Self-reliance of the Koha acquisition module for managing procurement of printed books. An academic library perspective
| Published date | 03 April 2018 |
| Pages | 338-349 |
| Date | 03 April 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/EL-12-2016-0263 |
| Author | Amrutraj Ravi Benahal |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information & communications technology,Internet |
Self-reliance of the Koha
acquisition module for managing
procurement of printed books
An academic library perspective
Amrutraj Ravi Benahal
Library, Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Bangalore, India
Abstract
Purpose –The automation of library acquisition is a balancing act which involves dealing with
institutional procurement policies, administration, vendors, finance, books, internal audit, reporting and,
above all, tracking. Few studieshave dealt with the operational difficulties of the transition frommanual to
automated acquisition using Koha. The objective of this paper is to investigate the self-reliance of Koha in
handling all stagesof procurement, starting from suggestions to receivingan ordered title, andto discuss the
constraintsand difficulties faced during the process.
Design/methodology/approach –Based on internaldocumentation spanning a period of fouryears, the
paper provides a first-hand accountof the experience of the transition from manual to automatedacquisition
using Koha at the IndianInstitute for Human Settlements (IIHS) Library, Bangalore.
Findings –The study reveals that Koha is partiallyself-reliant in an academic setup where acquisition is
dynamic innature; however, customizations can be made to make Kohaself-reliant to a certain extent.
Research limitations/implications –The study is limited to the procurement of printed books using
the acquisitionmodule of Koha.
Practical implications –The paper provides an insight into the acquisition module of Koha and also
explores how acquisition workflows and functionsare interconnected and interdependent, which could help
acquisitionlibrarians to setup a basic framework and policies before transitioningfrom manual acquisition to
Koha acquisitionmodule.
Originality/value –Automated workflowcannot be tested in a short period of time. This case study is an
output of observations of about four years, along with possible limitations, features and customization
capabilities of Koha for acquiringprinted books. This will help the librarian to better understand the Koha
acquisitionmodule workflow.
Keywords India, Academic libraries, Acquisitions, Books, Koha, Library automation,
Open-source ILS
Paper type Case study
Introduction
In its broadest sense, library automation is the use of machines for library housekeeping
operations. In earlier days, whilelarge libraries in developing countries had access to library
automation systems, public and academic libraries lacked such access, mainly because of
expensive hardware and power supply, and lack of trained staff (Hopkinson, 2009). As of
2016, ByWater Solutions (ByWater Solutions, 2017), a commercial vendor in the US, had a
client base of 919 libraries, of which a largenumber belong to the public (665) and academic
The Author would like to greatly acknowledge Nishtha Vadehra for proof reading and editing of the
article. Also, author thanks the reviewers and editors for their insightful inputs.
EL
36,2
338
Received19 December 2016
Revised23 July 2017
Accepted9 August 2017
TheElectronic Library
Vol.36 No. 2, 2018
pp. 338-349
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0264-0473
DOI 10.1108/EL-12-2016-0263
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