Consider attending the Ticer "digital library school" in August, and
specifically participating in a workshop called "Open Source Software
for Libraries and XML":

   http://www.tilburguniversity.nl/services/lis/ticer/07carte/
program.html#3


Open Source Software

The day-long workshop is divided into two parts. The first is about
open source software. Given the linked texts and the accompanying set
of software, the student will learn the ideas behind open source
software, a bit of its history, how it is similar and dissimilar to
librarianship, and why it is important to the profession.

Through the hands-on exercises, the student will learn how to
uncompress and untar distributions, configure an application for
building, compile it, install it, configure it, and finally use it.
Applications used during these hands-on activities include: Apache (a
Web server), MARC::Record (a tool to read and writing MARC data),
MySQL (a relational database application), Perl (a scripting
language), zebra (an indexer/search engine), xsltproc (an XSLT
processor), and YAZ (a Z39.50 client). The hands-on exercises are
complete with sample data, configuration files, and sample scripts to
get the student up and going quickly.

This workshop is designed for the novice and moderately experienced
computer user. The only prerequisite skills are: 1) no fear of
command-line processing, and 2) the desire to learn. THIS WORKSHOP IS
NOT NECESSARILY DESIGNED FOR COMPUTER GEEKS. IT IS ABOUT TAKING
CONTROL OF YOUR COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT. To get a flavor for this
segment, see:

   http://infomotions.com/musings/ossnlibraries-workshop/


XML

The second half is about XML. This workshop introduces participants
to the extensible markup language (XML) through numerous examples,
demonstrations, and structured hands-on exercises. Through the
process you will be able to evaluate the uses of XML for making your
data and information more accessible to people as well as computers.
Examples include adding value to electronic texts (TEI), creating
archival finding aids (EAD), creating bibliographic data (MARCXML and
MODS), and implementing standards compliant Web pages (XHTML).

By the end of the workshop you will have acquired a thorough
introduction to XML and be able to: 1) list seven rules governing the
syntax of XML documents, 2) create your very own XML markup language,
3) write XML documents using a plain text editor and validate them
using a Web browser, 4) create simple XML documents using a number of
standard XML vocabularies, 5) transform XML documents into other
formats such as plain text or database (SQL) files using XSLT, and
finally, 6) articulate why XML is important for libraries.

This workshop is designed for the novice and moderately experienced
computer user. The only prerequisite skills are: 1) no fear of
command-line processing, 3) the ability to use a plain text editor,
and 3) the desire to learn. AGAIN, THIS IS NOT ABOUT COMPUTER
GEEKTOM. IT IS ABOUT LEARNING TO CREATE WELL-STRUCTURED DATA
CONSIDERING THE CURRENT NETWORKED ENVIRONMENT. This workshop will
cover much of the content at the following URL:

   http://infomotions.com/musings/getting-started/


Summary

These workshops are designed for any type of person who works in a
library. They will help you learn about the current and immediate
future of computing in libraries. These workshop have something to
offer everybody. They are not strictly designed for computer types.
The only prerequisites are an open mind and the desire to learn. For
more information about the Ticer school in general, see:

   http://www.tilburguniversity.nl/services/lis/ticer/07carte/index.html

--
Eric Lease Morgan
University Libraries of Notre Dame