[Koha] is koha right for our project run by volunteers?

[Librarian Bruce A. Metcalf]

On 03/08/2017 03:59 AM, King, Fred wrote:

> First of all, I should say that like everybody else on this list I'm > biased--I think Koha is wonderful, user-friendly, and a great > 
product. That it's free and open-source is icing on the cake. It's > 
also supported by a great bunch of people. > > Still, as much as I love 
it, I wouldn't recommend Koha unreservedly > for everyone for all 
purposes. It's a fully-functional ILS, and it > does take a little time 
and effort to learn. > Though I always recommend Koha, a lot of people 
there decide to go > with LibraryThing, mainly because they find it 
easier to use and they > don't need all the (wonderful!) features that 
Koha provides.

I have to agree on both points. Koha will do nearly everything a library 
might need, and it gives you more flexibility than you might imagine how 
to use (I've been quietly ignoring whole sections of its powers for now).

But you do need a server, someone to run it, and someone with a little 
library experience to help you set it up (and explain the technical 
terms). It won't be a zero cost project even if the software is free.

While I use Koha at work, my personal collection is online with 
LibraryThing because all I want to do is to create a public bibliography 
and perhaps a few trades with others in the very narrow field. For this, 
Koha is overkill; perhaps so for your situation.

However, if you want to manage circulation or do anything else 
"library-like", it's likely that you'd benefit from Koha. Just ask us 
for help in turning off the parts you don't need. Check out both and see 
which is the better match.

Regards,
/ Bruce /
Bruce A. Metcalf, FAS
Librarian
The Augustan Society, Inc.