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.mur...@lyrasis.org
+1 678-235-2955
 
1438 West Peachtree Street NW
Suite 200
Atlanta, GA 30309
Toll Free: 800.999.8558
Fax: 404.892.7879 
www.lyrasis.org
 
LYRASIS: Great Libraries. Strong Communities. Innovative Answers.

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