Toolkit of free and open source software for NGOs

ByNetwork Learning

The Open Publishing edition of NGO-in-a-box is a toolkit of free and open source software, tutorials and guides for producing, publishing and distributing content.

Produced by Tactical Tech in collaboration with iCommons, it is aimed at small to medium sized non-profits, independent media organisations, free culture creators and grassroots journalists with a particular emphasis on those in developing and transition countries… http://base.ngoinabox.org/

The contents of the toolkit were selected by an editorial team made up of leading international practitioners working in DIY publishing, free culture, technology for social justice and the development and deployment of free and open source software.

The Open Publishing Box covers the following areas:

•    Desktop publishing
•    Graphic design, fonts and image manipulation
•    Web publishing including wikis, content management systems and blogging
•    Citizen journalism and participatory media
•    Open content licensing and the commons

The Open Publishing Box is distributed quite literally as a box-set of three CDs. The first CD is the compilation put together by the edition editorial team, the second is the GNU/Linux distribution Ubuntu and the third is the OpenCD, a collection of basic FOSS programmes for Windows.

The primary aims of the Open Publishing Edition of NGO-in-a-box are to:

•    Provide a selection of tools and materials for NGOs, activists and journalists for the purposes of open publishing, open content licensing and participatory media making.
•    Create a toolkit that brings together a cross-section of approaches to the broad area of publishing for the non-profit sector.
•    Encourage and promote the growth and use of free and open source tools for these activities; assisting with choice, testing, and access barriers.
•    Promote the ethics and potential of free culture and the development of the commons.

The edition is available online and most importantly as a physical box set of CDs – if you are interested in receiving a copy please email openpublishing-edition@ngoinabox.org

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