Marshall has been providing a very valuable service for a pretty static environment (in terms of the relationship between libraries and their vendors/ILS) and this is changing. He has been very responsive to the suggestions of the users of this data and I suspect he will continue to be equally receptive. So, if there's a way to change the survey or the presentation of data that makes more sense for the new ILS - vendor - service provider landscape, I think we should share those ideas and let him continue to improve it. As long as libraries have control over the data they've provided, it doesn't seem like it is worth getting all steamed up even if it isn't officially released under an open source license. On Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 7:49 AM, Agnes Rivers-Moore <arm@hanover.ca> wrote:
I have found the lib-web-cats database and Marshall Breeding's surveys and technical articles all very useful indeed. We have recently praised his map of Koha libraries, which is just one of the great tools he offers openly to us all. If he asks for a little data from libraries to help him produce these valuable tools, I don't think it is unjust, nor do I mind spending the time to make sure his results are accurate and inclusive. So, I'm with Nicole - Koha libraries should be aware of and I hope will choose to participate in the surveys that produce these tools, at least in order to make sure that a fair picture of Koha is presented in this well known and widely respected resource. Agnes
Nicole Engard wrote:
As usual, while I know where you're coming from ... are we saying we should all refrain from answering the survey and showing that Koha is used worldwide simply because the results aren't submitted as open source? Seems like shooting ourselves in the foot to me.
Nicole
On Sun, Jan 24, 2010 at 7:29 PM, MJ Ray <mjr@phonecoop.coop> wrote:
Nicole Engard <nengard@gmail.com>
Marshall Breeding has published his annual Library Automation Perceptions Report: http://www.librarytechnology.org/perceptions2009.pl Koha came out pretty darn well when independently hosted. What I'm surprised about is that the non-US Koha support companies are missing. This means that next year we need to get more international Koha libraries to answer the survey!!
Some already answer, but they were classified as Koha -- Independent even when they are hosted by us (and not just us installing and/or supporting their server).
The big problem I have with that survey is that libraries give Marshall Breeding their data, but the survey results are not given back under any free and open source software terms. It seems rather unjust to ask librarians to spend their time on something unequal like that, doesn't it?
Hope that explains, -- MJ Ray (slef) Webmaster and LMS developer at | software www.software.coop http://mjr.towers.org.uk | .... co IMO only: see http://mjr.towers.org.uk/email.html | .... op
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Agnes Rivers-Moore Assistant Librarian Hanover Public Library
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