Koha has my vote for "best library stuff ever". Why would you pay for an ILS when you can get an awesome one for FREE!!
(for those not "in the know" an ILS is an integrated library system... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_library_system)
Below is just some random information , in no particular order...
setup blob post.... https://openschoolsolutions.org/how-to-install-and-set-up-koha-for-schools-part-1/
(for those not "in the know" an ILS is an integrated library system... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_library_system)
Below is just some random information , in no particular order...
setup blob post.... https://openschoolsolutions.org/how-to-install-and-set-up-koha-for-schools-part-1/
Why Koha ???
Posted a few years ago, should answer most of your questions.
****************************************
issue:
4-5th grade school had no library automation (at all) they were still using cards/stamps. They wanted a system ....bad...and had been on me for (literally) years to get them something.
To add the elementary on to our existing program (winnebago spectrum-- used at the HS and MS ) would have cost approx $5,000 (IIRC) plus another $400-500 per year for support, AND the cost of them doing all the MARC record look-ups, AND the cost of printing spine labels...AND AND AND......it seemed like it never ended.
Hard to justify spending that kind of money for a library with only 4000 books ..... that's like a buck and a quarter a book.......and then some.
During this time our vendor (winnebago spectrum) was merged/purchased...this seems to happen a lot in library software....
http://www.librarytechnology.org/automationhistory.pl?SID=20101230188751220
The new owners (of course) wanted to push us towards their "new" flagship product....at all 3 locations, at a substantial price. I don't recall the exact amount....but it was ridiculous.
About this time, a colleague (<name removed to protect the innocent>) gave a demo of his deployment of Evergreen at a local technology group meeting. I wasn't crazy about the interface..... but....I liked the price.
After trying (unsuccessfully) to install Evergreen (a few times)...... I went looking for other alternatives, and found Koha. (Queue the "Angles Singing" and bright spot of sunlight...).
I'm sure the problem is not with Evergreen.....but rather more with my Linux skillz.....or lack thereof.
But in hindsight......I'm glad I found Koha. It fits us.
I spoke with our sup, and told him I wanted to spend about $500-$600 to give Koha a try...he said "do it".
I originally installed Koha 2.2.9 on windows XP (VM) for our first year...it was a testing/learning environment for everyone.
We looked up all 4000 MARC records at the LOC ourselves, designed and made our own spine labels and barcodes (with a thermal label printer), etc etc etc.....it was a true "roll your own" venture.
But in the end......It worked very well, and we are all the wiser for the effort.
Since then, I have migrated to Debian, and upgraded to the latest Koha version (3.2.2?).
Our HS/MS librarian has dropped our support for winnebago spectrum at both locations, and spent the money on books......yes, real paper books. We are a small district, so that money was a pretty serious bump in his book budget.
I am working with him to migrate our data off winnebago spectrum and into a Koha format. This summer (of maybe next...no hurry) we will migrate the HS and MS to Koha. Or maybe run dual systems until he's 100% comfortable with Koha.....
In the end:
Everyone got what they wanted and we didn't have to spend a pile-o-cash.
Support is ....well.....minimal.....after the initial learning curve, it's all downhill. It's just LAMP.
So far this year.....I restated our koha server once.......that's it....that's all the support I've done.
Our HS/MS librarian liked Koha enough that we are getting rid of our pay-'fer products, thus making more $$$ available for BOOKS.
****************************************
issue:
4-5th grade school had no library automation (at all) they were still using cards/stamps. They wanted a system ....bad...and had been on me for (literally) years to get them something.
To add the elementary on to our existing program (winnebago spectrum-- used at the HS and MS ) would have cost approx $5,000 (IIRC) plus another $400-500 per year for support, AND the cost of them doing all the MARC record look-ups, AND the cost of printing spine labels...AND AND AND......it seemed like it never ended.
Hard to justify spending that kind of money for a library with only 4000 books ..... that's like a buck and a quarter a book.......and then some.
During this time our vendor (winnebago spectrum) was merged/purchased...this seems to happen a lot in library software....
http://www.librarytechnology.org/automationhistory.pl?SID=20101230188751220
The new owners (of course) wanted to push us towards their "new" flagship product....at all 3 locations, at a substantial price. I don't recall the exact amount....but it was ridiculous.
About this time, a colleague (<name removed to protect the innocent>) gave a demo of his deployment of Evergreen at a local technology group meeting. I wasn't crazy about the interface..... but....I liked the price.
After trying (unsuccessfully) to install Evergreen (a few times)...... I went looking for other alternatives, and found Koha. (Queue the "Angles Singing" and bright spot of sunlight...).
I'm sure the problem is not with Evergreen.....but rather more with my Linux skillz.....or lack thereof.
But in hindsight......I'm glad I found Koha. It fits us.
I spoke with our sup, and told him I wanted to spend about $500-$600 to give Koha a try...he said "do it".
I originally installed Koha 2.2.9 on windows XP (VM) for our first year...it was a testing/learning environment for everyone.
We looked up all 4000 MARC records at the LOC ourselves, designed and made our own spine labels and barcodes (with a thermal label printer), etc etc etc.....it was a true "roll your own" venture.
But in the end......It worked very well, and we are all the wiser for the effort.
Since then, I have migrated to Debian, and upgraded to the latest Koha version (3.2.2?).
Our HS/MS librarian has dropped our support for winnebago spectrum at both locations, and spent the money on books......yes, real paper books. We are a small district, so that money was a pretty serious bump in his book budget.
I am working with him to migrate our data off winnebago spectrum and into a Koha format. This summer (of maybe next...no hurry) we will migrate the HS and MS to Koha. Or maybe run dual systems until he's 100% comfortable with Koha.....
In the end:
Everyone got what they wanted and we didn't have to spend a pile-o-cash.
Support is ....well.....minimal.....after the initial learning curve, it's all downhill. It's just LAMP.
So far this year.....I restated our koha server once.......that's it....that's all the support I've done.
Our HS/MS librarian liked Koha enough that we are getting rid of our pay-'fer products, thus making more $$$ available for BOOKS.
But it's free !?!? How good could it be and who would use it !?!
http://www.librarytechnology.org/map.pl?ILS=Koha
As far as big deployments ?? and who would use "free" stuff.....
How about the entire country of Turkey ?
http://www.librarytechnology.org/map.pl?ILS=Koha
As far as big deployments ?? and who would use "free" stuff.....
How about the entire country of Turkey ?
Creating spine/labels