Say hello to "Koha"!

On Monday, August 26, the Library will be “going live” with “Koha”, our new Dovernet Integrated Library System. Dovernet comprises the public library and the five Dover public school libraries, and we’ve shared a library system since 1995. Koha will be the newest iteration of that long-standing and rewarding partnership.

For you, our customers, the major change you will see will be in the appearance of the online catalog. Your library card will still work to check out and to place holds:  no re-registration is necessary. (And yes, the fines you owed in the old system will also carry over to the new! Sorry!)

Koha is an open-source ILS (Integrated Library System) hosted by ByWater Solutions on their secure servers in the virtual networking “cloud”.  There will be no servers on site at our library, saving us considerable purchasing costs. Regular maintenance, daily back-ups, software updates, and OS upgrades will be handled remotely and automatically, saving system administration time formerly spent on handling these tasks on site. Be assured that your own personal information is held very securely behind data encrypted transmissions, firewall and VPN protections, safeguarded logins, and physical security at the host site.

As always with change, there will be a learning curve for all of us. We do ask for your patience for a few weeks as we get accustomed to the new system ourselves! Over the coming months, we will be working hard to further customize the Koha “look” and “UX” (library lingo for “user experience”) and implement new features so that you will get the fastest, easiest, most user-friendly access to our materials and resources whether you’re searching from a computer , a cell phone or your mobile device. 

Koha originated in New Zealand and is a Maori word that stands for “a gift that comes with expectations”. We hope we can exceed your expectations as our new open-source library system matures and progresses!  Be sure to give us your input and suggestions!