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Koha currently holds the position as the most widely implemented open source integrated library system (ILS) in the world and one of the top ILS products of any type globally. This product was initially created to serve a small group of libraries in New Zealand. Since they released it as open source software, other libraries began to implement and improve it. Today Koha embodies a feature set comparable with almost any commercial competitor, has a technical architecture able to meet the demands of at least mid-sized libraries, and finds use in ever larger libraries and consortia. The history of Koha has been one of continuous development, marked by multiple episodes of involvement by commercial organizations. Today Koha finds use in almost all regions of the globe. While covering some of this international perspective, this section focuses primarily on the impact of Koha for libraries in the United States.
Koha: A New Zealand Gift to Libraries
Koha was one of the first ILSs developed as open source software. While there were some earlier projects that never gained traction, Koha has been continuously developed by a growing community of developers across the globe. It currently ranks among the most widely implemented ILSs in the world, finding use in all types of libraries.
The initial version of the software was created in 1999 by a small software development firm called Katipo Communications for a group of three libraries located in the southern part of the north island of New Zealand near Levin. These libraries, serving a population of about 30,000, are now managed by the Horowhenua District Council, but from 1997 through 2016, they were operated through a nonprofit organization called the Horowhenua Library Trust. Rosalie Blake was the Head of Libraries for Horowhenua Library Trust at that time.
Joann Ransom was also associated with the Horowhenua Library Trust at that time and has since been a very active advocate of Koha and open source software in libraries. Ransom retired from the organization in June 2016, when the libraries reverted to direct operation by the Horowhenua District Council.
In the late 1990s the Horowhenua libraries faced the need to implement a new automation system. They were using an ILS called CataList developed by Contec Group International. With the...