Re: [LIS-Forum] KOHA Implementation @ University of Mysore

7 Mar 2011

      Dear All,

It is really good initiative but my view is no bigger libraries in India is perfectly automated i.e. only circulation and cataloguing modules are well automated rest of the house keeping operations are still manual or semi automated therefore in this context OSS is excellent cost effective solution. But if we really want to perfectly automate all house keeping operations we need extensive customization of all softwares (Open-source or commercial)and high level staff training specially in big Libraries.

On Mon, 07 Mar 2011 10:44:23 +0530 wrote
...
ï¿½ Dear Professionals,
ï¿½ 

After an extensive survey and analysis, an Expert Committee consisting of senior 

library professionals and teaching faculty of University of Mysore recommended 

the adoption of KOHA, an open source integrated library management system for 

automating libraries under University of Mysore including Main Library and 

libraries of Constituent Colleges (5), Institutions (13), PG Centers (3) and 

Departments (37).ï¿½ Our earlier attempts (before 2003) of automating our 

libraries using ILMSs like Libsys, TLMS and SLIM were discontinued with little 

OPAC work done due to various reasons.ï¿½ However, now we have migrated the 

bibliographic records created as a result of earlier attempts into a newly 

adopted system KOHA.ï¿½ 

ï¿½ 

Why KOHA?

KOHA is selected based on the following key considerations:

ï¿½ 

1)ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Features / Capabilities: 

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ KOHAâ€™s cataloging, OPAC and circulation modules are of superior 

quality to alternativesavailable, both commercial and open access ones; 

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Acquisition and Serials control modules are adequate for our 

requirement at this time. We expect these modules to improve in the next version 

of KOHA 3.4 especially in the context of Indian libraries in the coming monthsï¿½ 

due to extensive ongoing developmental work going on both sponsored and through 

strong ï¿½KOHA ï¿½community members (130) world over;

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ KOHA is MARC 21, SIP2, UTF-8 compliant and fully web based;

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Moving context based â€œbrowse shelfâ€ facility helps us to know books 

on ï¿½both sides of selected books on the concerned shelf;ï¿½ 

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ OPAC searching automatically picks up Google books concerned based on 

ISBN number with a facility to see related books, many a times with a full text 

availability;

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ KOHA supports integration of barcode and RFID integration/ 

implementation;

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Web 2.0 and Lib 2.0applications

2)ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Adoption of KOHA in India:

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Good number of libraries including few university libraries have 

already adopted KOHA;

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ KOHA has become very popular in Kerala;

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Some libraries using other ILMSs have already switched to KOHA and 

some are in the pipeline;ï¿½ 

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ British Council librariesin India and Sri Lanka, who were using 

Libsys are in the process of switching over to KOHA soon. ï¿½

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ DRTC has taken appropriate steps towards popularizing KOHA

3)ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Upfront and ongoing cost:

All software including operating system (Linux) and database server (MySQL) are 

open source irrespective of number of libraries, records, OPACs etc. Continuity 

of KOHA as open source is ensured.

4)ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ No risks involved:

KOHA being open source software we are not tied up with any software vendor and 

thereby we have freedom to choose /change any service vendor any time.

5)ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ KOHA implementation at UoM:

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ KOHA is already installed and configured on Linux operating system; 

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Migration of existing record to KOHA is completed;

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Creation of new OPAC records is in full swing;

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ We have trained more than 30 staff for database creation and all 

housekeeping modules;

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Few staff members have been trained for Linux administration;

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Still we need to implement circulation module;

6)ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Model we have adopted:

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Createsingle database of estimated 11 lakhs bibliographic records of 

books available in above mentioned 56 libraries;

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Distributed housekeeping and data entry activities at all 

institutions / colleges;

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Search single or all libraries at one go;

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Unique accession number for each document irrespective library 

holding it;

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Unique patron number for different level of faculty, research 

scholars and students irrespective institution/college;

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Plan to introduce master membership cardwith eligibility to borrow 

documents from any library under UoM;

7)ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Vendor for implementation and support work:

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Nucsoft OSS Labs, Bangalorehave supported us in this venture;

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ They have strong team of more than 11 staff for serving their 

customers; 

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Apart from installation, configuration and maintenance, they have 

successfully migrated the old records originated from ILMSs mentioned above;

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Our experience with OSS Labs is very goodwith ensured service in 

shortest possible time.

8)ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Database on third party cloud computing platform:

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ OSS Lab people have arranged hosting our database in cloud computing 

environment with Amazonâ€™s elastic cloud computing platform with 99.95% 

availability, 99.9999% data durability, information security based on ISO 27000 

standards, scalability and flexibility.

9)ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Future planning:

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Networking of all library OPACs of affiliated colleges under 

University of Mysore;

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Development of KOHA Community in India (in fact many libraries in 

Kerala have already adopted KOHA as well in other states facilitating formation 

of KOHA community);

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ We expect our staff to do documentation, testing and even some 

software development.

10)ï¿½ ï¿½ General comments:

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Taking into account of the least cost involved only for 

implementation and maintenance, ï¿½KOHA is the best option for different kind of 

libraries including academic, special and public libraries of all sizes;

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ We need to have more number of training programs on KOHA;

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Some of the LIS Departments have already added KOHA in their 

syllabus, others need to follow;

-ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½ Our users are very happy with performance of KOHA in all angles.

ï¿½ 

Our OPAC is available at URL:

http://libcat.mysore-univ.org

ï¿½ 

All our library staff have been giving their best for ï¿½realizing the long 

pending library automation and modernization program.ï¿½ Our Honâ€™ble 

Vice-Chancellor Prof. V.G. Talawar has given all the necessary support and 

encouragement in our endeavour.ï¿½ I appreciate in getting your feedback.ï¿½ I shall 

be glad to answer any related questions.

ï¿½ 

ï¿½ 

Dr. IRN Goudar

Visiting Professor and Library Advisor

Mysore University Library

Mobile: 919611165781

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With regards,
Vinod Kumar Mishra
Senior Library Information Assistant
Technical Processing Division
P.K.Kelkar Library
IIT Kanpur.
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     : mishravk79@gmail.com
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