City of San Fernando – The National Library of the Philippines (NLP) turned over seven KOHA computer units to seven public libraries in the province in ceremonies held recently at the Pampanga Provincial Library.
Provincial Librarian Bessie D. Makabali said that the computer units were turned over by the NLP to the city and municipal libraries of Guagua, Floridablanca, Sasmuan, Macabebe, Masantol, Angeles City and the provincial library.
Makabali said that Pampanga is the third province to receive KOHA computers from the NLP which was represented by Sancho Domenden, chief of public libraries division.
KOHA, a first open source integrated library system (ILS),is being used world-wide and it includes modules for circulation, cataloguing, acquisition, serials, reserves, patron management, branch relationship and other-related library tasks.
The KOHA system uses a dual data base design that utilizes the strengths of the two major industry-standard data base types which ensure that it is scalable enough to meet any transactional load of any library, no matter what the size is.
More so, it is built using library standards and protocols that ensure inter operability between KOHA and other systems and technologies, while supporting existing workflows and tools.
KOHA’s on-line public access catalogue, circulation, management and self-check-out interfaces are all based on standards-compliant world wide technologies, thus making it a platform-independent solution.
The distribution of KOHA computers is in support of House Bill No. 1716, otherwise known as Free Open Source Software (FOSS) Act of 2007, an act promoting the development and use of free open standards, open formats and FOSS in its data storage, communications, documents and information and communication technology (ICT) goods and services.
Makabali acknowledged that the KOHA computers would greatly facilitate the provision of needed public library services to target clients in the province and in the other towns and city as well.
She added that a five-man team from the NLP’s information technology division conducted an orientation and hands-on training for the concerned municipal and city librarians to ensure that they have the necessary know-how in operating the KOHA computers.
The NLP will make the necessary follow-up and monitoring activities on the utilization of the said computers with the assistance of the Provincial Library, she ended. (Pampanga PIO)
