[LM_NET] HIT: KOHA ILS

[gayle prentice wood <tiadragon@GMAIL.COM>]

Thank you all for your responses to my question about KOHA.  I am sorry for
the delay in posting a hit, but I was hoping to get some replies to further
questions I had for individual members.  Since there was great interest in a
hit, I figured I would go ahead and post…



Please feel free to continue emailing me off-list if you have any additional
comments about KOHA!!!





*Original post:*



I am setting up a small library for my alternative school and have very

little budget.  I have chosen to try Koha, the open source ILS, and was

wondering if anyone has used it before?  Any and all tips, tricks or program

quirks are appreciated!



Also, if anyone has another open source ILS program that they recommend, I

would be open to other suggestions as well.





*Responses:*

* *

I've had great success using OPALS.  It is open source ILS and I've yet to
find anything wrong with it.  It's not expensive and I've had help via phone
and email whenever I needed it.  You can even demo it before you buy
it.  Here's
the information:



Harry Chan, Media Flex Inc. harry@bibliofiche.com

877-331-1022 ext. 225

http://www.opals-na.org



It even has federated searching.   I know I sound like a commercial but I
can't get over how great it is.  You can catalog any item be it print, ebook
or AV in a matter of minutes.



*****

I worked with Koha during my automation online class with TWU. Our class did
an experimental program where we were divided into groups and allowed to
have access to the Koha program to set up our own library. Koha is a unique
program, but I would not recommend it for the small library. If you have a
small budget to begin with, Koha is not the way to go...Koha is designed
more for large public library systems with branches, so the price tag is
well into the thousands, I believe. If not, you need to have some
considerable library and IT experience when you deal with open-source
systems. In one sense, they are a blank slate........if you really know what
you want and how you want to set up your system, open source is the way to
go. Open source is very labor intensive and detail oriented.



I currently run a very small library at a private school. I got them up and
running with a very small system. If you would like some sources for systems
for small libraries, I would be glad to send you some info. Just let me
know!



*****

Remember that you need a linux based server for Koha and most of the open
source ILS products.



*****

We just moved from Athena to Destiny (not opensource). Although, I don't
have an opensource one for you I pulled a list of systems that include
opensource you can review at this site. Koha is listed here. Once you get
started let me know about selection and progress. Make sure that you make a
list of criteria for software selection.
http://www.loc.gov/marc/marcsysvend.html



Also, you may want to add MP3 availability to help build your collection,
ex. audible.com and annual bookfair, scholastic.com, you can open to the
community (daycares etc) to help raise funds for your library collection.
Let me know what other feedback you get on best open source systems.



*****

There is a new award winning open source called Evergreen. They had a booth
next to ours at ALA. It's all over Michigan, Georgia and British Colombia.







Gayle Prentice Wood

Mt. Scott Learning Centers

gprenticewood@gmail.com

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