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Engard, Nicole C., Practical Open Source Software for Libraries. Oxford, UK: Chandos Publishing, 2010. 242 pp. 80.00 USD. ISBN-13: 978-1-84334-585-5.
Open source software has become so commonly used in libraries that many would argue that a book describing it is redundant. Nicole C. Engard's Practical Open Source Software for Libraries provides compelling evidence against that argument. The book builds on information that is collected in directory sites such as http://oss4lib.org and the more recent http://foss4lib.org/ but offers a more comprehensive guide to the spectrum of open source applications that are currently used in libraries. These two sites focus on developer tools much more than Engard's book, which covers desktop, end-user applications such as web browsers, desktop publishing applications, and audio editing tools (while also covering web servers, content management systems, online course management systems, and integrated library systems). This contrast is consistent with Engard's intended audience - general librarians who "will be able to speak to [their] colleagues about open source software and make practical suggestions for software improvements in [their] library" (xxv) after reading her book.
Engard divides Practical Open Source Software for Libraries into two parts. The first is an overview of what open source software is,...