The document discusses open source principles and how they are being applied at The Tech Museum in Second Life. It summarizes the key open source principles of freedom to use, redistribute, adapt and improve software/content, and obligation to contribute back to the community. It then discusses how The Tech Museum is using Second Life and open source methods to more cheaply and quickly prototype virtual museum exhibits, allowing exhibits to be built for 1/3 the traditional cost and in 1/4 the time through collaboration with the global community. Exhibits developed in this open source process are then built for their physical museum.

1. Open Source for Museum Professionals

3. What is Open Source? When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not price. … freedom to distribute copies … (and charge for this service if you wish), … (to) receive source code, … (to) change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs…. - GNU Public License Powerful, reliable software and improved technology are useful byproducts of freedom, but the freedom to have a community is important in its own right. - Richard Stallman Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Defined

5. Sharing and Collaboration are Basic Human Values

6. Open Source Museum Exhibits

10. Access and Interaction

11. Rapid Prototyping 1 2 3 4

12. The Story of an Open Source Museum Exhibit

13. Exhibit Creation Process idea & sketch museum floor Virtual thetechvirtual.org Second Life EOD