1 Introduction
Learning Objectives
- To understand the role of technology in libraries
- To understand the background and history of open-source technology
- To understand the unique role of open-source Technology in libraries
Technology touches almost every part of a library patron’s experience. The simple act of finding resources is just the surface-level activity above a vast network of technology both library-specific and general. Understanding how the various technologies converge to the library and its services and how those technologies and services are affected by open-source Software will greatly help librarians troubleshoot problems, plan for the future, and serve their patrons.
Section 1: Technology in Libraries
Section Summary
This section discusses the history of technology in libraries and how that history informs the current state of libraries in general.
Focus Questions
- As you read the following chapter, think about what technology you have taken for granted.
- In what ways does the open-source movement and library science goals match? In what ways do they resemble each other?
- How successful has open-source software been for libraries? In what ways does it succeed and in what ways does it still need to develop?
Library Technology History
Libraries, from their earliest inception, have always used the technology available to get information to their patrons. Sometimes that technology took the form of processes and organizations, but starting in the 1960s, the concept of computers as a part of library technology emerged [1]. In 1965, the Library of Congress released a report that “concluded that automation in bibliographic processing, catalog searching, and document retrieval was technically and economically feasible”[2]. What was needed still were systems designed for libraries, and for libraries to have their data in formats easily machine-readable. From this need emerged the Machine Readable Cataloging (or MARC) standard. The format was designed to not only be read by a computer but also shareable so that many libraries could get the benefit of one library’s cataloging work. The creation of a sharable standard meant that a central repository of cataloging could be maintained, and that made the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), a non-profit organization whose mission is to make the technological cost of libraries lower, possible. As technology advanced, libraries were able to connect their resources using a network, and in 1971 the Alden Library at Ohio University became the first to do online cataloging [3].
This is a theme that will reoccur. Technology not only lets new and interesting things happen but in the case of software and data, it allows cooperation. It allows many organizations to benefit from the work of a few.
This allowed librarians to realize the potential of digitization, which is the act of converting a physical item into an electronic or digital item. In the 1980s, the Library of Congress started their A