[Koha] Fwd: FOSS4LIB registry now open for new packages/releases/providers/events/institutions

[Cab Vinton]

Thought this might be of wider interest to the Koha community.

Cheers,

Cab Vinton, Director
Sanbornton Public Library
Sanbornton, NH

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Peter Murray <peter.murray at lyrasis.org>
Date: Tue, Jan 17, 2012 at 3:39 PM
Subject: FOSS4LIB registry now open for new
packages/releases/providers/events/institutions
To: CODE4LIB at listserv.nd.edu


All --

The project that I was seeking feedback on over the fall is seeing the
light of day.  http://foss4lib.org/ is now open for use by the
community.  For the Code4Lib audience, this mostly means you can
create an account, log in, and create content nodes for specific
packages, releases, and events.  See
http://foss4lib.org/content/adding-information-foss4lib for links on
how to get started.

For people or organizations that provide support for open source
software in libraries -- implementation consulting, hosting, custom
code development, training, etc. -- we especially want to encourage
you to sign up and post your availability on the site.  One of the
overarching goals is to promote an ecosystem of open source support
providers for packages that are specific to libraries.  So we want to
make this registry a better place to go to find those support options
over a scattershot Google search.  Please note that there is one bit
of functionality in the registry that is not done right now.  Some
software packages have well developed lists of providers and
institutions that use the software, and we're not trying to reproduce
those in the registry.  There is a capability coming that will allow
URLs to these community lists to override the
provider/using-institution functionality of the registry.  More on
that soon.

Speaking of additional functionality, I am very interested in hearing
ideas about how the registry can advance the goal of supporting open
source software in libraries.  If you have any, feel free to discuss
them here or send me a direct e-mail.  A press release about FOSS4LIB
will be going out in the next couple of hours, and it will include
information about one-hour introductory sessions at Midwinter and
webinars later in January and February.


Here's the instructions:

Go to http://foss4lib.org/user/register and create an account for
yourself.  The pattern for usernames is recommended to be your first
and last name, but you can make it anything you want.  You'll receive
an e-mail with a one-time password to follow and set your password.

Then browse (http://foss4lib.org/packages) or search
(http://foss4lib.org/search/node) for your target software package(s).
 If you see it/them, great! -- move onto the next step.  If not,
follow "Add content -> package" (http://foss4lib.org/node/add/package)
to create it.  Put in the common name (no release numbers) for your
package as its title and some descriptive chunk of text for the body.
Below this is a series of technology choices that you can make.  In
the case of Package Type, License, and Development Status you can pick
one of the choices.  For Operating System, Technologies Used,
Programming Language, and Database you can pick more than one (using
Command-Click or Control-Click, depending on your operating system).
For anything in this Technology area, if there are terms that you need
that aren't listed let me know and I'll add them.  Below Technology is
Links, and you can fill in any URLs that you know/have for this
package.  Below that is an Associations sect!
 ion where you can link this package to other packages in the system.
(See the DSpace entry, for instance --
http://foss4lib.org/package/dspace -- on how it is associated with
Djatoka.)  Now hit "Save" (or hit "Preview" then "Save") your package
and go onto the next step.

As appropriate, create a Provider for your company/organization/self
(http://foss4lib.org/node/add/provider):  Put in the title and
description.  Then in the "Supports" section, pick one or more choices
for "Provider Type".  (If you provide services other than the ones
listed here, let me know and I'll add them to the list.)  In the
Package field start typing the name of the package until it pops up in
the auto-complete drop-down and select it there.  (When you do so,
you'll see the package name appended with "[nid:x]" representing the
node ID.)  You can mix-and-match your Provider Type and Packages by
selecting "Add Another Item".  In the Employees Registered section,
you can add people registered on FOSS4LIB (including yourself) that
will appear as associated with your firm.  Below that add arbitrary
URLs (such as to your homepage, client list, contact information,
etc.) that will appear on your provider page.  Then hit "Save" (or hit
"Preview" then "Save") and your done!

Feel free to add Events (http://foss4lib.org/node/add/event), Package
Releases (http://foss4lib.org/node/add/release), and other Packages
(http://foss4lib.org/node/add/package) that you know about.  And thank
you for extending the usefulness of the FOSS4LIB site.


Peter
--
Peter Murray
Assistant Director, Technology Services Development
LYRASIS
Peter.Murray at lyrasis.org
+1 678-235-2955

1438 West Peachtree Street NW
Suite 200
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