[Koha-devel] RE: KOHA Questions (fwd)

[Pat Eyler]

Here are the answers I've sent back.  I thought you'd all like to see
them.  I appreciate everyone who stepped up to answering the bits that I
had no clue about.

-pate


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2002 19:20:28 -0400 (EDT)
From: Pat Eyler <pate at eylerfamily.org>
Subject: RE: KOHA Questions

Glen,
because Koha is an Open Source project and not a vendor, some of the
answers below are a bit vague.  There are a number of vendors who are
selling support and development for Koha (or who are planning to), and I
can point you at some of them if you'd like.  I understand that you may
want to do some or all of the development work yourselves, that would be
fine as well.  The Koha development community would certainly be happy to
help in any way that we can.

If you have any further questions, or need clarification, please feel free
to contact me.

thanks,
-pate

Pat Eyler
Kaitiaki/manager               migrant Linux sys admin
the Koha project               ruby, shell, and perl geek
http://www.koha.org            http://pate.eylerfamily.org


	1 -- Which operating system, or choice of systems, does the proposed
library automation system run on?

Koha runs best on linux, but has been installed on (at least) FreeBSD
and NT2000.  It should be able to run on other POSIX OSes that have
Perl5, MySQL, and Apache running on them.

	2 -- Is system administration done with command lines or a graphical
module?  We should see it.

Systems Administration happens at two levels.  The library system is
mostly exposed via a web interface (or commandline or Perl/Tk
interfaces if you prefer).  Administration of the underlying system
and components is traditionally performed via the command line.
There exist commandline options to manage the library system and graphical
options to manage the lower layer pieces as well.

	3 -- What is the backup utility?  Does it use tapes?

Koha relies on the OS level tools to handle back ups.  backups could
be done to tape, DLT, CD-ROM, or (via replication) to one or more
other systems.

	4 -- Does the system have its own file and disk maintenance
procedures?  If so, how are they performed?

No, Koha relies on typical Linux/Unix tools, processes, and procedures.

	5 -- What administrative functions or upgrades require the system to
be off-line, and for how long?

Upgrading the system could be done by taking the system off-line and
performing the upgrade, or by swapping installed servers.  In the
first case, the upgrade would require up to an hour of downtime, in
the second, you should be able to swap the systems in under 15
minutes.

Patches and similar, minor upgrades do not require any system downtime.

	6 -- Is there a backup module for circulation in case the system is
down?

Koha can be run in stand-alone mode (a server running on the local
system), this has been done to create 'bookmobile' systems.

	7 -- Describe the way customer support works, what it covers, and
hours of service.

Koha is an open source project.  As such, unpaid volunteers provide
support via email or irc.  There are a number of vendors who would be
willing to provide higher levels of service.  You would need to
contact those vendors for specifics.  If you are interested, there is
a list of such vendors at
http://www.koha.org/installation/support.html or by email to the
kohabiz at eylerfamily.org mailinglist.

	8 -- What is the indexing capability for the catalog?  How many
indexes can we have?  Can they be customized?

Because the system is open source, you can customize it to whatever
degree you desire.

	9 -- Describe the capacity for integrating selfcheck machines with
the system.  Is it SIP1/SIP2/NCIP compliant?

We don't currently have a self check system in place.  Nelsonville
Public Library has expressed interest in sponsoring NCIP development
work.  We've also heard interest from 3M in developing the support for
their self-checkout system for Koha if there were libraries interested
using the hardware on Koha.

	10 -- What report writing capability does the system have?

Koha does not ship with a report writer.  Reports could be written
with any tool that can interact with MySQL.  Perl and DBI are know to
work well.

	11 -- What "canned" reports are available?

There are curretnly very few canned reports that come with Koha.
Because the code is open, and the DB is exposed to the standard
Perl-DBI interface, writing new reports would be an easy extension.

	12 -- Is there an API available?  Can we develop applications that
can directly access the database?

Yes, there is an API available.  We encourage you to develop new
feature within Koha, or as adjuncts to it.  If you choose to  do so,
the license allows you to redistribute your work (and we encourage
you to do so).

	13 -- Is there a function for electronic ordering, such as from
Baker and Taylor?  Does B&T support your ordering module?

This is not a part of our current acquisitions system.  It would be a
relatively easy feature to add though.

	14 -- What flexibility is there for customizing the catalog?  Can
the catalog engine search external databases?

The catalog is completely customizable.  As written, it is built
around the MARC standard(s) (starting with the development version,
currently at version 1.3.0).  It is already capable of supporting both
MARC21 and UNIMARC.

	15 -- Is the system client-server or web based?

Koha is a web based application.  (There is still a text based
front-end though.)

	16 -- What is the capacity for e-mail functions, including e-mail
notices?

This functionality is currently being added, and should be present in
the 1.2.3 release.

	17 -- Can the system integrate library fines with external payment
interfaces (library cards, etc.)?

This function doesn't currently exist, but could be added.

	18 -- Which RFID vendors have successfully integrated with your
system?

There are no libraries using Koha with RFID devices currently.  If the
RFID device can be made to work with Linux (or your chosen OS) it
should be possible to integrate it into Koha.

	19 -- Can receipt printers work with the system?

Yes.

	20 -- Have you converted DRA Classic sites in the past?  Describe
your conversion process.  What data can you *not* convert?

Again, this is a question to ask a Vendor working with Koha.  In
general, if the data can be extracted from your DRA system, it can be
loaded into Koha's DB.  Particularily esoteric data might require the
addition of new tables.

	21 -- Can your system work with Epixtech's URSA module for
inter-library loan?

Koha does not currently do this.

	22 -- Do you provide an integrated point of sale module?

There is a system for managing fine payments and a till.

	23 -- What functions can our public do from home via our catalog --
pay fines?  renew items?  place requests?  renew cards?

This is very customizable.  We'd recommend that you not do things that
would require authentication (renewing cards and the like), but there
are many services that carry low risk and would be ideal for home
based users.  Paying fines from home would require an interface to
PayPal or a merchant account, as well as some development work.

	24 -- Does the catalog have multi-lingual support?

This is currently being developed.  The French and German development
groups are particularily involved in this effort.

	25 -- What are the options, or lack of, regarding database privacy
(reading records of the public, retrospective history, etc.)?

This is an area that would be open to development.  Some thoughts
we've had are: keeping full histories (popular outside the US),
keeping anonymized records, or keeping only records that patrons
specifically request.

	26 -- Is there support for access via hand-helds?

Handlhelds providing 802.11b support and a web browser would be able o
interface with the system as is.  Other forms of access would require
some development effort.

	27 -- What is the database platform?  Proprietary?  Oracle?
Informix?  SQL?  Something else?

Koha normally runs on MySQL, an open source SQL RDBMS.  There is work
underway to add support for PostgreSQL as well.

	28 -- Can customized fields be added to either item or patron
records?

Yes, the DB Schema is completely open.  You can make any changes or
additions that you want.

	29 -- What flexibility is there for searching item and patron
records?  Can additional item and patron fields be made searchable?

Yes, any fields could be made searchable.  Because the code is open,
you can amek any changes you desire.

	30 -- Can the system store content (not just indexing) for digital
materials, photographs, e-books, digital audio?

This functionality could be added to Koha.

	31 -- Can staff get real-time statistics on demand?

Reports would need to be written and exposed to the staff via cgi.

	32 -- Is there any way for users to get automatic bibliographies on
request?

Reports would need to be written and exposed to the staff via cgi.

	33 -- Is there any capacity for debit interfaces with functions such
as printing?

A module would need to be developed to do this.

	34 -- What kind of hardware do you recommend?  Does your
configuration include RAID?

Koha runs quite well on off the shelf PC grade hardware.  For added
stability, it would be worth investing in Server Class systems
featuring redundant power supplies and RAID.  For truly redundant
systems, a cluster of Server class systems could be used with the
offline boxes providing Searching and related OLAP work, while the
online system does circulation and other OLTP work.

	35 -- What database redundancy is built into the system, in case a
disk is lost or corrupted?

Koha depends on the features of Linux and MySQL which include:  RAID,
journaling files systems, and Database replication.

	36 -- What kind of support do you have for bookmobile operation, eg.
a cache of the whole database changed every day?

See Question 6, above.

	37 -- Is there support for cover pages, excerpts, etc., such as we
can purchase from Syndetic?

This functionality could be added.

	38 -- Can the public place requests for titles which are on order?

This functionality could be added.

	39 -- Is there integrated selector management -- that is, when you
select a title from a database such as OCLC, can it be loaded into the
system and ordered?

This functionality could be added.

	40 -- How is access managed to OCLC?

We don't currently provide access to OCLC.

	41 -- How are long overdue items managed -- patron notices, credit
bureau reports, masking from the database, etc.?  Does the capacity exist to
transfer these items into an auxiliary database?

Patrons are given notices and a hold is put on their account so that
if they come in in the meantime it flags. A report is run and the
statement can be sent to a credit bureau. Items show up in the OPAC if
they are not "given up on" with a last seen date, or they are marked
Lost.  If they are lost they don't show up in the OPAC, but do show up
in the Librarians intranet. I think that they are "purged" from time
to time at library request, and they get shifted to a "deleted" table,
in case they need to be recovered later.

Additional reports could be written to manage long overdue items.
These reports and others could be run from a replicated copy of the
online database for performance reasons, or could be scheduled to run
as batch jobs during low-traffic periods.

	42 -- Explain the hierarchical nature of database locations (system,
agencies, departments, or whatever).

Our Virtual Bookshelf should allow items to be categorized into a
flexible heirarchy.

	43 -- How are item statuses used?  Can they be converted from DRA
Classic to the new system?

Item status can be used to control the display of an item.  Data
pulled from DRA classic could be imported and used within Koha.

	44 -- What is the procedure for processing lost items?

This is a manual process at present, but it could be automated.

	45 -- What kind of transaction statistics are kept for items?  For
patrons?

Koha can keep all of them.  Alternatively, the data could be
discarded, or anonymized in whole or in part.

	46 -- How does licensing work?  How are fees determined?

Koha is available under the Gnu General Public License.  There are no
fees to license or use Koha.

	47 -- Can the system handle consortia?  How does this affect
licensing fees?

Yes, Koha can be used for consortia.  As there are no licensing fees,
there is no effect.

	48 -- What can be controlled by the systems calendar (eg. days when
items are not due, fines not charged, etc.)?

Currently this is controlled manually, but could be automated if desired.

	49 -- What kind of patron delinquency statuses are available?  Can
patron statuses be converted from DRA Classic?

Koha can place a temporary bar on borrowing if people owe more than a
pre determined amount in fines, and can permanently disqualify a
patron.  There are also Child and guarantor relationships (children
must "belong" to an adult), and other categories of user who have
different fine privliges .  Again, additional or different statuses
could be used.

	50 -- Does the catalog allow searching by item (not bibliographic)
call numbers?

This functionality could be added.

	51 -- What is the hierarchy of the bibliographic database
(bibliographic records, call number records, item records)?

Koha uses three levels of records:
  biblios - everything with the same content has the same biblio (i.e.
     ignores what media, publisher, etc.)
  biblioitem - everything with the same media, publisher, etc. has the
     same biblioitem (ignores different copies of the same book etc.)
  item - what actually gets loaned out (so, e.g., has a barcode, can
     be put on a shelf, etc)

	52 -- What is the system of classifications for materials (material
codes)?  Can selfcheck checkouts be limited to specified item
classifications?

Koha supports different lending policies depending on item
classification.  This could be broadened to encompass patron
classification as well.  Assuming selfcheck checkouts were added to
Koha, these could be controlled in the same manner.

	53 -- Can the system allow automatic charges to patron records as
certain classes of items are checked out?  Can this feature be used with the
selfcheck?

This functionality could be added.  (Our Virtual Bookshelf feature
would be a good way to support it.)

	54 -- Is it possible to set up multiple databases within the system?

Yes, with our Virtual Bookshelf feature.


	55 -- Is there a text catalog that can be used for modem access (for
people who are not yet on the Internet)?

Yes.

	56 -- Does the system allow tracking between patron categories and
item categories for circulation statistics?

This functionality could be added.  The data is already in the system,
so it would be a matter of writing a report.

	57 -- Can fine records for patrons be converted to your system from
DRA Classic?

If the data can be extracted, it can be converted.