Librarian Presents on Open Source Experience

On Wednesday, May 23, librarian Andrea N. Schorr presented at the Central Texas Koha Summit in Round Rock, Texas.
The Summit, an annual event, is geared toward libraries and library staff who are interested in learning more about Koha, an open source library management system. In 2015, after almost two decades with a proprietary library management system, the UT Health Libraries decided to migrate to Koha’s open source system. Library management systems handle everything from circulation operations to acquisitions, and provide reporting mechanisms for assessment. The library’s Koha installation is hosted by ByWater Solutions, a company that manages the system servers, customization, and implementation.

The presentation focused on the academic library experience of migrating to an open source system, detailing the preparation, process, and outcome. According to Schorr, “Koha offers us more flexibility and control over our system, all for a fair price.” Library staff have been very pleased with the responsiveness of ByWater Solutions to questions and suggestions. In addition to providing management services, ByWater also supports an active user community and is continuously working to make improvements. The overall migration, though a challenging undertaking, proved to be a beneficial and fruitful experience.

Article Categories: Library Services, News from the Libraries