Royal London Homoeopathic Research Articles

Two years on: Koha 3.0 in use at the CAMLIS library, Royal London Homœopathic Hospital

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the further development of the Koha 3.0 library management system (LMS) and the involvement of external software consultants at the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Library and Information Service (CAMLIS), Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital.Design/methodology/approachThe paper takes the form of a report based on internal documentation.FindingsSince its implementation in winter 2007/8 Koha has grown into an LMS that supports the wide‐ranging needs of a busy and fast‐growing specialist library. CAMLIS had Koha modules modified and added to meet its needs flexibly, using simultaneously both UK‐based consultancy firms with Koha expertise.Originality/valueThis is among the first implementations of Koha in the UK. Experience and conclusions from this installation might influence decisions at other libraries.

Implementation of an open source library management system

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the selection process and criteria that led to the implementation of the Koha 3.0 library management system (LMS) at the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Library and Information Service (CAMLIS), Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is a report based on internal documentation.FindingsKoha 3.0 was selected because the GNU licence (open source) was considered more future‐proof than proprietary products, and more open to customisation to meet the special needs of the library.Research limitations/implicationsThe library is still in the early stages of the LMS implementation. How far the Koha LMS implementation has met the library's needs will only become clear after at least one year's use.Practical implicationsThe conclusions drawn from this report relate to the concept of implementing an open source LMS. The author will report on the completed implementation in a year's time.Originality/valueThis is amongst the first implementations of Koha in the UK. Experience and conclusions from this installation might influence decisions at other libraries.