Vimal kumar V Asst. Librarian Asian School of Business Technopark,Trivandrum

Need for Open Source software Cost of commercial ILMS is very high Commercial developers do not reveal the source code Library have no control over the software Investing in commercial ILMS is never ending process

Popular commercial ILMS Rs. 50,000SOUL Rs. 3,50,000Alice for WINDOWS Rs. 4,50,000LibSys Rs. 4,50,000Libsuite Appoximate Price Name

What is Free/Open Source Software? Free/Open Source software is a computer software whose source code is available under a license that permits users to use, change, and improve the software, and to redistribute it in modified or unmodified form. It is often developed in a public, collaborative manner. (Wikipedia) ‏

Features of Free Software the freedom to run the program, for any purpose the freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to local needs the freedom to redistribute copies so others can benefit from the software the freedom to improve the program, and release the improved version to the public, so that the community can benefit (The Free Software Foundation) ‏

Proprietary cakes can restrict your freedom

Open Licenses GNU General Public License (GPL) ‏ Mozilla Public License Creative Commons BSD License Apache Software License GNU Free Documentation License

History of Free/Open Source Software 1984 Richard Stallman formed Free Software Foundation (FSF) Linus Torvalds developed Linux 1994 Red Hat (commercial Linux) company founded “Open Source Initiative” was formed

OSS: Disadvantages Inadequate technical support Documentation tends to be limited and aimed at developers. Technical support is usually limited, especially for users of the software. Customization Many features in ILS are generalist and must be customised before use.

OSS: Disadvantages Unanticipated efforts A library may find that it needs to do a great deal more work than anticipated to adapt the software to local needs. Lack of coordination The decentralized development of open source software means that progress can be chaotic and there may be delays in addressing bugs.

Integrated Library Management System (ILMS) ‏ “ an automated library system that is capable of managing the operations of more than one basic library functions” -UNESCO

Modules of library processes in an ILMS Acquisition Cataloguing Serial Management Circulation OPAC

Free/Open Source ILMS Avanthi Circulation System Emilda FireFly Koha PhpMylibrary OpenBiblio Senayan OpenILS PhpMyBibli GNUTECA PMB Learning Access ILS NewGenLib

Why Koha? Full-featured ILS Library standards compliant Web based interfaces Free software No Vendor Lock in Active development process Community decides what they want Frequent software releases

History Began in 1999 when the Horowhenua Library Trust (HLT) in New Zealand, was looking for a Y2K compliant replacement for their library system Katipo Communications proposed a new system, using open source tools to be released under the GPL MaorigiftKoha (the Maori word for ‘gift’ or ‘donation’) went world’s first live at HLT in January 2000, and was the world’s first open source integrated library automation package Distributed under GNU GPL licence It is currently maintained by a dedicated team of. software providers and library technology staff from around the globe.

License: The GNU General Public License Developer: Horowhenua Library Trust, New Zealand Operating System: Linux, Windows, Mac Functional Modules: Acquisition Cataloguing, Circulation, Serial Control, OPAC. Home Page:

Koha features web-based OPAC, circulation and management interfaces, MARC21 and UNIMARC support, Z39.50 server, Online Reservations& Renewals, Overdue Notifications. Virtual Shelves

Technical Requirements OS- Linux, Windows, Mac OS Programming Language- Perl Database- MySQL Webserver- Apache CPAN modules Zebra Yaz

How Koha Works? Perl Script MySQL Database Server Library Network

Koha Librarian Interface

Koha Support Koha documentation Discussion forums Wiki Chat Blogs Commercial support -data migration -hosting -customization -development

Koha in India

Koha 3.0 features Web 2.0 features: RSS feed, user tagging, user suggestion, user/patron login facility, patron reviews and ranking Zebra plugin- relevance ranking, field weighting, truncation, stemming, language-specific indexing, sorting, etc. Online reservations and renewals RDBMS- MySQL 5 Amazon.com integration spellchecking queries based on database entries patron reviews and ranking highlight search terms in results pages Search history Reserves : send a mail or a SMS when a reserve is available Serials Enhancements RFID and self check out Overdue Notices and more…

What is your commitment? Find bugs Find usability problems Suggest new features Review and inspect source code Submit source code Writing Documentation responding to other users’ questions

Thank you