Daniel

Project: Signbrary

Signbrary A digital signage and content distribution system This project aims to be a solution for libraries that want to set up a digital signage system that also allows for content distribution. For example, a library could set up a stand alone digital sign at an event that displays events and notices and enables patrons to connect to the device and download eBooks, music, video, and more. The software itself is aimed at running as a standalone system on a Raspberry Pi, or as an online system connected to the internet. Special Thanks Signbrary utilizes the Javascript Date Picker by Chris Hulbert. Thank you, Chris! GitLab: https://gitlab.com/FOSSiLProjects/signbrary Questions? Need help? Contact Daniel Messer at cyberpunklibrarian (at) protonmail (dot) com Signbrary is currently under active development. Some features are not yet available.

Project: SlideOffHand

SlideOffHand Libraries often promote events on their websites using a carousel of slides. These slides usually combine images, text, and perhaps a logo in a standard layout. Often, the work is done in an image editor such as Photoshop, Pixelmator, or GIMP as the slide-maker edits and moves around various bits of a template. When faced with dozens, maybe even hundreds, of slides per month; you’ll find you can save a lot of time if you add a bit of automation to the process. SlideOffHand is a browser based app that automates the slide creation process. By using a standard layout, you can create unique, but consistent slides. SlideOffHand presents you with a way to upload, and then crop, an image for your slide. Then enter your event information, choose a branch from a dropdown (preventing typos), and select a colour for the text area. Your library’s logo can be…

Project: Maniphestopheles

An attempt at tote manifesting for Polaris ILS Maniphesopheles is a simple tote manifesting system for use with Polaris ILS, though it could be targeted toward other ILS solutions and products. As an automated materials handling (AMH) solution, it aims to optimize the processing involved with shipping and receiving materials through a library’s multi-branch courier system. In short, rather than dealing items on the individual level, Maniphestopheles deals with bins full of items. Its goals: Speed up the processing of items shipped through the courier by focusing on the bins, not the items Provide a fast way to processing entire bins of library materials by using the manifest to run the contents through Polaris check-in Offer a new way to track items in courier, by providing up to date information on the location of an item at the branch, the bin that item is in, and the time that item…

Project: CargoCult

CargoCult is designed to print tote tags and shipping tags on demand. In many multi-branch libraries, there’s often a courier system that transports library materials from branch to branch. These are often shipped in plastic tote bins and the bins are marked with removable tags that state their destination. Libraries will typically have a bunch of tags that they’ll need to dig through when marking the bins for shipment. Either that, or they’ll make a tag on the fly using a marker and scratch paper. This makes the outgoing shipping process take longer. It’s far easier to generate tote tags on demand. CargoCult solves this by presenting an easy to use interface that is touch-screen friendly. It displaus the names of your branch abbreviations on large buttons. If you happen to work in an environment where you’re shipping to other library systems, CargoCult can generate tote tags for those too,…

SCLD – A Fictional Library District

When I’m building projects I’m often targeting the library I work for, or a library I work with. Either way, those libraries have their branches and affiliates and so on. Those locations and their information usually get shoved into a database and I’ll pull from that database as needed. Well, with the FOSSiL Projects, I want to make sure folks have some data to play with, so they can try the software and see how it works. However, I don’t always want to use real world data just so things don’t get screwed up, confused, or otherwise mixed in. Sometimes, you want to keep your chocolate and peanut butter in separate containers, you know? So I invented a fictional library district, with branches and local community library systems that it works with. That way I can populate databases with information you can fiddle with, but you’ll know that these libraries…

FOSSiL? What’s that?

Welcome to The FOSSiL Projects, a collection of software and solutions for your library! FOSSiL is an acronym for Free Open Source Solutions in Libraries. We design software and solutions for libraries that are guaranteed to meet your budget requirements, because all of the software and solutions are free! Building upon a foundation of free and open source software (FOSS), FOSSiL provides ideas and technology to help you streamline workflows, enhance current processes, and make things better. And yes, it’s free. Almost all of the software here runs on Linux, a free and open source operating system that is not only a big part of the Internet, but also happens to run extremely well on lower end computers. That means you won’t need big, expensive servers with Microsoft licensing and SQL Server costs and all of that stuff. You can run the majority of the FOSSiL projects on an older…