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1 – 10 of 854Robert E. Molyneux and Mike Rylander
The purpose of this paper is to look at how the library sector might benefit from open source, from the point of view of a current vendor of Evergreen, an open source library…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to look at how the library sector might benefit from open source, from the point of view of a current vendor of Evergreen, an open source library management software.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on the authors' experience in the library systems market.
Findings
The next evolution of Evergreen is found to be the Evergreen superconsortium.
Originality/value
The vendor viewpoint supplies the value of this paper.
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Barbara Albee and Hsin-liang Chen
The purpose of this study is to examine public library staff attitudes towards an open-source library automation system in the state of Indiana. The researchers were interested in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine public library staff attitudes towards an open-source library automation system in the state of Indiana. The researchers were interested in understanding the library staff’s perceptions of the value of the system in performing their job duties and improving library services.
Design/methodology/approach
The researchers travelled to nine public libraries every three months to survey library staff from January to December 2010. The participants completed the surveys at the libraries and were given the option to remain anonymous. The survey consisted of six questions regarding the use of the Evergreen system for work processes and basic demographic information of the staff. There were a total of 323 survey respondents. Of the 323 respondents, 57 (17.65 per cent) used the Evergreen system in their daily work routines at the library.
Findings
The primary benefits reported were: ability to check the availability of library materials at other Evergreen libraries via the shared catalogue, the Evergreen system provided more functionality than their previous library automation systems and the ability to reserve materials for patrons.
Research limitations/implications
This was a convenience sample. All survey participants provided their responses voluntarily during the 12-month study period. A more comprehensive sampling procedure should be considered in the future.
Originality/value
The study indicated the need for improvements in the Evergreen Indiana system. Those improvements were also relevant to other open-source integrated library systems.
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The purpose of this paper is to compare the two leading open source library management system (LMS) packages.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare the two leading open source library management system (LMS) packages.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper highlights the reasons behind a switch from one open source provider to another. It is based on practical experience.
Findings
Both main open source LMSs (Koha and Evergreen) are presented in terms of their current use as well as their future directions of development and opportunities.
Originality/value
This paper compares the history of Koha and Evergreen. The former is criticized because of the recent “fork”, i.e. commercial use of open source code. Problems with a local implementation of Koha are also discussed. Evergreen however, since it was developed by a library consortium, appeared the better choice for the Indiana Shared Library Catalog (ISLC), a consortium of different libraries in Indiana. ISLC runs through the Indiana Cooperative Library Services Authority.
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Qing Zou and Guoying Liu
The purpose of this paper is to investigate various issues related to Chinese language localisation in Evergreen, an open source integrated library system (ILS).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate various issues related to Chinese language localisation in Evergreen, an open source integrated library system (ILS).
Design/methodology/approach
A Simplified Chinese version of Evergreen was implemented and tested and various issues such as encoding, indexing, searching, and sorting specifically associated with Simplified Chinese language were investigated.
Findings
The paper finds that Unicode eases a lot of ILS development problems. However, having another language version of an ILS does not simply require the translation from one language to another. Indexing, searching, sorting and other locale related issues should be tackled not only language by language, but locale by locale.
Practical implications
Most of the issues that have arisen during this project will be found with other ILS‐like systems.
Originality/value
This paper provides insights into issues of, and various solutions to, indexing, searching, and sorting in the Chinese language in an ILS. These issues and the solutions may be applicable to other digital library systems such as institutional repositories.
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As libraries face budget cuts, open source integrated library systems are an attractive alternative to proprietary choices. Even though open source software is free to acquire…
Abstract
Purpose
As libraries face budget cuts, open source integrated library systems are an attractive alternative to proprietary choices. Even though open source software is free to acquire, administrators must consider factors other than initial purchase price. This study aims to provide direction and context for libraries considering migration to an open source integrated library system.
Design/methodology/approach
The comparison is qualitative and uses case studies, license agreements and copyright law, and user manuals and brochures. These comparisons divide into four areas: functions, adoption and technical support, usability, and economics.
Findings
Major functions that libraries need in an integrated library system are available for open source software. There are no significant differences in usability between open source and proprietary integrated library systems. Internal IT provides a significant role in open source adoption. The relatively new type of open source software licensing may cause confusion for libraries and software developers.
Originality/value
This study considers initial migrations to open source integrated library systems as a key component in overall software adoption. The study qualitatively examines the migration process comparing extant case studies. In addition, the examination of licensing agreements and copyright as well as a comparative review of essential functions are provided.
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The purpose of this paper is to address the integration of SFX link resolver with Evergreen open source integrated library system (ILS). It also aims to describe a method to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to address the integration of SFX link resolver with Evergreen open source integrated library system (ILS). It also aims to describe a method to incorporate print serials into SFX.
Design/methodology/approach
A print serials project has been proposed and implemented to integrate print and electronic serials at University of Windsor Leddy Library. It contains two sub‐projects: to incorporate all forms of serials in SFX; and to integrate SFX with the Evergreen library catalogue for serials access. Various issues associated with print serials and open source software were also investigated.
Findings
A unified view of print and electronic serials is desired and well received by librarians and patrons. There is no technical difficulty uploading print serials data into SFX, but the process can be time‐consuming and challenging. Open source software is flexible in terms of customization and interoperability with other library systems though it presents challenges to system staff.
Originality/value
This paper has the following contributions: it is the first work on the integration of Evergreen open source ILS and the proprietary link resolver, SFX, in the literature. The issues encountered and their solutions presented in this paper may be applicable to the integration of open source ILSs, such as Evergreen and Koha, with link resolvers or other library systems; and the method described in this paper to facilitate users in accessing all forms of serials may be useful for other institutions having SFX or other link resolver systems.
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Jasmin Lin, Qin Yang and Marcel C. Minutolo
This case study was built from secondary data such as news articles and videos. Several drafts of the case study with teaching note were tested in classroom settings and shared at…
Abstract
Research methodology
This case study was built from secondary data such as news articles and videos. Several drafts of the case study with teaching note were tested in classroom settings and shared at a case writing conference. The case was revised based on feedback from students and roundtable discussions from the conference.
Case overview/synopsis
“What’s next: Ever Given after the Suez Canal incident (Evergreen Marine Corporation in, 2022)” explores the situation of the firm Evergreen Marine Corporation, a world-leading cargo shipping company headquartered in Taiwan, and its efforts to deal with challenges stemming from a pandemic and the global supply chain transition. The case provides background on the latest changes in global business environments, the Suez Canal Incident stemming from the grounding of Ever Given and firm-specific information, which would help students to understand the context affecting Evergreen Marine Corporation’s (EMC) strategic decisions. The case enables students to evaluate EMC’s overall position and to analyze the actions that they can take to deal with these challenges in a dynamic global environment.
Complexity academic level
This case would be appropriate for a course in strategy or international business, especially with the topic of international supply chain management.
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Barbara Leigh Smith and Jean MacGregor
In the USA, as elsewhere, there is an ongoing need to improve quality in higher education. Quality improvement models from business have not been widely embraced, and many other…
Abstract
Purpose
In the USA, as elsewhere, there is an ongoing need to improve quality in higher education. Quality improvement models from business have not been widely embraced, and many other approaches to accountability seem to induce minimal compliance. This paper aims to contend that learning communities represent a viable alternative in the quest for quality. By restructuring the curriculum and promoting creative collaboration, learning communities have become a major reform effort in US colleges.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper provides an overview of learning community theory and core practices and four original case studies of institutions that have made learning communities a long‐term focus of their quality improvement efforts.
Findings
Findings include: effective learning communities are clearly positioned, aimed at large arenas and issues and are central to the organization's mission; learner‐centered leadership is a key component of effective programs; learning communities offer a high leverage point for pursuing quality; effective learning communities meet faculty where they are; successful initiatives create new organizational structures, roles and processes; successful programs attract and reward competent people and build arenas for learning from one another; and successful programs have a living mission and a lived educational philosophy reaching constantly toward more effective practices.
Originality/value
Educators will draw rich lessons from this concise overview of learning community theory and practice and the story of these successful institutions.
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Evergreen Marine Corp (EMC) started as a privately‐owned single vessel company and became a global ocean carrier giant with 240 service locations; its shipping network now covers…
Abstract
Evergreen Marine Corp (EMC) started as a privately‐owned single vessel company and became a global ocean carrier giant with 240 service locations; its shipping network now covers 80 countries. The success of the company’s global expansion has been well recognized. This article will explore the journey of Evergreen’s globalization through an interview with one of the senior managers who has been involved in every stage of the company’s globalization process.
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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the level of awareness and use of open source integrated library system (ILS) by the library and information science (LIS…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the level of awareness and use of open source integrated library system (ILS) by the library and information science (LIS) professionals in India. Further, it examines whether qualification, experience of using open source ILS and participation in open source community/mailing list by the LIS professionals affect their level of awareness and use of different open source ILSs.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey was conducted to assess the level of awareness and use of open source ILS by LIS professionals of India. In total, 408 responses were collected from LIS professionals in India, and the collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Pearson’s Chi-Square.
Findings
The findings of the study reveal that the level of awareness and use of open source ILS, namely, Koha (Mean = 2.69, SD = 0.944) and NewGenLib (Mean = 2.19, SD = 0.703) are high among the LIS professionals in India. Koha is the most favoured open source ILS. The results reveal that educational background, experience of using open source software (OSS) and participation in open source community/mailing list affect their level of awareness and use of open source ILS.
Practical implications
The paper will help decision makers to adopt and use popular open source ILS in their libraries.
Originality/value
This paper is the first of its kind that explores the level of awareness and use of open source ILS by LIS professionals in India in a broad manner.
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