Some of the organizations hardest hit by the sagging U.S. economy are non-profits and industries that rely on donations and public support to stay afloat. Museums and cultural institutions are turning to open source software as one way to deal with declining attendance and lack of funding to cover operational costs.

We've already mentioned one Web-publishing platform that makes historical archives accessible, but there are several other open source projects that address the different needs of museums. They're certainly worth a look by anyone who needs to manage a large collection or create an exhibit.