Glider: An Open Source Platform for Developing Display Wall Applications

Large-scale display walls have been popping up in academic libraries and campuses in general, but there are very few out-of-the-box software applications that showcase these significant hardware investments. You can build a custom solution, but this requires significant technical skills, infrastructure, and development time. At Brown University Library, we are developing an open-source web-based platform that will provide those with basic HTML/CSS skills the ability to create interactive, distributed display applications that leverage their display walls. This system, called Glider, is intended to be used for digital exhibits, interactive classrooms experiences, digital collections browsers, and other such applications.

Outcomes: Identify the challenges faced by library staff when tasked with supporting novel technology * Understand how we can develop open-source projects to help the larger community address common challenges * Become aware of the Glider project's goals, approaches, and applications—and potential utility in your particular context