Free Software at the Local Library?

DoraLives asks: "I live in a small town in East Central Florida, nearly in the shadow of the launch pads at Cape Canaveral. People generally expect that a place like this would be quite technologically advanced. Unfortunately, this isn't always true, and a case in point is the local library. They have a nice collection of CD's, and you might think you'd see Free Software CD's on the rack right next to Frank Zappa, Duke Ellington, and Bach. Think again, no such thing obtains here, or in any of the other libraries hereabouts." Aside from Linux and BSD install discs, what other pieces of software might make good items for the software section in your local public library? "I went and talked to the director of the local library about having them provide a Knoppix disk or something similar to those unfortunates, who cannot afford a high speed internet connection to download and burn their own copies. Mr. Director seemed quite unaware as to the entire concept of Free Software and asked me to provide him with a 'list of this free software,' for his review. So, as part of my research into what's available out there, I thought I'd run this one past the users of Slashdot and see what they might recommend by way of operating systems, utilities, applications, and all the rest of the free stuff that's available for download and burning, that would make good items for the shelves of a lending library.

Methinks the inhabitants of my little burg would be tickled to find out that the entire computing world is NOT owned by a corporation in Washington state. I further think that this could be a fine way to get the word, and the actual software, out to the masses. Am I right? Can Slashdot help me with Mr. Director's need for information so he can make an informed decision."

Comments

doopdy doop

[insensitive claude]

Choice of titles aside, this subject has been covered before.

Why CDs?

[toxic666]

Why not just set up a PC with a burner, post instructions and allow people to burn to their own CDs?

It would save the hassle of checking out a CD (like the music ones) and the software provided would, by definition, be legal to copy.

Re:Why CDs?

[JonBuck]

Bit of a problem, here. FYI, I'm a librarian myself.

CDs cost money. The PC costs money. Libraries don't have that kind of budget. Even if only a hundred people per year make that request, the costs would include:

1) Media. Including bad burns that must be discarded.
2) Computer time. Libraries often do not have state-of-the-art equipment. The computer doing the burning might not be able to do anything else while it's running.
3) Staff time. Something that is often missed. While this could be delegated to a library assistant.

Imagine what would happen if that number increased tenfold. We're talking thousands of dollars. It would be better for them to burn one or two sets of CDs and have them available for circulation, and simply replace them when they wear out. If a patron wants to purchase a CD copy for themselves then they would have to pay for it. Or they could do it at home.

I can see this as more viable in academic library settings. OpenOffice and other Free Software alternatives will help students get the type of software they need to write papers, create presentations, etc.. For public libraries... well, that would be up to the individual library.

Re:Why CDs?

[really?]

Good points, but ...
1. You could sell the media. In fact you could add a couple pennies to the price and offset some of other costs.
2. You don't need a new/fast/etc computer for this. I think a you could easily find a geek who will be happy to donate and set up his/her "second machine."
3. Once this is set up properly, it should require little, or no, maintenance. If you really do need to get something done/changed/etc ... get in touch geek from "2" or find some other volunteer. If I walked into my local public library and saw such a setup, I would definitely enquire about helping, and I think others would do too.

Of course, not being a librarian, I have no idea as to what kid of laws/rules/etc regulate this kind of thing.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Licensing

[Anonymous Coward]

I doubt many public libraries can afford the $699 license fee required for Linux.

Knoppix and OpenOffice

[fhic]

It probably doesn't answer the question, since my local library doesn't lend software. But every month or so I burn a handful of CD-Rs with Knoppix, Lindows^W Linspire, and OpenOffice and drop them in the public area of the lobby. I label them with a unique URL so I can see if anybody's paying attention. I get hits off maybe half of them, and occasionally an email to the tune of "hey, you got any more of this stuff?" Hopefully I'm collecting some good karma somewhere. :-)

Which library?

[Gangis]

Which library? Just out of curiosity. I live in Indialantic, also under the shadow of the cape. There are three libraries near me, Eau Gallie Library on Pineapple Road, the Melbourne Beach City Library where Nick's Steakhouse used to be on A1A, and some library I haven't gone to in Satellite Beach.

I may be interested in helping out on your endeavor, since I am local and I support spreading awareness of free software. :)

Library demographics

[karlowfwb]

I work in a public library and my experience with the typical demographic of the library would lead me to believe that this would not be a big hit. Many of the patrons visit the library simply to use the internet, most of these people do not have a computer at home. Another large percentage are older folks, who simply want to read their mysteries. We do carry a moderately sized selection of (mostly educational) software, however that circulates very poorly.

Perhaps this could be successful in a smaller library with a more technically aware demographic, however in your average public library, I don't think it would see much success.

Vancouver Public Library

[ffa]

this is a great idea...

back in the late 80s, the Vancouver Public Library used to have a station where you could access a CD ROM full of all the Public Domain utilities (rememeber those days? :) for those who did not have a modem and access to a BBS.

You can setup a special PC which has a tool that only burns selected software. We used to take our own 5.25 floppies and copy PD software, so there is no reason people cannot acquire a $0.50 CD and take home goodies.

less maintenenance/cost this way to the library...

-farshad

Repeat Topic But I'll Chime In Again

[Eberlin]

I work at a city library with machines sponsored by the B&M Gates Learning Foundation. To pimp Free Software may incur the wrath of Redmond for an already underfunded library. We're already a frickin' MS Office infomercial as it is.

I do, however, try to make sure people know and understand the costs of MS Software as well as the benefits of Open Source/Free Software. I recommend OpenOffice for those who don't want to shell out a fortune for word processing. I tell people about Mozilla Firefox and describe the benefits it has.

I also have handouts with links to AVG Anti-Virus, Ad-Aware, and Zone Alarm. Not Open Source but "free as in beer."

To offer CD's could become a support nightmare unless you pull a "Try at your own risk" thing. Last thing a library needs are irate patrons because they borked their machines trying to use/install software YOU supplied.

If you are to do so anyway, go with OSS for Windows, first. OpenOffice, Firefox, GIMP. Then maybe the free-as-in-beer stuff I mentioned earlier for antivirus, anti-spyware, and firewalling. Then there's other stuff like Knoppix and bootable game CD's (America's Army?).

In the end, there are quite a few considerations to think about when offering software from a library. You'll have political issues, can lose some private funding/sponsorships, and even have irate patrons who mistake your goodwill for tech-support-for-life.

One of the irritating things I got to hear at the library was that when a student asked about BSODs and rebooting, the rest of the class said that it's a normal thing, and to get used to it. I had to tell them otherwise, and even then, they weren't fully convinced that instability isn't natural.

Hopefully with stuff like free software cd's, and the knoppixes of the world, people will find that there are alternatives to MS. Maybe they'll even see its simplicity, stability, and practicality.

Start with Windows apps

[spiritraveller]

Rather than focusing on Linux itself, I think the best approach to get people using free software is to give them software that works with the operating system they already have.

Most people will switch to free software gradually, not suddenly with a complete operating system replacement.

They may eventually switch to Linux, but that will be much easier for them if they are already using software that can be used under both Linux and Windows.

Therefore, I think the best thing for most people would be a cd filled with easy-to-install Windows versions of programs such as the following:

* OpenOffice 1.1.1
* Mozilla Firefox (web browser)
* Mozilla Thunderbird (email and usenet discussions)
* Mozilla Sunbird (calendar)
* Nvu (based on the old Mozilla Composer web-design app)
* Mozilla Suite 1.6 (for those who prefer it all in one program)
* Pan (usenet binaries)
* gaim (chat client)
* The Gimp (to replace Photoshop

There are Windows binary downloads available for each of these programs...

You might also make a version of this disk for Mac OSX users. But by this, I mean apps that run natively, not through an X server. Fink is great, and you might want to have a disk that lets you install it and some of its packages... but running an X server is a little complex for the average user.

Apps that run natively under OSX that I know of:

* Mozilla Suite 1.6
* Mozilla Camino (a more lightweight browser)
* NeoOffice/J (a version of OpenOffice)

I am sure there are other native OSX FOSS apps... but those are the ones I know of.

Of course there's no reason you can't provide 20 different Linux distributions and the entire contents of Sourceforge... but I would focus on Windows and Mac apps, and Live-CDs so people can get their feet wet with FOSS apps without committing an entire system all at once.

Burn from ISOs only

[Fibonacci Ceres]

>>"Why not just set up a PC with a burner,
>>post instructions and allow people to burn
>>to their own CDs?"

>That would let people come in and make
>copies of the non-free stuff.

Set up a box restricted to burning from ISO
files only. Provide a simple click'n'burn
interface and a laminated card next to the
PC that would explain the different distros,
number of disks needed, hardware needed and pointers to paper references both in and
outside the library.
The library could provide CDRs at a small
profit to pay for upkeep on the system and
to buy more paper references. This would be
a great thing for a local Linux User Group to sponsor. It would create much greater public awareness of the local group, GNU/Linux and
the Open Source movement.
And no drone from Redmond (or anywhere else)
could complain about software piracy.

There's a .sig around here somewhere