Koha, Evergreen, and Voyager: A Comparison of Their Staff Modules
Ten Years of Experience, A Future of PossibilitiesVALE / NJ ACRL/ NJLA CUS Tenth Annual Users' Conference Friday, January 9, 2009
Sharon Yang, Melissa A. Hofmann , and Meghan WeeksRider University Libraries
Overview of the Presentation•Introduction
▫Open source & GNU General Public License▫Open source ILS▫Koha and Evergreen
•Staff client comparison•Comparison of staff functions
▫Acquisitions▫Cataloging▫Circulation▫System administration
•Behind-the-scenes technologies•Cost analysis•Conclusion
Introduction: Open Source & GNU GPL
GNU General Public License▫ GNU is a recursive acronym for "GNU's Not Unix" ▫ Free to run, study, modify, and redistribute the software▫ Support is not free
Other open source licenses▫ Mozilla Public License▫ Creative Commons licenses▫ BSD License▫ Apache Software License▫ GNU Free Documentation License
Introduction: Why Open Source ILS?
• Financial considerations• Ability to tailor to fit local needs or customization• No restrictions on use• User driven vs. profit driven• Dissatisfaction with current ILS• No vendor lock-in
Introduction: Open Source ILS
• Avanti MicroLCS (http://www.avantilibrarysystems.com/)• Emilda, Finland (http://www.emilda.org)• Evergreen, US (http://evergreen-ils.org/)• Koha, New Zealand (http://koha.org)• Learning Access ILS, US (www.learningaccess.org)• NewGenLib, India (http://www.verussolutions.biz)• OpenBiblio (http://obiblio.sourceforge.net/)• PhpMyLibrary, Philippines (http://phpmylibrary.com/pml/)• PMB (PhpMyBibli), France (http://www.sigb.net)• PYTHEAS, US
(http://web2.uwindsor.ca/library/leddy/people/art/pytheas/index.html)
• OPALS, US (http://www.opals-na.org/opals-fac.html)• WebLIS, UNESCO & Poland (http://www.unesco.org/isis/)
In conceptual stage: • OLE: The Open Library Environment (http://www.oleproject.org)
Introduction: Koha & Evergreen
• English language• More mature that other open source ILSs• More complete functions/modules• More users • Available technical support and planned future
releases
Comparison of Staff Modules: Koha, Evergreen, and Voyager
“A thorough process of evaluating an integrated library system (ILS) today would not be complete without also weighing the open source ILS products against their proprietary counterparts."
-Marshall Breeding, Chapter 4, "Open Source Integrated Library Systems"
Comparison: Koha, Evergreen, and Voyager
Koha
Evergreen
Voyager
First developed 1999 2005 1994
First implemented by a US library
2002 2006 1994
First became a turnkey system with technical support
2006 2006 1994
Number of libraries as of 1/09
400 305 1179
Staff Modules
Koha Evergreen Voyager
Acquisitions Cataloging OPAC Circulation System Serials Reports
Comparison: Koha, Evergreen, and Voyager
Note: Evergreen Acquisitions & Serials modules are currently under joint development by Equinox, Georgia Public Library Service, and several Evergreen libraries. No release date yet.
Staff Client ComparisonKoha-web browser
Evergreen-locally installed client (Windows, Linux, Mac)
CatC
Voyager-locally installed client (Windows)
CirculationCataloging
System Admin
Acquisitions
System Admin
Circulation
Cataloging
Acquisitions ComparisonActivities Voyager KohaSearch parameters Vendors, Ledgers, Funds, Rollover
Rules, PO #, Line Items, Invoices, EDI Profiles, Routing Lists, Pub. Patterns
Vendor name or title/vendor name only
Import MARC records Yes No (use existing bib, use suggestion, or create short bib).
View/edit MARC records Yes (cataloging module must also be open and same operator signed in)
No, must search in catalog; edit in catalog (takes you away from P.O. screens)
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
Yes No (in planning stage)
Fiscal Period Close/Rollover
Yes No
Selection lists No No? Unless requesting through OPAC
Patrons suggestions via OPAC and notification
No Yes
Acquisitions cont.
Activities Voyager KohaConnect to university accounting software
No No
Add requestor information to an item
Yes No (Notes field only)
Ability to notify requestor of status
No Only if from OPAC.
Flagging an order (rush, etc.)
Yes No (Notes field only)
Receiving/marking monographs
Yes Yes
Subscription maintenance (patterns)
Yes Yes (Serials module)
Serials check-in Yes Yes (Serials module)
Koha Acquisitions: Issues for Libraries
• Sample WALDO Requirements for Acquisitions before moving to Koha▫ Print out P.O. or email as PDF▫ Print cancellations and claim notices▫ Flag orders upon receipt (rush, hold, reserve, ILL)▫ Allow budget hierarchies ▫ Print out listing of all fund codes▫ Standing order functionality▫ Serials acquisitions: EBSCO invoice handling,
building POs for serial items, mark for automatic renewal)
From: “WALDO Development Projects Enhancements for Academic Libraries, Core Development Projects,” June 2008
• Issues raised by Arcadia University: ▫ Unable to search by order number▫ Unable to view a particular fund and see orders
from that fund
Evergreen Acquisitions Timeline• Evergreen Acquisitions and Serials Timelines (Beta, Early 2009)
▫ Federated Z39.50/Evergreen Bibliographic Search▫ Basic Fund, Provider, Funding Sources, and Picklist management
interfaces▫ Support for loading vendor order records for creating POs▫ PO creation from selected items▫ Initial receiving interfaces▫ Rich permissions infrastructure▫ Support for EDI ordering and acknowledgment▫ Support for creating brief bibliographic order records
• 1.0 (Evergreen 2.0), Spring 2009▫ Serials Check-in (prediction)▫ Distribution patterns▫ Automatic claiming
• Later▫ Vendor web services for bib discovery▫ Amazon Discover API▫ Advanced shipment notification via EDI From: http://open-ils.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=acq:timeline
Cataloging ComparisonVoyager Koha Evergreen
Import from file (non-Z39.50, e.g. export from OCLC Connexion)
Yes. Bibs and authority.
Yes* Bibs only.
Through “Tools” module (not in Cataloging). Two step process. Records stay in “reservoir” indefinitely?
Yes*
(Coming in version 1.4). Bibs and authority through “Vandelay” batch MARC import/export
Bib import from Z39.50
Yes Yes Yes
Holdings export Yes (MARC) Yes, MARC or XML Yes
Authority control Yes Yes * but ease and logistics of loading records
Yes * but how do you access authority records?
Automatic update of bib records from authority records
Yes* Global Headings Change option requires a few steps both in Cataloging and Sys Admin. Not truly automatic; has limitations in function.
No? No
Cataloging cont.Voyager Koha Evergreen
Overlay/merge records
Yes Yes* Preserve MARC fields in target record?
Yes* Preserve MARC fields in target record?
Suppress bibs Yes No No
Mini/short bib flagging/catalog review
Yes No No? “Mark for overlay”?
Bib templates (where fields are pre-populated with text)
Yes No (“Framework” under Admin., but this defines 008 values “form of material”)
No. (Item templates only.)
Diacritic entry Yes No No
Cataloging cont.Voyager Koha Evergreen
Tracking of changes/operator history
Yes.(Update, merge, overlay, un/suppress. Tab in module.
YesLink on screen, uses Tools (Add, delete, modify only.)
No (Only “last edited by” and library I.D.)
Global data change No. Soon (2009, V. 8)
No No
Metadata choices (Dublin Core, etc.)
No. MARC only.
No.Maps MARC to Koha SQL
No (Create/import MARC)
Reorder MARC fields
Yes No. Reorder subfields only.
No
MFHD (MARC for Holdings Data)
Yes No No
Supplies ISBD punctuation
No No No
Spine Labels No Yes* But under Tools, Label Templates
Yes
CirculationVoyager Koha Evergreen
Patron image No Yes No
Bulk import of patrons
Yes* Yes Not easily
Recalls Yes No No
Course Reserves Yes No No
Calendar Yes Yes No
Offline Transactions Yes No Yes
Circulation Comparison: Patron Search
Evergreen Circulation Enhancements
• Release candidate 1.4 (October 2008)▫ New interface for circulation rules▫ Credit card payments▫ Pre-overdue (reminder) notices
• Release 2.0 (Winter 2008/2009)▫ Recalls▫ Reserves (Print and Electronic)
• Release 3.0 and higher (2009 and beyond)▫ Netflix-style hold queues▫ Web based patron self registrationFrom: http:// evergreen-ils.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=faqs:evergreen_roadmap
Comparison: System Administration
Behind the Scenes TechnologiesKoha (3.0)• Server software: Linux (Debian), Apache, MySQL, Perl• Client: web browser • Limitation: any amount of data that MySQL can handle
Evergreen (1.2.4.0)• Server software: Linux (Debian, Gentoo, and Ubuntu),
Windows (via a virtualized Unix-guest OS such as VirtualBox or Vmware) ,PostgreSQL
• Client: Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Evergreen Client
Voyager (7.03)• Server: Solaris, Windows, Linux, Oracle• Client: Windows, Voyager client (Acquisitions, Cataloging,
Circulation, Reporter, System Admin)
Behind the Scenes Technologies: Installation
According to a 2008 survey of 361 libraries of Koha, Evergreen and proprietary ILS, libraries did not choose Koha or Evergreen for three reasons (Riewe 2008):
1.Hard to install the system and some parts do not work.
2.Lack of good documentation3.Lack of functionality
Behind the Scenes Technologies: Labor Costs
Initial labor cost may be higher than proprietary ILS. “The higher initial labor costs of open source ILSs in some categories corroborate the view that OSS requires greater technical sophistication to use than proprietary software” (Riewe 2008).
Collection Size (items)
Koha Evergreen Proprietary
>=1,000 & <10,000 $1,358 $250
>=10,000 & <25,000 $3,232 $1,350
>=25,000 & <50,000 $5958 $953 $375
>=50,000 & <100,000 $9,167 $14,600
>=100,000 & <1,000,000
$18,023 34,719
Initial Cost of ILS
Collection Size by Items
Koha Evergreen Proprietary
>=100 & <500 $250
>=500 & <1,000 $1,950
>=1,000 & <10,000 $1,407 $25,125
>=10,000 & 25,000 $3,859 $9,700
>=25,000 & 50,000 $5,958 $953 $8,000
>=50,000 &100,000 $19,250 $78,364
>=100,000 & <1,000,000
$21,675 $217,609
>=1,000,000 $266,719
Software, License fee, installation, configuration, migration of data, documentation, training (Riewe, 2008)
Annual Cost of ILS
Collection Size by Items
Koha Evergreen Proprietary
>=100 & <500 $250
>=500 & <1,000 $450
>=1,000 & <10,000 $664 $4,708
>=10,000 & 25,000 $1,429 $3,200
>=25,000 & 50,000 $1,917 $1698 $10,281
>=50,000 &100,000 $2,550 $18,167
>=100,000 & <1,000,000
$6,023 $38,870
>=1,000,000 $69,250
Support Contract, Maintenance, License Fees (Riewe, 2008)
Conclusion
Libraries need to evaluate resources (budget, staffing, etc.) vs. needs
Questions?
References
• Ayre, L. and Kress, L. (2008). Software requirements specification for the acquisitions module of an integrated library system. March 2008. Retrieved Jan. 5, 2009, from http://www.kcls.org/opensource/kcls-acquisitions-requirements.pdf
• Breeding, M. 2008. Automation Marketplace 2008: Opportunity Out of Turmoil. Library Journal 133 (6), 32-38.
• Breeding, M. 2007. Next-generation library catalogs. Library Technology Reports 43 (4).
• Riewe, L. M. (2008). Survey of Open Source Integrated Library Systems. Unpublished master's thesis, San José State University, 210 North 4th Street San Jose, CA 95112 . Retrieved January/February, 2009, from http://users.sfo.com/~lmr/ils-survey.html
• The Evergreen Community. (n.d.). Evergreen [F&Q, documentation, download]. Retrieved January 8, 2009, from http://open-ils.org/
• “WALDO Development Projects Enhancements for Academic Libraries, Core Development Projects,” July 2008