Day-long forum highlights the OCLC/Frederick W. Kilgour Lecture in Information and Library Science

Mark your calendars for a special day-long forum highlighting the OCLC/Frederick G. Kilgour Lecture in Information and Library Science.

The event is scheduled for Tuesday, February 20, 2007 and will feature Michael Tiemann, vice president, Open Source Affairs for Red Hat who will present, "Sharing Knowledge, Multiplying Value: The Non-Linear Nature of Open Source Software."

Tiemann is a true open source software pioneer. He made his first major open source contribution over a decade ago by writing the GNU C++ compiler, the first native-code C++ compiler and debugger. His early work led to the creation of leading open source technologies and the first open source business model.

In 1989, Tiemann's technical expertise and entrepreneurial spirit led him to co-found Cygnus Solutions, the first company to provide commercial support for open source software. During his ten years at Cygnus, Tiemann contributed in a number of roles from president to hacker, helping lead the company from fledgling start-up to an admired open source leader.

Tiemann serves on a number of boards, including the Open Source Initiative and the GNOME Foundation. Tiemann also provides financial support to organizations that further the goals of software and programmer freedom, including the Free Software Foundation and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

The morning session will also include a tribute to Dr. Kilgour, founder of the OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. and distinguished research professor at SILS who passed away in July, 2006. The afternoon session will feature remarks from OCLC president and chief executive officer, Jay Jordan, and a panel composed of library and information professionals.

The lecture is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the School of Government Auditorium at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It brings together scholars and leaders from around the world to share innovative ideas and cutting-edge research.

The lecture is funded through a special endowment from the OCLC Online Computer Library Center to honor Dr. Frederick G. Kilgour. Kilgour was the founder of OCLC. and inventor of the WorldCat database. WorldCat is one of the most consulted databases in higher education, used daily by students, teachers, scholars and researchers worldwide.