SPEC Kit 340: Open Source Software · 33
12. Please indicate how important each of the following reasons for adopting OSS over a competing
vended product is to your library. Please make one selection per row. N=72
Reasons 1 Not
Important
2 3 4 5 Very
Important
N
The functionality of the open source system best meets
our needs
— 1 3 14 54 72
Greater control and customizability 1 — 5 26 40 72
Lower monetary cost for implementation and licensing 2 6 25 18 21 72
Lower monetary cost for support and maintenance 2 8 23 25 14 72
Library or institutional policies encourage the use of OSS 27 15 18 11 — 71
Desire to contribute to the library OSS community 6 15 22 18 9 70
Less staff time to implement 2 18 32 10 7 69
Less staff time to support 4 11 31 17 4 67
Other reason(s) 3 — 4 — 3 10
Number of Responses 31 37 65 61 67 72
If you indicated above that the library has other reason(s) for adopting OSS over a competing
vended product, please briefly describe the reason(s). N=7
3 Important
Limited availability of software
Ongoing economic sustainability is critical for determination to adopt OSS or a vended product. All public facing web
applications must be made accessible for disabled users, so control of this is vital for our institution.
OSS implementations relate to gaps in the vended market.
Staff familiarity with OSS systems.
5 Very Important
Better integration with RUcore cyberinfrastructure.
Freedom to study, copy, modify, and redistribute. Availability of potential staff candidates familiar with free software
options. Trust in the respective developer communities.
Resourcing: Leveraging pooled resources within community, which decreases cost for cross training and ensures forward
movement and support during staff shortages. Training &retention: staff have a ready network of peers and training
opportunities which greatly supports skill building, impact of work, visibility of their work and professional networking.
Additional Comments N=4
For above statements, don’t necessarily agree, e.g., “less staff time to implement”—generally takes more time to
implement an OSS—so not important is what was selected.
Security, analytics, integration with older systems
12. Please indicate how important each of the following reasons for adopting OSS over a competing
vended product is to your library. Please make one selection per row. N=72
Reasons 1 Not
Important
2 3 4 5 Very
Important
N
The functionality of the open source system best meets
our needs
— 1 3 14 54 72
Greater control and customizability 1 — 5 26 40 72
Lower monetary cost for implementation and licensing 2 6 25 18 21 72
Lower monetary cost for support and maintenance 2 8 23 25 14 72
Library or institutional policies encourage the use of OSS 27 15 18 11 — 71
Desire to contribute to the library OSS community 6 15 22 18 9 70
Less staff time to implement 2 18 32 10 7 69
Less staff time to support 4 11 31 17 4 67
Other reason(s) 3 — 4 — 3 10
Number of Responses 31 37 65 61 67 72
If you indicated above that the library has other reason(s) for adopting OSS over a competing
vended product, please briefly describe the reason(s). N=7
3 Important
Limited availability of software
Ongoing economic sustainability is critical for determination to adopt OSS or a vended product. All public facing web
applications must be made accessible for disabled users, so control of this is vital for our institution.
OSS implementations relate to gaps in the vended market.
Staff familiarity with OSS systems.
5 Very Important
Better integration with RUcore cyberinfrastructure.
Freedom to study, copy, modify, and redistribute. Availability of potential staff candidates familiar with free software
options. Trust in the respective developer communities.
Resourcing: Leveraging pooled resources within community, which decreases cost for cross training and ensures forward
movement and support during staff shortages. Training &retention: staff have a ready network of peers and training
opportunities which greatly supports skill building, impact of work, visibility of their work and professional networking.
Additional Comments N=4
For above statements, don’t necessarily agree, e.g., “less staff time to implement”—generally takes more time to
implement an OSS—so not important is what was selected.
Security, analytics, integration with older systems
