Library automation (was Re: Happy Holidays & NPL)

[Randy Edwards]

> it), that at the time was not up to speed, but may be
> now: http://www.koha.org/

    I've done some work with this system, and once installed it into a 
public school's library in Mass.  I'd term your info as dated -- Koha is in 
growing use in both traditional, university and public/private school libraries.

    If Koha has a downside, it's the typical open source issues.  It 
requires some SQL and Apache knowledge to set up, and if you want to modify 
it then you'd better not be scared of Perl or editing a file via the command 
line.

    However, that isn't unusual; for a library automation package a library 
would be foolish not to have some support for tough situations.  With 
support, Koha is equivalent to many commercial offerings.

    Koha is ideal for the situation many rural towns and schools find 
themselves in in NH.  The town library has basically zero computer expertise 
and often poor 'net access.  The school has minimum in-house computer 
support but fair-to-decent 'net access (thanks to E-Rate).  Koha makes an 
ideal solution to link the town and school libraries together.

    Koha has support for different library "branches" -- and a "branch" 
could be a completely seperate library.  Branches can access the main 
library's Koha server via dial-up or anything else.  Thus, IMHO, Koha seems 
ideal as a solution to host at a public school with a dedicated data line on 
some run-of-the-mill GNU/Linux server, and to have the various public 
schools and the town library link in however.  Since Koha is entirely 
web-based, this would mean a low-maintenance, centralized system.

    I've pitched this to a few schools and libraries; when I lived in 
Colebrook, I offered to do a free install for the schools there but the 
inertia meant no real interest (why automate when we've been doing it this 
way for seventy years?:-).  The problem I see is breaking the "you get what 
you pay for" mindset and finding a few first adopters.  There is a strong 
tendency in public education and in gov't to only adopt software that the 
entity the next town over is using; that's a big mental hurdle.

    But there are cracks in the crust which may signal impending movement. 
To take one example, Gould Academy (do a Google search) is in the process of 
dumping their commercial library automation software and adopting Koha. 
Gould is a special case as they have some in-house Linux geeks, but there 
are tons of potential in this area.

-- 
  Regards, | "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket
  .        | fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who
  Randy    | hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not
           | clothed." -- US President Dwight D. Eisenhower