News

First Southern African Greenstone Support Network workshop in Senegal

On Monday February 22 the first Southern African Greenstone Support Network Greenstone training workshop for Senegal will start in Dakar. The workshop marks the occassion of launching the Senegal National Centre as an additional node in the Southern African Greenstone Support Network.

The National Centre is the joint responsibility of the Université Gaston Berger - Bibliothèque Centrale (Saint Louis) and the Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (Dakar) and hosted by the Gaston Berger University Library.

This workshop will run until February 25th.

More details about the eIFL FOSS SA-Greenstone project are available here.

First Southern African Greenstone Support Network workshop in Kenya

On Monday February 8th the first Southern African Greenstone Support Network Greenstone training workshop for Kenya will start in Nairobi. The workshop marks the occassion of launching the Kenya National Centre as an additional node in the Southern African Greenstone Support Network. The Library of the University of Nairobi is the driving force behind the Centre. This workshop will run until February 11th.

More details about eIFL FOSS SA-Greenstone project are available here

BIREME presents the ABCD FOSS ILS software officially

More then 160 participants from at least 6 countries attended - in a hall which was too small, so giving proof of high interest again in this exciting new software based on the ISIS-technology - the official presentation on 3rd of December 2009.

Mr. Abel Packer, BIREME's director, introduced the audience to BIREME's long-standing commitment to the ISIS database technology for semi-structured data, which it not only adopted from UNESCO but also started developing up to higher levels in order to cope with the high volumes and expectations of its own applications (ScIELO and the Virtual Health Library model).

Prof. Egbert de Smet, the project-leader of a VLIR/UOS (Flemish Interuniversity Council) project 'Development Of and Capacity Building in ISIS-Based Library Automation Systems' which co-sponsored the ABCD development, co-supervisor of the development team and also representing the 'International Co-ordination Committee on ISIS', emphasized the special relevance of ISIS for libraries in the South with its librarian- and self-support oriented approach., combining special technological options with a specific social profile as a software. He also listed some of the remaining challenges, e.g. the need to reconcile the high-technology involved with the low technical profile of many expected users and the need to continue development within hopefully one integrated ISIS-family along with other interested parties. Mr. Ernesto Spinak - who lead the BIREME development team - and Mrs. Guilda Ascencio, two other key players in the large international group of ABCD-contributors (over 60 members of 19 countries), presented the ABCD suite with its powerful modules for database administration & cataloging, Serials Control, Site & OPAC and Advanced Loans. Mr. Renato Murasaki of BIREME's IT-team presented the newly developed ISIS-technology named 'Network Based Platform', in which the old ISIS-ideas are combined with state-of-the-art software concepts, ensuring ISIS will technologically survive another generation of softwares and expand into the full-text document databases era. At the end of the event some participants in the audience praised the efforts and results of the team and pointed to the need to keep convincing the world that even if the chosen technological options are not popular (in current computer science and commercial practice), still quite remarkable results can be achieved and deserve continued support.

The ISIS community, lead by BIREME, finally has its full-blown integrated system for automation of libraries and documentation centers with some unique features (e.g. the capability to design and adapt to any data structure without giving up on advanced functionality, opening doors to integrated management of museum/archive catalogs as well as virtual libraries) on top of joining some highly respected and successful Free and Open Source Software competitors for the information professionals, while building on the vast experience of the existing ISIS-community. There is reason to be proud of it indeed.

The ABCD main website, from where the version 1.0 can be downloaded : bvsmodelo.bvsalud.org

First Southern African Greenstone Support Network workshop in Tanzania

On Monday October 26 the first Southern African Greenstone Support Network Greenstone training workshop for Tanzania will start in Dar es Salaam. The workshop marks the occassion of launching the Tanzania National Centre as an additional node in the Southern African Greenstone Support Network. Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology COSTECH is the driving force behind the Centre. This workshop will run until October 30.

More details about eIFL FOSS SA-Greenstone project are available here

FOSS ILS Case Studies Published

For the past year, 6 libraries from Malawi to Nepal have been learning a great deal about free and open source software (FOSS) integrated library systems (ILS). Case studies of their investigations, successes, and learning points are now available. The participating pilot sites in this project range from the relatively small (50,000 to 70,000 volumes) to the very large (more than 4 million volumes). They also stretch from libraries with a single systems librarian to libraries with an entire IT team. This project was not merely about installing and using a FOSS ILS; it was about learning to engage with FOSS development and support communities. It's all about participation. We are delighted to report that the technical leads from each pilot site (and the teams they managed, where those existed) have taken engagement seriously. So much so that eIFL.net libraries are now regular contributors to the Koha http://www.koha.org/ and Evergreen http://www.open-ils.org/ ILS development and support communities. With the publication of these case studies we hope many more libraries within the eIFL.net community will take up the challenges and opportunities that come with FOSS in libraries. The case studies can be accessed here: http://www.eifl.net/cps/sections/services/eifl-foss/ils/case-studies The 6 participating pilot libraries are: Fundamental Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences, Armenia; Mzuzu University Library, Malawi; Library of the Faculty of Medicine Pharmacy and Dentistry, University of Bamako, Mali; Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya, Nepal; and Midlands State University Library, Zimbabwe.

Expanding the Southern African Greenstone Support Network

The Southern African Greenstone Support Network (SAGSN) consists of many libraries developing digital collections with the aid and assistance of a number of National Centres of excellence. The Support Network would like to include more countries in and beyond the Southern African Region through the establishment of a number of new National Centres.

If your library (or related organisation) is actively engaged in digitisation efforts & digital libraries and interested in taking up responsibility as a National Centre supporting Greenstone digital collection building - or if you know another library in your country that could take that role, please visit the Call for Additional National Centres page for further information . Or contact Amos Kujenga, Regional Coordinator eIFL-FOSS SA Greenstone Support Network directly (amos.kujenga@eifl.net) for an informal discussion of what is involved in becoming a National Centre in the Southern African Greenstone Support Network.

eIFL Success Story wins UNESCO Information for All Programme award

eIFL award winning story “Open Source Software brings a new lease of life to libraries in Palestine”

The UNESCO Information for All Programme (IFAP) recently invited UNESCO Member States, NGOs and professional groups to share their stories and good practices in using information for development in all parts of the world. The stories collected provide practical examples to inspire others and raise the visibility of the critically important role that information plays in development. eIFL.net submitted stories from its “Spotlight” series, which highlights achievements of eIFL members, and the users of their library services, in developing and transition countries.

Read more Press release

eIFL-FOSS ILS project: pilot workshop, 10-11 June 2008, Yerevan, Armenia

Technical leads from each of the pilot institutions for the eIFL-FOSS ILS project will gather in Yerevan, Armenia, on 10-11 June 2008 for a two-day workshop. Evergreen developer, Dan Scott, of Laurentian University in Canada and Koha developer, Henri-Damien Laurent, of BibLibre in France will provide the expert input for the event. The workshop is being hosted by the Fundamental Library of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. Further information on the workshop may be found here.

eIFL-FOSS ILS project: pilot sites selected

The response to the Call-For-Participation for the eIFL-FOSS ILS project was heartening. Applications were received from 12 countries, representing 11 language groups, with library collections ranging in size from 10 thousand volumes to 3.5 million volumes. The following institutions were selected to conduct pilots as part of the project:

Fundamental Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences, Armenia
National Scientific Library, Georgia
National Library Service, Malawi
Library of the Faculty of Medicine Pharmacy and Dentistery, Universite of Bamako, Mali
Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya, Nepal
Midlands State University Library, Zimbabwe
An-Najah National University Library, Palestine (West Bank)

Each participating pilot site will install either the Koha or Evergreen ILS. Technical leads from each pilot will participate in an initial training workshop, and contributing throughout the life of the project to a support documentation effort developing materials to assist with the installation, evaluation, and migration to either of these FOSS ILSs. Case studies of each pilot's experiences will be published on the eIFL.net website during the life of the project.

Although only a small number of applicants could be selected as pilot sites, all institutions that submitted applications were invited to join the project email discussion list in order to benefit from the experiences of the pilot sites throughout the life of the project.

eIFL-FOSS ILS project: call for participation

eIFL-FOSS ILS is a project of the eIFL-FOSS program supporting evaluation of and migration to free and open source (FOSS) integrated library systems (ILS). It is an opportunity for librarians in eIFL member countries to engage directly with the Koha or Evergreen development communities and to contribute to that ongoing development. In particular it is an opportunity for pilot institutions, in conjunction with the active participation of the eIFL-FOSS country coordinators, to identify and draft support documentation to aid themselves and other libraries that may wish to pursue this FOSS ILS path.

Call for Participation:

At this time we invite any eIFL.net library that is interested in participating in a pilot of either Koha or Evergreen to make themselves known to the eIFL-FOSS Program Manager, Randy Metcalfe randy.metcalfe[@]eifl.net , by no later than 28 February 2008. An initial meeting of pilot institutions will take place as soon after that date as is feasible. Please be sure to identify which ILS you are most interested in piloting. The full application details along with further details of what is involved in piloting are available here.

eIFL-FOSS program secures funding

Core funding for the eIFL-FOSS program has been secured from the Open Society Institute. eIFL-FOSS advocates free and open source software (FOSS) use in libraries in developing and transition countries. Funding from the Open Society Institute for this program will help eIFL.net raise awareness and understanding of FOSS across its membership, facilitate eIFL.net member engagement with FOSS development communities, and undertake projects of special significance to eIFL.net members. The initial project within the eIFL-FOSS program is a support project for migration to FOSS integrated library systems (ILS).

For further information on the eIFL-FOSS program and regular updates of progress visit eIFL-FOSS or join the eIFL-FOSS announcement email list.

First workshops of the Greenstone Southern Africa Pilot Project

Once the nomination of the Southern African institutions which will serve as the major local network points of the project has been complete, Stefan Boddie, from DL Consulting, will be running the first series of workshops on the installation of Greenstone sofware for digital libraries. He will start his training at the sub-regional centre for the project, the University of Namibia, on August 6th and will continue visits to the national centers in the other participating countries: the National University of Science and Technology in Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) on August 9-11, the National University Library and the Lesotho College of Education Library in Maseru (Lesotho) on August 12-15 and the Bunda College Library in Lilongwe (Malawi) on August 17-18. We will keep our readership informed on progress and additional information.

Call for nominations for eIFL FOSS country coordinators open

Each eIFL consortium is being asked to nominate an eIFL-FOSS coordinator from their country. This coordinator will serve as the main point of contact with the larger eIFL-FOSS body, and act as a point of contact for open source software community building in the libraries in their country. The coordinator should currently work in some capacity with the library IT infrastructure in one of the local eIFL consortium libraries. Details about the required qualifications, responsabilities and submission procedures are available in the document attached. The deadline to submit your nominations is July 20, 2007.

Launch of Greenstone Southern Africa Pilot project

The development of digital libraries is an important concern in facilitating access, sharing and preservation of content. eIFL believes that the open source Greenstone Digital Library (GSDL) software suite (www.greenstone.org), whose development and distribution are coordinated by the University of Waikato in New Zealand, provides a unique resource to promote the development of DLs in Africa in keeping with our objective of empowering libraries through Open Source solutions.

For this reason, we have agreed to execute the Greenstone Southern Africa Pilot Project on behalf of the Koha Foundation (U.S.A.) which is providing US$50,000 for implementation of the project. The University of Waikato and DL Consulting, a private company in New Zealand working closely with the Greenstone project, will provide consultant staff to the pilot project as support in kind. eIFL has asked Mr John Rose, a retired UNESCO staff member who has been working with the Greenstone team in its efforts to promote Greenstone support and participation in developing countries, to serve as the international coordinator for this pilot project. Additional details of this project will be provided on an ongoing basis.

Library Geeks Podcast

Library Geeks podcast which just went live covered eIFl-FOSS meeting in Cupramontana, to listen to, please go to: onebiglibrary.net/geeks.