[ale] Georgia Library PINES Program News

[James P. Kinney III]

This is SO AWESOME!! It's about time that the libraries (one of the
better public institutions in this country) got access to the tools and
resources they need to make knowledge sharing they do even better. 

I would strongly recommend a good look at pgreplicator
(pgreplicator.sourceforge.net/) and clustered jdbc from
http://c-jdbc.objectweb.org/  . Tremendouse technology between the two.
C-jdbc for HA and distributed database access. PGReplicator for keeping
the datasets current and for pushing out new ones from a central test
bed.

Open Source, free software. 30 years from now we will all look back and
wonder why anyone fell for the closed source, proprietary software model
for anything.


On Sat, 2004-06-05 at 11:04, Brad LaJeunesse wrote:
> All,
> 
> While this isn't Linux-related, it is open source and Georgia related, so I
> figured people here would be interested.
> 
> A little bit of background first: as some of you may know, the majority of
> Georgia's public libraries operate off of a single, central automation
> system, to which they connect via the internet. (This automation system
> stores information on the books, patrons, etc in the libraries, provides the
> web-based catalog, and supplies the "business logic" behind functions like
> circulation periods and fines.)
> 
> Further, books and other materials may flow freely between all of the PINES
> libraries. So, for example, if you live in a small rural area, and your
> local library doesn't have a good selection of Linux books, you can request
> materials from other PINES libraries, free of charge. These materials will
> be sent (usually within a day) to your home library. You can then return the
> material at any PINES library, and it will be sent back to the owning
> library free of charge. So, PINES is a huge resource-sharing network at it's
> core. As far as we know, we are the largest library consortium anywhere.
> 
> There is no software available written with our needs in mind. We've
> struggled with proprietary library automation software since the inception
> of PINES in 1999, but much of this software was written for a much smaller
> situation, such as a regional system with, say, 12 branches. In talking with
> other larger libraries and consortia around the country, we find that many
> have the same problems that we do, but to a lesser extent.
> 
> To cut a long story short, because of the above conditions and other
> circumstances, we have decided to develop a library automation package
> designed for a large library consortium like PINES. We are also going to
> release this automation system (known in the library world as an ILS--
> Integrated Library System) as open source software-- most likely under the
> GPL.
> 
> As a side note, there are obvious similarities between the open source
> movement and libraries, and we are natural allies. Both try to enrich their
> members through sharing and disseminating knowledge, and both are open to
> everyone, private or public, commercial or non-commercial.
> 
> This is really big news in the library world. No one, on our scale, has
> attempted to do something like this in the library world. Open source
> software really hasn't taken hold in the library world, and we are hoping
> that this will help move it along.
> 
> We'll be posting job ads shortly for the programmers we will need to start
> work, and we will certainly post the job ads on the ALE unemployed list.
> Alternatively, for those of you out there that want to help Georgia and/or
> public libraries, we'd really appreciate any help you can give. We are
> currently developing an information website, and after we get out of our
> planning stage, we'll be posting information about things we need on there.
> 
> Anyway, the full announcement from Georgia's state librarian is below.
> 
> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
> Brad LaJeunesse, PINES System Administrator
> Georgia Public Library Service
> www.georgialibraries.org
> 
> "It's kind of fun to do the impossible."
> --Walt Disney
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Veatch, Lamar [mailto:lveatch at GEORGIALIBRARIES.ORG]
> Sent: Friday, June 04, 2004 4:23 PM
> To: PLD-L at APOLLO.GEORGIALIBRARIES.ORG
> Subject: [PLD-L] PINES News
> 
> 
> The past five years have witnessed a quantum leap forward for public library
> resource sharing in Georgia.  Georgia Library PINES, which began as a Y2K
> compliance project, now includes 44 public library systems and 249 libraries
> and bookmobiles. With more than 1.3 million active registered patrons and
> access to more than 7.7 million items, PINES is a national model on an
> unprecedented scale. Yet the growth and scale of PINES has not come without
> a cost, as everyday PINES pushes the limits of the available software.
> Extensive alterations to the software and additions such as the Web-based
> reporting system have been necessary to sustain growth and meet the needs of
> participating libraries.
> 
> As most of you are aware, the award in 1999 to the present vendor included
> renewal options through June 2005. As we move closer to this deadline, the
> future direction of PINES has been a primary focus of the Georgia Public
> Library Service and PINES participating libraries. Much time has been spent
> researching, viewing demonstrations of integrated library system (ILS)
> products, discussing options with vendors, collaborating with the Board of
> Regents Office of Information and Instructional Technology (OIIT) staff,
> and, most importantly, processing feedback from PINES participating
> libraries.  Every available software option has been thoughtfully and
> extensively explored in the effort to make the best possible decision for
> PINES.
> 
> All available options include both challenges and benefits. Certainly,
> making any software change will involve extensive training and conversion
> efforts for both Georgia Public Library Service staff and for PINES
> participating libraries. However, PINES participating libraries have made
> clear to us that change is needed if we are to continue to grow and develop,
> and that they are willing and eager to take on the challenges required.
> While the current system has many strengths, from a system administration
> standpoint, we need a system that is more flexible and scalable than the
> present system. We have spent more than four years making extensive
> alterations and writing program enhancements to a product that was not
> designed for a public library consortium on the scale of PINES.
> We strongly believe that the best choice for PINES at this critical
> crossroads is an open source system developed by the Georgia Public Library
> Service.  This system will be custom-written for a library consortium as
> large and complex as we have become and into which we will continue to
> evolve. After careful analysis of the library automation marketplace, where
> we noted the possible benefits and potential shortcomings of every
> vendor-driven solution for our particular needs, Georgia Public Library
> Service and OIIT personnel agree that a custom-developed solution is the
> direction that we should take.
> 
> Development of an integrated library software solution will take 18-24
> months. We have the option of extending our current software contract for an
> additional year. This means that we would remain on the present system until
> at least June 2006. After one year of software development (June 2005), we
> will evaluate our progress. If, at this time, our development efforts are
> not sufficiently advanced, we will have adequate time to pursue a
> vendor-supplied solution through an RFP process.
> 
> Many more details will follow this announcement. The underlying database
> structure will be the first piece of this puzzle; before we reach the time
> to design the functional layer, there will be ample opportunity for the
> PINES community to share your needs, desires and wildest dreams for library
> software functionality with us. Solicitation for participation on a PINES
> development committee is forthcoming, and we encourage staff at all levels
> to participate.  We can't do this without the support and the valuable
> experience of our libraries.
> 
> Please do not hesitate to contact us with your questions and concerns. Your
> confidence and support will make this endeavor a great success.
> 
> 
> Lamar Veatch, State Librarian
> Georgia Public Library Service
> 
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> 
> 
> 
-- 
James P. Kinney III          \Changing the mobile computing world/
CEO & Director of Engineering \          one Linux user         /
Local Net Solutions,LLC        \           at a time.          /
770-493-8244                    \.___________________________./
http://www.localnetsolutions.com

GPG ID: 829C6CA7 James P. Kinney III (M.S. Physics)
<jkinney at localnetsolutions.com>
Fingerprint = 3C9E 6366 54FC A3FE BA4D 0659 6190 ADC3 829C 6CA7
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