use DSpace and five (9.80%) library professionals use Greenstone Digital Library Software in their libraries. Three (5.89%) of the professionals’ use Fedora software. Results also reveal that a good number (47.05%) of the library professionals are not making use of any digital library and institutional repository software for their library. The library professionals were asked to provide the time period that they were using OSS and the table 2 below shows the analysis of data.
Table 2. Period of Using OSS
Sl. No.
No. of years
1
One to two years
2
Three to four years
3
More than five years
Responses 25 (49.01%) 19 (37.25%) 7 (13.72%)
The table 2 depicts that nearly half of the professionals have been using OSS from the period of one to two years. About thirty seven per cent of the professionals have been using OSS for
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three to four years and fourteen per cent of the professionals have been using OSS for more than five years.
Open source in libraries has its problems as well. The library professional and users have faced initial difficulties of adopting to open source technology practice due to non availability of proper training. Many libraries simply do not have the in-house expertise to support OSS development, and also don’t have the ability to train their staff to become competent to use the software (Kamble, Hans Raj & Sangeeta, 2012). Library professionals were asked to indicate their problems while using OSS and their response are shown below in table 3.
Table 3. Problems Faced While Using OSS
Problems Doesn’t have the competence to use OSS Not easy to use OSS Not satisfied with the library policy Doesn’t get proper training Lack the support of Government Non availability of network Change from legacy system Less hardware availability Lack of financial factors
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
18 (35.29%)
11 (21.56%)
8 (15.68%)
9 (17.64%)
5 (9.80%)
18 (35.29%) 15 (29.41%) 16 (31.37%) 13 (25.49%) 14 (27.45%) 11 (21.58%) 11 (21.58%) 15 (29.41%)
16 (31.37%) 11 (21.56%) 16 (31.37%) 14 (27.40%) 11 (21.58%) 11 (21.58%) 18 (35.29%) 15 (29.41%)
8 (15.68%) 8 (15.68%) 9 (17.64%) 9 (17.64%) 10 (19.60%) 14 (27.45%) 11 (21.58%) 8 (15.68%)
5 (9.80%) 13 (25.49%) 8 (15.68%) 9 (17.64%) 8 (15.68%) 7 (13.75%) 7 (13.75%) 9 (17.64%)
4 (7.84%) 5 (9.80%) 2 (3.92%) 6 (11.76%) 8 (15.68%) 7 (13.75%) 4 (7.84%) 5 (9.80%)
From the analysis it was found that 18 (35.29%) library professionals are strongly disagreeing that they do not have the competence to use OSS and also it is not easy to use. Eighteen (35.29%) of them are disagree about the less availability of hardware. The professionals are with a neutral mentality of 14 (27.45%) about the change from legacy system to new system that increases the work load. About 16 (31.37%) per cent of the professionals are strongly
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disagree and disagree with the statement that they doesn’t get proper training. The lack of financial factors is strongly disagreeing and disagreeing by 15 (29.41%) library professionals.
OSS offers a radically different and exponentially better software development model. It is cheap alternatives to expensive commercialized solutions. Corrado (2005) presents the benefits of OSS including lower costs, greater accessibility, and better prospects for long term preservation of scholarly works. The table 4 shows the statements provided in the questionnaire related to the significance of the use of OSS.
Table 4. Significance of the OSS
Significance Frequency of updates are too high Lack of software features Incompatibility Lack of formal support Licensing concerns
Very Significant 14 (27.45%) 8 (15.68%) 13 (25.49%) 13 (25.49%) 5 (9.80%)
Quite Significant 30 (58.82%) 17 (33.33%) 19 (37.25%) 20 (39.21%) 26 (50.98%)
Not Very Significant 7 (13.72%) 20 (39.21%) 17 (33.33%) 15 (29.41%) 15 (29.41%)
Not at all Significant
6 (11.76%) 2 (3.92%) 3 (5.88%) 5 (9.80%)
Analysis show that 30 (58.82%) library professionals state that frequencies of updates are too high is quite significant for the adoption of OSS. The lack of software features is not very significant as stated by 20 library professionals with (39.21%). About 19 (37.25%) of them state that the incompatibility is quite significant. The lack of formal support is quite significant with 20 (39.21%) as stated by the library professionals. More than half of the library professionals with 26 (50.98%) state that the licensing concerns are quite significant. Most of the library professionals opined that the significance of open source features is quite significant related to the statements.
Open source has been a buzzword in the library community for several years now. Open source empowers libraries to be innovate and collaborate. Not only can they download and use OSS for free, they are free to alter it in any way they deem fit, provided the results are redistributed for free. Rafiq (2009) in his study investigate the perception of Library and
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Information Science professionals towards the OSS. The study adopted quantitative research technique and the data collected have been analyzed independent sample t-test and ANOVA. Result reveals that the LIS community has a positive attitude towards the adoption of OSS. The library professionals were asked to state the attitude towards the adoption of OSS and the responses are presented in the table 5.
Table 5. Attitude of Library Professionals towards the Adoption of OSS
Attitudes Higher quality than proprietary software Encourages sharing Efficient way of developing software Prevent lock-in to proprietary software Multiple software vendors gives more flexibility Save money in long term Lacks the commercial support Total
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
3 (5.88%)
3 (5.88%)
14 (27.45%)
5 (9.80%)
26 (50.98%)
3 (5.88%)
4 (7.84%)
7 (13.72%)
25 (49.1%)
12 (23.52%)
2 (3.92%)
3 (5.88%)
10 (19.60%)
23 (45.1%)
13 (25.49%)
4 (7.84%)
6 (11.76%)
17 (33.3%)
13 (25.4%)
11 (21.58%)
5 (9.80%)
6 (11.76%)
12 (23.52%)
18 (35.3%)
10 (19.60%)
3 (5.88%)
2 (3.92%)
10 (19.60%)
18 (35.3%)
18 (35.3%)
3 (5.88%)
7 (13.72%)
17 (33.3%)
17 (33.3%)
7 (13.72%)
23 (6.44%)
31 (8.7%)
87 (24.36%)
119 (33.3%)
96 (27.17%)
From the statistics it was found that the OSS has higher quality than proprietary software which is strongly agreeing by 26 (50.98%) of library professionals. Nearly half of the library professionals are agreeing that OSS encourages sharing. OSS is an efficient way of developing software which is agreeing by 45.1 per cent of the library professionals. About 17 (33.3%) of the library professionals are with neutral mentality that OSS prevents lock-in to proprietary software. Eighteen (35.3%) of participants are agreeing that the multiple software vendors gives more flexibility. OSS saves the money in long term which is agreed and strongly agreed with an equal rate of 18 (35.3%) library professionals. While 17 (33.3%) of professionals are agreed that OSS lacks the commercial support.
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4. Conclusion The study reveals that majority of the library professionals have positive attitude towards the adoption of OSS. Apart from this, library professionals have negative attitude towards the problems faced while using OSS. Library and Information Science professionals should keep eyes on development in order to choose appropriate technology depending upon institutions needs. Librarians and programmers should work together in order to implement open source integrated library systems and the library professionals are also required to acquire new skills for developing and managing the library by using open source LMS.
Based on the research results, the study put forward some suggestions to improve the adoption of OSS for library management in Calicut University. The availability of software should institutional so that the librarians can easily use and be work on the opportunities they need. Before implementing the software it is better to understand the needs of the librarians and thus it help to make the software more adoptable to all. Comprehensive training sessions should be provided and make sure professionals understands how software fits the library’s overall functioning. An organization needs a training curriculum that emphasizes analytical thinking; it should provide its personnel with a training program emphasizing the latest tools and methods. Communication is one of the most effective tools an organization can use to obtain acceptance of a change. Such communication should be face-to-face since passive participation typically does not demonstrate the necessary commitment.
The adoption of OSS is at an early stage in Calicut University. OSS offers many attractions to the libraries which lag behind in technology adoption. It offers economical alternatives to costly commercialized library management systems. The open source model also gives an opportunity to library staff to be actively involved in developments projects, to enhance their skills and to employ a wide range of technological application for library functions. However, the adoptions of OSS on a wide scale will largely depend on long term commitments by the organizations. Libraries and library professionals need to empower themselves with needed technological skills, and address conceptual, social, financial, technical, human issues in a collaborative manner for greater efficiency and cost savings. It is hoped that OSS adoption projects in libraries will accomplish success by careful planning and by devising a mechanism to address the identified issues.
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