Open Source Initiative in Indian Library Automation Using Newgenlib and Koha: a Comparative Study
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Indian Journal of Library and Information Science285 Volume 8 Number 3, September - December 2014 Review Article Open Source Initiative in Indian Library Automation Using Newgenlib and Koha: A Comparative Study Rajendra Singh AbstractIntroduction and Keywords are not provided. users expecting online libraries that can provide round the clock service. “Library users have grown accustomed to using the Internet Why computerized information management is as a research tool and do not always appreciate required? the difference in quality of information Developments in electronic and available through a library’s specialized communication technology have affected every collections, especially when compared to what profession in the past decades and libraries are can be located through an Internet search no exception. Libraries of all types are engine. Thus, libraries with substantial challenged to provide greater information collections of information often find those access and improved levels of service, while collections underutilized if the user interface coping with the pace of technological change is not designed to make it easy to locate the and ever-increasing budget pressure. Use of required information.” software applications in libraries has become Resource Sharing: Libraries of all types also essential due to a number of factors. The most need to utilize new application systems to visible factors among them are: automate resource sharing. Union Catalogs Growth of Electronic Resources: Large and Libraries in developing countries are in databases from periodical, magazine, and phase of development and require lot of journal publishers became increasingly resources to achieve well organized knowledge available in digital format – at first on CD- platform. Thanks to open source software ROM, later via online services. Library services efforts which have made developing libraries are transitioning from local traditional competent to meet the international collections to global resources provided on challenges. Now these days many open source demand via the most advanced networking technologies are available which have been technologies. Today, library collections are used deployed successfully in Indian libraries. Now by people on campus as well as by individuals web has become a platform foe delivery of who are not even located on the library’s infrastructure, software and platform services. physical facilities. Such services are called computing in the Anytime Anywhere Access: Access to online cloud. Of course such cloud services are digital information from anywhere is the need alternative to the conventional web system. of the hour. This is forcing a shift in role of library from a repository to a gateway, with Open Source Initiative – NewGenlib and Koha NewGenlib Author’s Affilation: *Deputy Librarian, Satonsh University, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. Introduction Reprint’s Request: Rajendra Singh, L-401, Sector-12, Pratap Vihar, Santosh Medical and Dental College Staff Flats, NewGenlib is an integrated library Ghaziabad-201009, Uttar Pradesh, India. management system developed by Verus E-mail: [email protected] Solutions Pvt Ltd. Domain expertise is provided by Kesavan Institute of Information and ©Volume Red Flower8 Number Publication 3, September Pvt. Ltd. - December 2014 286 Rajendra Singh / Open Source Initiative in Indian Library Automation Using Newgenlib and Koha: A Comparative Study Knowledge Management in Hyderabad, cataloguing templates. India. NewGenLib version 1.0 was released in • Mail Server: SMTP mail servers can be March 2005. On 9 January 2008, NewGenlib configured for emails that can be sent was declared Open Source Software under form functional modules. A special GNU GPL. The latest version of NewGenlib is provision of smtp mail server th 3.0.4 released 1 update 2 on 4 March configuration is given for Gmail users in 2013. Many libraries across the globe (mainly modern version of NewGenlib. from the developing countries) are using NewGenLib as their Primary integrated library • Open Access Compatibility: NewGenlib management system. The system can run on open source allows creation of windows xp, linux and Ubnutu 8.0 or above Institutional open access (OA) distributions. repositories compliant with the OAI- PMH. • Unicode Compatibility: NewGenlib open Salient Features of NewGenLib Open Source source is Unicode 3.0 compliant. Software • RFID Technology: It is RFID ready. • Licensing: It is open source under the most widely used open source software Technology and Architecture Licensing system called GNU GPL NewGenlib is integrated Library (General Public License). management system that runs on computer • Source Code & User Manual: The open through network of computers. Although source binaries and source code can be internet is important component for this downloaded. Installation notes for Linux software yet it can run on local area network and Windows are also available at the without support of internet, but in lack of site. The user manual is also internet many important features of the downloadable. software cannot be utilized. These important features are Sms and email functionality in • User’s Feedback: The users of the software circulation module. Marc data import facility can post their feedback with views, in cataloging modules etc. many other features problems, solutions, discussions, etc to which are based on internet will remain the organization. untouched if internet is not present. However • Architecture & Backend: It is web-based still it is very useful if runs without internet and has a multi-tier architecture; it uses particularly In remote areas of India where Java (a swing-based librarian’s GUI) the such facility is not present. JBoss (J2EE-based Application Server) The NewGenlib software is entirely java and PostgreSQL as default backend. based. It uses number of well supported and • Functional Modules: NewGenlib widely used reliable open source component functional modules are : Acquisitions like Apache Tomcat, Postges Sql, and Solr management (monographs and serials); Lucene etc. The main three layer of software technical processing; circulation control; is presentation, webserver and database layer. system configuration; a desktop reports application and an end-of-day process (scheduler) application. Advanced Features • Data Create & Exchange Format: NewGenlib software is unique in sense of NewGenlib open source is compliant Indian Library Management Softwares, but it with MARC-21 format. It has a MARC is equally important for international editor. It allows seamless bibliographic requirements too. Because it is joint efforts of and authority data import into Experienced Library professionals and Indian Journal of Library and Information Science Rajendra Singh / Open Source Initiative in Indian Library Automation Using Newgenlib and Koha: 287 A Comparative Study information technology experts of India payment of subscription while in western naturally it has given more emphasis on those world payment are made by finance office or practices which is usually used by Indian by administration department, hence here libraries. Like most of the Indian library make NewGenlib had made provision of payment Volume 8 Number 3, September - December 2014 288 Rajendra Singh / Open Source Initiative in Indian Library Automation Using Newgenlib and Koha: A Comparative Study as per the practice followed by Indian libraries. • Customizable search - you choose which Main features are as follows: fields you want on your search forms when you set it up • NewGenlib opac is configured for Twitter; it gives instant information to • Reading lists for members - now you can patrons twitter account directly. find the name of that great book you read last year. • Mail server configuration is no more separate application for Gmail. Now • Full acquisitions including budgets and Gmail can easily be configured my any pricing information (including supplier Gmail account. All the transaction emails and currency conversion), being kept so can be generated with any Gmail email that you can see what you’ve ordered address. and received - so handy at end of year and audit time. This is the good application for those libraries which cannot maintain their own separate • Software Tools for Automation mail server due to several financial and • Simple acquisitions for the smaller library technical reasons. • Able to catalogue websites as items, or • New Arrivals can be seen in OPAC by have them as links to existing records. user defined period. • Now OPAC has provision of RSS Feed. History • Loan period can be defined in hours, Koha was developed in 1999 and the first days or up to a any date. library went live in January of 2000. Koha’s • SMS functionality which can be code has been in production since then and is configured etc. continuing to move towards higher levels of • Radio Frequency Identification Library functionality and standards compliance, compatibility including embracing the international records and cataloguing standards MARC and Z39.50. • Android capable • Catalogue harvesting through Google site map. Current Status The latest stable release of Koha is 3.12.0 KOHA Koha is the first open source fully featured Project Sponsors/Administrators integrated library system (ILS) used by a Katipo Communications, and funding by considerable number of libraries in USA, New Horowhenua Library Trust and other libraries. Zealand, and Europe. The Koha ILS includes Current project leader is Patrick