A sandbox is a testing (or virtual) environment that isolates untested code changes and outright experimentation from the production environment

A BitNami Stack is an easy to install package of software that includes everything you need to run the primary application. BitNami Stacks are completely self-contained and run independently of the rest of the software or libraries installed on your system. So, you don’t have to worry about installing dependencies on your system to make the new application work. They also won’t interfere with any other software installed on your system, so everything you’re already running will continue to work normally.

Some cool examples:

BitNami :: Cloud Computing – Bitnami also offers their stacks in the cloud via Rightscale and Amazon’s EC2 computing service
http://bitnami.org/rightscale

WP-Sandbox is a virtual appliance that runs on VMware workstation or player
http://blogbuildingu.com/wordpress/wp-sandbox

VMware player
http://www.vmware.com/products/player/

Microsoft’s Virtual PC software
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/default.aspx

Syracuse I-school is offering Virtual PCs to their students
http://itservices.syr.edu/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=183

University of Cincinnati Libraries Ulsandbox
http://www.ulsandbox.org

This idea also includes libraries that not only provide sandboxes for staff development, but include patron input to determine usefulness of the service/software

Ball State University Libraries
http://www.bsu.edu/libraries/weblab/

Louisville Free Public Library
http://www.lfpl.org/innovation-lab.htm

What are the barriers to the adoption of new technology? Are they primarily technological? cultural? policy? monetary?

What other approaches have been tried and what has worked? What hasn’t worked?