Library system migrates from Linux -- to more Linux
The six branches of the Howard County Library system in Maryland provide 300 computers to their clients. This week, every computer has been upgraded from a "homegrown" Linux kernel, to Groovix, an Ubuntu Linux derivative.
Amy Begg De Groff, the library's IT director, says Howard County libraries are well supported by its patrons. "We get very gracious funding from the county residents, but the majority of the money goes to [book] collections and payroll. So the funding just doesn't keep up with our IT needs." Because of that, five years ago, the library was exploring alternatives to Microsoft Windows and its steep licensing fees.
De Groff says the library created and deployed a custom kernel that provided patrons with a browser to search the catalog and access the Internet. They wanted more. "Word processing, instant messaging, sound, video -– they just wanted more, more more," she says. "When they walk in and see a computer, they expect it to function just like it does at home."
The library wanted to grant its patrons' wishes without leaving Linux behind.
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