Adoption of Open Source Software in Libraries in Developing Countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josiline Phiri Chigwada
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Economic Cooperation ◽  
Electronic Information ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Modern Library ◽  
Training Programmes ◽  
The University

A survey on the adoption of open source software in libraries in developing countries was conducted. An online questionnaire was sent to Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) and Special Commonwealth Assistance for Africa (SCAAP) participants for the Advanced Certificate Course in Modern Library Practices and the Lib@web participants of the Management of Electronic Information and Digital Libraries programme at the University of Antwerp in Belgium. The ITEC/SCAAP programme is sponsored by Government of India while the Lib@web programme is sponsored by Flemish Interuniversity Council – Belgian Development Council (VLIR-OUS). The data was collected from 31 librarians who attended these training programmes. The findings revealed that most libraries in developing countries which sent participants to these programmes have adopted open source software. The author recommends that librarians should continue upgrading their skills so that they are conversant with how the various open source software can be used in their institutions.

Adoption of Open Source Software in Libraries in Developing Countries

2020 ◽  
pp. 520-531
Author(s):  
Josiline Phiri Chigwada
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Economic Cooperation ◽  
Electronic Information ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Modern Library ◽  
Training Programmes ◽  
The University

A survey on the adoption of open source software in libraries in developing countries was conducted. An online questionnaire was sent to Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) and Special Commonwealth Assistance for Africa (SCAAP) participants for the Advanced Certificate Course in Modern Library Practices and the Lib@web participants of the Management of Electronic Information and Digital Libraries programme at the University of Antwerp in Belgium. The ITEC/SCAAP programme is sponsored by Government of India while the Lib@web programme is sponsored by Flemish Interuniversity Council – Belgian Development Council (VLIR-OUS). The data was collected from 31 librarians who attended these training programmes. The findings revealed that most libraries in developing countries which sent participants to these programmes have adopted open source software. The author recommends that librarians should continue upgrading their skills so that they are conversant with how the various open source software can be used in their institutions.

Open Source Software

2009 ◽  
pp. 1925-1933
Author(s):  
Jennifer Papin-Ramcharan
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
West Indies ◽  
Free Software ◽  
The West ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
The University

This chapter presents issues that relate to developing countries’ use of open source software (OSS) and the experience of these countries with OSS. Here the terms open source software (OSS), free/libre and open source software (FLOSS) and free software (FS) are used interchangeably. It describes the benefits of FLOSS including its superior quality and stability. Challenges to FLOSS use particularly for developing countries are described. It indicates that despite the greater benefits to developing countries of technology transfer of software development skills and the fostering of information and communication technology (ICT) innovation, the initial cost of acquiring FLOSS has been the key motivation for many developing countries adopting FLOSS solutions. It illustrates this by looking at the experience of a university in a developing country, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus in Trinidad and Tobago. Strategies for developing countries to benefit “fully” from FLOSS are presented including the implementation of formal organized programmes to educate and build awareness of FLOSS. The authors hope that by understanding some of the developing country issues that relate to OSS, solutions can be found. These countries could then fully benefit from OSS use, resulting in an increase in size of the global FLOSS development community that could potentially improve the quality of FLOSS and indeed all software.

Open Source Software

2011 ◽  
pp. 93-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Papin-Ramcharan
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
West Indies ◽  
Free Software ◽  
The West ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
The University

This chapter presents issues that relate to developing countries’ use of open source software (OSS) and the experience of these countries with OSS. Here the terms open source software (OSS), free/libre and open source software (FLOSS) and free software (FS) are used interchangeably. It describes the benefi ts of FLOSS including its superior quality and stability. Challenges to FLOSS use particularly for developing countries are described. It indicates that despite the greater benefi ts to developing countries of technology transfer of software development skills and the fostering of information and communication technology (ICT) innovation, the initial cost of acquiring FLOSS has been the key motivation for many developing countries adopting FLOSS solutions. It illustrates this by looking at the experience of a university in a developing country, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus in Trinidad and Tobago. Strategies for developing countries to benefi t “fully” from FLOSS are presented including the implementation of formal organized programmes to educate and build awareness of FLOSS. The authors hope that by understanding some of the developing country issues that relate to OSS, solutions can be found. These countries could then fully benefi t from OSS use, resulting in an increase in size of the global FLOSS development community that could potentially improve the quality of FLOSS and indeed all software.

scholarly journals Knowledge sharing in open source software communities: motivations and management

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 791-813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zilia Iskoujina ◽  
Joanne Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Online Communities ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – This paper aims to add to the understanding of knowledge sharing in online communities through an investigation of the relationship between individual participant’s motivations and management in open source software (OSS) communities. Drawing on a review of literature concerning knowledge sharing in organisations, the factors that motivate participants to share their knowledge in OSS communities, and the management of such communities, it is hypothesised that the quality of management influences the extent to which the motivations of members actually result in knowledge sharing. Design/methodology/approach – To test the hypothesis, quantitative data were collected through an online questionnaire survey of OSS web developers with the aim of gathering respondents’ opinions concerning knowledge sharing, motivations to share knowledge and satisfaction with the management of OSS projects. Factor analysis, descriptive analysis, correlation analysis and regression analysis were used to explore the survey data. Findings – The analysis of the data reveals that the individual participant’s satisfaction with the management of an OSS project is an important factor influencing the extent of their personal contribution to a community. Originality/value – Little attention has been devoted to understanding the impact of management in OSS communities. Focused on OSS developers specialising in web development, the findings of this paper offer an important original contribution to understanding the connections between individual members’ satisfaction with management and their motivations to contribute to an OSS project. The findings reveal that motivations to share knowledge in online communities are influenced by the quality of management. Consequently, the findings suggest that appropriate management can enhance knowledge sharing in OSS projects and online communities, and organisations more generally.

Review of Open Source Software (OSS)

2012 ◽  
pp. 26-40
Author(s):  
Bhasker Mukerji ◽  
Ramaraj Palanisamy
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Source Code ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Economic Resources ◽  
Large Pool ◽  
Public Sector Organizations

The popularity of Open Source Software (OSS) in developing countries is quiet evident from its widespread adoption across government departments and public sector organizations. The use of OSS saves economic resources of cash starved countries, provides an opportunity to promote e-government, and to utilize their resources in other sectors. Many developing countries have a large pool of skilled developers who can modify the source code of the OSS at a very low cost. Many governments in developing and developed countries have switched to OSS which probably encourages others to follow the trend. It was not possible to follow the adoption trend in all the developing countries but the usage of OSS in countries like India, Brazil, and Venezuela provides us an insight. The successful adoption of OSS requires thorough analysis of its advantages as well as the issues associated with it. This chapter will provide an overview of OSS, characteristics of OSS developers, and their motivation to volunteer by contributing in OSS projects, followed by the advantages and issues associated with OSS.

Impact of Discovery Layers on Accessing E-Resources in Academic Libraries

2016 ◽  
pp. 181-200
Author(s):  
Mayank Yuvaraj
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Research Articles ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Library Users ◽  
Search Filters ◽  
Search Tool ◽  
The University ◽  
Descriptive Survey ◽  
The Impact

The paper discusses the implementation of the ‘CUB E-journal One Search' tool as an alternative solution to commercial discovery services, which was designed using Google Custom Search by the Central Library, Central University of Bihar and its impact on the library users. A descriptive survey method was used for the study. The present study found that library users found CUB E-journal One Search as a useful tool to get their desired information out of 9000 subscribed e-resources in the university. Most of the users used CUB E-journal One Search frequently in order to find relevant articles, write their assignments and research articles. The study indicated that the library users were influenced by Google like single search boxes and wished to have same features. Further, users expected features like document recommendation, search filters, RSS and on-screen help from the discovery tool. The paper is a first attempt to study the impact of open source discovery tools on the library users. It will further give confidence to the librarians in developing countries to deploy open source search solutions using Google Custom Search in the libraries.

Applying Kolb Learning Experiential Theory with Cloud Computing in Higher Education Institutions

2016 ◽  
pp. 1968-2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilius Aloyce Sanga ◽  
George Kibirige
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Computing ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Information Storage ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Library Resources ◽  
Ict Infrastructure ◽  
The Way

The maturity of free and open source movement has brought a number of ICT tools. It has affected the way courses are delivered, the way contents are developed, the way data are interoperable, the way learning and teaching materials are shared, the way learners access classes and the way library resources are shared. In developing countries, several libraries are migrating into digital libraries using low cost technologies readily available due to open access, free and open source technology and e-publishing tools. Recent development of cloud computing technology provides state of art tools for libraries. It provides a common platform for easy information storage and sharing. Thus, there is lowering of the cost required to procure and manage library ICT infrastructure due to the capability of that cloud computing which allows the storage to be on a single, efficient system that saves cost and time. In developing countries where most libraries suffer from limited budgets for ICT services, it is anticipated that the future of digital libraries is on cloud libraries.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document