Open Source Software: Collective Access
In this assignment for Information Technology (LI815), I explored an open source software called Collective Access, a digital asset management system (DAMS). Exploring open source technologies was a major component of this class, which focused on the types of technologies used in libraries. We were encouraged to explore and understand how open source software can be useful in library applications.
A number of museums and collections use Collective Access to catalog ("assign metadata to") and display digital images, including the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Exploring this software allowed me to examine why libraries and collections use open source software over proprietary, commercial software. How does this choice affect clients, users, and staff? Cost-saving measures that prompt adoption of an open source product can be popular and effective, but does a specialized staff need to spend lots of extra time on the software? This assignment made me consider many of the different administrative decisions that lead to choosing a software product in the library environment.
Collective Access includes controlled vocabularies (LC, Getty) and several core cataloging schema (Dublin Core, PBCore) as well as GIS schema. The importance of controlled and consistent metadata standards cannot be over emphasized in the library, museum, archive, and internet environment.
I also used an open source software to record my presentation on Collective Access. Jing allows up to 5 minutes of screencast free; the videos are hosted on their Screencast server.
Exploring this software allowed me to examine why libraries and collections use open source software over proprietary, commercial software. How does this choice affect clients, users, and staff? Cost-saving measures that prompt adoption of an open source product can be popular and effective, but does a specialized staff need to spend lots of extra time on the software? This assignment made me consider many of the different administrative decisions that lead to choosing a software product in the library environment.
Collective Access includes controlled vocabularies (LC, Getty) and several core cataloging schema (Dublin Core, PBCore) as well as GIS schema. The importance of controlled and consistent metadata standards cannot be over emphasized in the library, museum, archive, and internet environment.
I also used an open source software to record my presentation on Collective Access. Jing allows up to 5 minutes of screencast free; the videos are hosted on their Screencast server.
Open Source Software: Collective Access
Open Source Software: Collective Access