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media labs

on the cheap

free and open-source tools to start your own makerspace

Nate Stone, Program Coordinator, ideaLAB

Community Technology Center | Denver Public Library

nstone@denverlibrary.org

@why_nate

http://bit.ly/CALCONflosspresentation

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hi, I'm Nate.

I work here.

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but we started like this

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so, I may have misled you a bit.

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what do you mean by "free"?

free beer

(gratis)

​

​

free speech

(libre)

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flavors of free

open source

  • source code is available
  • free to study, modify, and distribute

​

freeware

  • proprietary code, distributed for free
  • many subgenres: donationware, nagware

​

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what do libraries do?

​

        • provide free (gratis) access to information
        • advocate for free (libre) speech, transparency, open access
        • OMG GUYS I JUST REALIZED SOMETHING

​

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libraries are open source.

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so what I'm saying is:

source code = government documents = car repair manuals = young adult paranormal postapocalyptic romance novels =

FREE (libre) AND UNFETTERED ACCESS TO INFORMATION

=

we can put our money where our mouth is.

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free-beer-type benefits

  • FOR YOU: how many people have too much money in their budget?
  • FOR PATRONS: how many people teach Word classes?

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free-speech-type benefits

  • open code
    • more eyes, bugs found and fixed
    • new features developed
    • community-created features
  • patron privacy and security

ADE example

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WHAT I'M NOT SAYING

don't freak out.

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WHAT I AM SAYING

  • try it yourself
    • Install LibreOffice or GIMP. Notice how computer doesn't catch fire.
    • Install Linux on an old computer. Notice how world doesn't end.
  • show it to others
    • Teach LibreOffice alongside Office. Teach GIMP alongside Photoshop. We even have curricula for you on Linux, GIMP, LMMS, and LibreOffice.
    • Set up a Linux machine. See if anyone notices.
  • start small but start talking
    • Making a robust set of open source tools for libraries is a long term project we have to do together.

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anyway.

Here's a couple things that are swell.

  • The GIMP: amazing image editor (think Photoshop)
  • Inkscape: vector graphics for illustration (think Illustrator)
  • Blender: 3D modeling, animation, game creation, and video editing (think 3DS Max/Maya + Premiere)
  • LMMS: a digital audio workstation for making music - great for hip-hop and electronic music.

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here's our favorites

the full list is available here:

http://bit.ly/CALCON-FOSS

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good resources

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running portably

  • portableapps.com (open source, free)
  • Cameyo (free personal version)

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any questions?

Nate Stone

ideaLAB | Community Technology Center

Denver Public Library

​

nstone@denverlibrary.org

720-865-3446