[LINK] Selling the benefits of open source and open standards - need some links to relevant articles etc to round out preparation for a presentation.

[Marghanita da Cruz]

On risk - wikipedia is a good start:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk>

M
Anthony Hornby wrote:
> Hi All,
> I have to give a 30 minute presentation on the benefits of open source
> to a small mix of of academic and public library technical support
> staff and managers from around Australia next month at an informal
> workshop / unconference in Tasmania :-)
> 
> We use open source software extensively at my university library
> wherever it is possible to do so to meet our needs and appreciate the
> reliability, flexibility and community it brings. We contribute back
> bug reports, fixes and new features where we can. Open standards and a
> real community push for more openness and interconnectedness are also
> a relief from some commercial software packages we use where answers
> about interconnectedness and open exchange of data are often ignored,
> or answered with "ka'ching we make one of those too and we have great
> terms" :-)
> 
> I'd like to sell the community aspect as this is something libraries
> are very good at. We love to help each other out and we have a strong
> community interest in access to information for all. I personally feel
> that it is part of our responsibility in the first world to support
> development of high quality open source applications that:
> 
> 1. Less well off libraries can take, use and extend to their own needs
> (not that my university library could be described as 'well off").
> 2. Allow us to share and build global communities and collaborations
> that allow all of us to be more effective and efficient at meeting our
> clients needs.
> 3. Let us take back our own information futures from the few (mostly)
> unresponsive large commercial software vendors out there building
> library specific applications.
> 4. Gets libraries much more into the mainstream of information
> management (oh oh, controversial - please don't shoot me).
> 
> I'd also like to do some myth busting and cover risk management. The
> most common questions I get from senior managers are all about
> managing risk (fair enough).
> 
> I'd appreciate any links to well-reasoned relevant documents,
> articles, books etc to use to make my case well thought out, balanced
> and credible. Whatever you can share is appreciated. I'll find the
> rest myself and draw on our local experience for the rest.
> 
> I am a terrible public speaker, I always get serious nerves speaking
> in front of a group of people I don't know. Being as well prepared as
> I can and knowing my stuff is how I cope best. I volunteer for these
> sorts of things as I am sure I will get less nervous over time (it
> must happen eventually!), and I feel it is important to wave the flag
> of open source and open standards whenever I can as I strongly believe
> both are having a fundamental and positive effect in the information
> industry that I love.
> 
> 
> Thanks a lot & I hope you can help.
> 
> Regards Anthony
> _______________________________________________
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> Link at mailman.anu.edu.au
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> 


-- 
Marghanita da Cruz
http://www.ramin.com.au
Phone: (+61)0414 869202