Three primary factors had to be considered when researching replacement options. As I said, space is at a premium so any hardware I would bring in would need a small footprint. Price is always a factor. I needed something that remained relatively inexpensive. Finally, because of the very specific function this device needed to serve, easy customization was also a required feature. After careful consideration and research, it was decided that the Raspberry Pi was my solution.

Raspberry Pi is a credit card sized computer that has low power consumption, can connect to a TV or monitor, uses a standard keyboard and mouse and runs a variety of Linux based operating systems known for easy customization. A kit that includes everything you might need runs for about $60, and once fully assembled, takes up about as much space as a baby’s footprint. Because each existing OPAC already utilized a flatscreen monitor as well as a USB connected keyboard and mouse, there were no additional hardware costs beyond that of the Raspberry Pi itself. Replacing an aging OPAC for $60 was a price point I could not ignore.

Once my kit was received, the hardware was assembled and OS active within 5 minutes, after which I could attempt the customization needed to make the device behave as I desired. Simply put, I needed our OPAC machines to automatically boot into our online catalog. I needed web navigation disabled so that only the catalog was accessible. I also wanted the device locked down so that there was no way to interact or view the Raspberry Pi’s GUI or command terminal. Through a text based command terminal available in Raspbian, I was able to input the changes I desired and have the new OPAC up and running within an hour. I have outlined the process in greater detail below.

Raspberry Pi OPAC Install: How-to

This simple instructional will outline the process of setting up a Raspberry Pi web OPAC from scratch. You will require a Raspberry Pi with the Raspbian OS installed on the micro SD card. What’s that you say? Well, most Raspberry Pi kits come with NOOBS (New Out Of The Box Software) installed on the SD card already. I recommend the kits from Cana Kit (www.canakit.com). While you can manually download and burn an OS disk image to a blank SD card and buy all the necessary components, it is easier and actually more cost effective to use a kit with a pre-loaded card.

Installing the OS
The first order of business is to install your operating system (OS). Since an OS is simply a set of basic programs and utilities that make your computer (in this case your Raspberry Pi) run, for this project I recommend Raspbian. Raspbian is a free OS that has been optimized to run on a Raspberry Pi.

If you have followed my recommendations, you took the smart step of purchasing a Raspberry Pi kit that includes an SD card pre-installed with NOOBS. If you didn’t take my advice, download Raspbian, burn the disk image to an SD card, boot up and install, open a terminal window and then re-join the rest of us.

Okay, next, we will insert our SD card containing NOOBS into the Raspberry Pi, connect the Pi to a monitor (via the HDMI port) and a mouse and keyboard (via USB), attach a wireless USB dongle or ethernet cord, then connect the power supply. The Raspberry Pi will automatically boot.

When booting for the first time using NOOBS (or holding ‘SHIFT’ on reboot for recovering an existing install) you will encounter the Pi Recovery Screen. Here is what you do:

1. Select and install Raspbian
2. Follow the setup instructions
3. Turn on the GUI (graphical user interface) if required.

Now that the OS is properly activated, we will customize it to act as a dedicated OPAC by entering a few new commands. For this we will need to install a web browser in order to access our online catalog.

To Install Browser:

1. Open Terminal (if running from GUI)
2. Install updates by entering: sudo apt-get update && apt-get upgrade –y
3. Install Chromium by entering: sudo apt-get install chromium x11-xserver-utils

Next we will disable sleep so that our new OPAC machine stays on.

To Disable Sleep:

1. Edit the lightdm.conf file by entering: sudo nano /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf
2. Add the following lines to the [SeatDefaults] section:

xserver-command=X –s 0 dpms

To Hide Cursor When Not Active:

1. Install Unclutter by entering:

sudo apt-get install unclutter

To Configure LXDE:

1. Edit the LXDE autostart file by entering:

sudo nano /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE/autostart

2. Comment out everything by adding # in front of each existing line and then add the following lines:

@xset s off

@xset –dpms

@xset s noblank

while true; do 

                                chromium –kiosk –incognito http://yourlibrarycatalogue.html

done

Then Reboot:

Reboot the Raspberry Pi by entering: sudo reboot

Your install is complete. Once the reboot finishes, your Raspberry Pi will auto-boot directly into your web based catalog search page. It is now impossible to navigate to any other website or access any other function on the Raspberry Pi.

Congratulations!

The author and two additional shelve spaces – thanks to the Raspberry Pi!

You have accomplished three goals:

1. Established a dedicated OPAC machine for catalog searches that cannot devolve into long email/internet journeys.
2. Used a baby footprint for hardware that creates space where there was none.
3. Achieved all this at a fraction of the cost of a full desktop computer.

Needless to add, your boss is also going to love you (In fact, this conclusion has been added by Jed’s boss).

The post Building Small, Cheap, Dedicated Catalog Stations: Do-It-Yourself Raspberry Pi OPACS first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

AT: What’s a Raspberry Pi?

BA:The Raspberry Pi is a small computer — credit card sized — that was developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation of the UK to help teach basic computer skills in schools.  Think of it as the Tinker Toys of the 21st century. Because they are so powerful, flexible, and adaptable and because they cost only $35 their popularity has exploded worldwide. There is a huge user-base eager to share their projects. Visit  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_pi or http://www.raspberrypi.org/ for more information.

AT: How are you using them at the Somerset County Library System?
BA: Our first project was to create digital signs using a Raspberry Pi, a WiFi dongle (so it can connect to the Internet) and specially-adapted Google Docs Presentations.  Once set up, you have a digital sign whose text can be easily changed from anywhere on the Web. We use them to replace posters in house to advertise services and programs. Because the Raspberry Pi is so cheap, it is all done for essentially the cost of a flat screen monitor — we picked up 32” name brand monitors for $250. The Raspberry Pi fits on the back. You could also use them at a checkout or information desks with smaller, 19” monitors.  It’s way easier than fussing with digital photo frames.

Our second project is to use a Raspberry Pi with touch screen monitors to create stack-end catalog-only devices.

And our third project — still in the works — is to create an inexpensive self-charge station using a Raspberry Pi, a touch screen and a barcode reader.

AT: Was it difficult to implement?
BA: The first project was a breeze — there is lots of user help out there for the devices. It would be even easier for anyone wishing to duplicate what we did — drop us a line and we’ll make the ISO file available to you. With a little tweaking on your end, you would have a working model in no time. As this article is being written we are starting our second and third projects and are not having any problems other than finding the time!

AT: How much does it cost?
BA: The Pi itself is quite cheap, around $35. A great way to begin would be to purchase a starter kit, which typically include everything you need to get going: a Pi, an SD card, power supply and a case.

AT: What are the staff resources it takes to support it?
BA: We have a very small staff doing this kind of thing:  a Director of Virtual Services (Rich Loomis) and a part-time assistant. These projects are all their brainchildren.  Going from working out a prototype to moving into “production,” it transitions easily into a great project for student volunteers who will do the actual assembly. We have all the pieces on order now for volunteers to assemble into the digital signs we will then roll out to the branches.

AT: What has been the patron reaction?  Could you share any success stories?
BA: We don’t have any of the signboards out for the public just yet but have used them in a variety of venues, including a Chamber of Commerce Small Business Expo (slides are here:  http://goo.gl/656WKf ) and staff development day.  The constantly-changing sign board makes a great attention-grabber and conversation-starter.  If you keep the box your 32” monitor came in, you can easily transport the whole lot offsite with little trouble.

AT: Whom could I contact at your library if I wanted the code for your sign project?
BA: Email Rich Loomis at rloomis@sclibnj.org.

The post Take a Look at the Raspberry Pi – Library Technology Buzz first appeared on Public Libraries Online.