Conclusion
Greenstone software is easy to use, relatively inexpensive, and for the most part reliable. It has a solid reputation and, in fact, has been used in many digital library projects around the world. There are, however, some serious downsides to the software: it requires some technical know-how to customize, it lacks formal support (although its informal support is considerable) and as an open source software it does not come with any guarantees of longevity. Thus, even though the software is free, creating a digital library with Greenstone is not as inexpensive as was initially believed. While these concerns need to be addressed and are serious, they are not necessarily enough to completely reject the software for Big City Library. Therefore, it is recommended that this library seriously consider using Greenstone software for its digital library, but with several conditions. If Big City Library chooses Greenstone, there must be a significant financial commitment for its implementation and its use. The library must either hire a programmer who has experience with Greenstone or retain the services of a consultant who also has those skills. Money must also be allocated for intensive staff training on the software. Additionally, a series of implementation trials involving both librarian and patron volunteers is recommended before Big City Library uses Greenstone for our digital library project. Such trials would determine whether Greenstone is indeed worthy of the considerable costs that will be associated with its implementation.
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2 comments:
I chose Greenstone and came up almost with same conclusions. I agree with you to have a pilot project to evaluate associated pros and cons with implementing the software.
Hey Rachel!
I evaluated Greenstone as well, and my conclusions are pretty much the same as yours. Open Source software seems too good to be true upon initial readings...I found (like you did) in some of my other readings that people encountered significant usability issues when they tried to set up Greenstone in their own libraries. That being said, it's been around a long time, and tons of people use it! I recommended a pilot project for my hypothetical library.
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