NEED AND IMPORTANCE OF OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE IN LIBRARIES.

Open Source Software provides a new way for the construction and presentation of information collections of libraries in the age of ICT. Open Source Software are free and offer effective full-text searching and metadata-based browsing facilities that are attractive and easy to use. This paper has made an attempt to highlight the main issues of Open Source Software. It also describes some of the important Open Source Software, being presently used all over the world in libraries and information centers and also explores the important characteristics and features of the software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]