There’s a broad overlap between the mission(s) of research libraries and the ethos of the open source software movement. Shared values like openness, transparency, intellectual freedom, and access have animated countless library-based initiatives, just as they have sparked the development of many free software projects. In this week’s Munch & Mull, Jack Hill and Will Shaw lead a broad discussion of open source and the mission of libraries. We’ll examine the history and philosophies of the open source software movement, discuss open-source development in Duke Libraries, and explore how (and why) libraries may be uniquely positioned to advocate for the use of open source in research and infrastructure.

To understand some of the history and values of the open source movement, you may want to read the Wikipedia articles "Open-source movement" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_movement) and "Free software movement" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software_movement).