Self-reliance of the Koha acquisition module for managing procurement of printed books

Abstract

Purpose The automation of library acquisition is a balancing act which involves dealing with institutional procurement policies, administration, vendors, finance, books, internal audit, reporting and, above all, tracking. Few studies have dealt with the operational difficulties of the transition from manual to automated acquisition using Koha. The objective of this paper is to investigate the self-reliance of Koha in handling all stages of procurement, starting from suggestions to receiving an ordered title, and to discuss the constraints and difficulties faced during the process. Design/methodology/approach Based on internal documentation spanning a period of four years, the paper provides a first-hand account of the experience of the transition from manual to automated acquisition using Koha at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) Library, Bangalore. Findings The study reveals that Koha is partially self-reliant in an academic setup where acquisition is dynamic in nature; however, customizations can be made to make Koha self-reliant to a certain extent. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to the procurement of printed books using the acquisition module of Koha. Practical implications The paper provides an insight into the acquisition module of Koha and also explores how acquisition workflows and functions are interconnected and interdependent, which could help acquisition librarians to setup a basic framework and policies before transitioning from manual acquisition to Koha acquisition module. Originality/value Automated workflow cannot be tested in a short period of time. This case study is an output of observations of about four years, along with possible limitations, features and customization capabilities of Koha for acquiring printed books. This will help the librarian to better understand the Koha acquisition module workflow.