Creation of a Community of Practice of Library professionals in India for implementation of Koha

Mohit Garg

Funding Area: Capacity building / Construcción de capacidad

Problem Statement: The proliferation of digital technologies demanded libraries transform from traditional to modern innovative automated environments that provide a single point of access to all the library resources to its staff and users. Seeing this, Libraries started using Integrated Library Systems (ILS) to streamline library operations and enhance user experiences. Initially, many commercial ILS solutions were implemented in libraries. However, the library community soon felt the need for free and open source software due to various challenges with the commercial vendors like poor support, limited flexibility, lack of interest in customization or new development, high cost of the initial implementation, annual maintenance, and support charges. Koha, developed in 1999, is the first open-source ILS that is now widely adopted among global libraries. Various researchers have shown that despite being free and open source software, library professionals struggle to implement the open source software in the libraries due to reasons like low levels of computer and software literacy, inadequate IT infrastructure, data migration from proprietary software, shortage of funds, and minimum koha support. Therefore, we propose this project that catalyzes library professionals' capacity to implement koha in Indian libraries. It aimed to create a community of practice, who exchange their knowledge and resources to establish open infrastructure in the library services.

Proposed Activities: Development of Tutorials on Koha: A comprehensive tutorial (text, video) will be developed covering basic to advanced implementation of Koha, providing step-by-step instructions, and including examples and practical exercises to reinforce learning. A website will be created, where all learning resources with youtube links of all content will be shared. Training Workshops: Nine Regional Chapters as per India's administrative boundaries, comprising experts of Koha, will be established. Awareness sessions among Institution Heads and Hands-on bootcamp among library professionals will be conducted to share the advantage and implementation of Koha in the libraries. Mentorship Programs: Experienced or trained local members will provide one-to-one mentorship programs to guide and support the new professionals in implementing the Koha at their respective sites. Contributor Days: The trained professionals will be encouraged to actively participate in sharing their experience and motivate other new professionals to use Koha in libraries. Such professionals will be rewarded. Community Engagement: An online discussion forum will be developed and linked to the website to establish a community of Koha experts and practitioners. This engagement will enable individuals to seek support from experienced and fellow professionals. Hackathons and Code Sprints: Hackathons or code sprints will be organized to bring experienced developers and professionals on one platform. These events will provide them to work on resolving bugs or developing new features in the koha. Monitoring and Evaluation: The impact of the activities will be monitored and evaluated by conducting assessments, surveys, and feedback among the participants. It will help to measure the effectiveness of the project and identify the areas of improvement. Documentation and Knowledge Management: The documentation of best practices, case studies, success stories, and lessons learned throughout the project will be done. Team meetup: Regular meetings of teams, including regional experts, will be organised to keep the community active and engaged. Social Media Promotion: Social Media Accounts will be created to foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, and networking among library professionals. December – May 2024: Forming the group of expert and regional chapters, Team Meetups, Setting up communication channels (website, social media accounts, online forum), Procurement of computers, Software, and Accessories, Recruitment of Staff, Content Development. June 2024 – May 2025: Awareness Session, Hands-on Training/workshops, Community Outreach and Promotion, Hackathons, and Code Sprints, Mentorship Program, Contributor Days, Monitoring and Evaluation. June – November 2025: Evaluation of the project and Future Planning of funding, Documentation and Support, Expansion of Regional Chapters, Project Report Compilation, and Success Stories. After every Six Months Progress Report is to be submitted to IOI

Openness: Koha: Koha, developed in 1999, is the first open-source integrated library system released under GNU General Public License. It is globally adopted due to its wide range of features in managing the operation of all kinds of libraries. It supports management of both print and electronic resources. Open Content: Free software like OBS will be used for content development. All the materials, including videos, text, code, slides, and supplementary resources, will be shared using public copyright license. Professional Inclusiveness: Invitations to professionals comprising a diverse group of librarians, library staff, and educators from different regions. Open Online Discussion Forum: The community of professionals will be engaged through an Open Online Discussion Forum to ask questions and provide feedback. The active participation of the community members will establish the forum as a repository of practical knowledge for future learners. Expert Contributions: Expert professionals or contributors of the Koha open source community will be invited to share their experiences and insights in developing the content and training of the professionals. It will enrich the content and provide diverse perspectives. Open Community Recognition: Open Acknowledgement (using digital badges and certificates) and celebrate the contributions of professionals who have actively participated and mentored others in learning the Koha. This recognition motivates and strengthens community engagement.

Challenges: Computer Skills: Many studies found that library professionals have low desired computer literacy skills required to manage any open-source software implementation completely. Technophobia: After working for a long time in a manual system, library professionals may have technophobia and be resistant to changes that hinder them from working in an automotive environment. Community Diversity: India is the largest population country in the world, having diverse cultural, linguistic, and ethnic groups. The training of diverse professionals in all languages can be challenging. Infrastructure Constraint: Libraries may have limited resources like less budget, outdated infrastructure, inadequate technology, and internet connectivity. The training program will not be an issue, but these can confront the implementation of the koha-based services in their library. Data Migration: Migration data from commercial software to open source software without losing valuable data is a tedious task. Project Sustainability: The project's continuity after the grant period's completion will be another challenge. However, the developed content and establishment of a community of practice will sustain a longer time in helping the professional to use koha . The above challenges may hinder the project's working, but the diverse team of this project has desired expertise to overcome these obstacles and ensure success.

Neglectedness: I am not aware of any International Funding source. However, at the national level ( India), a couple of granting institutions are available that allocate funding for hosting one workshop/training program per institution with a limited number of participants. This way, our reach, and expertise will be shared with only a few professionals. However, The funding of IOI will not only support expanding the reach and networking of open enthusiasts, but it will also help create a long-term sustainable platform for resolving issues of the use of koha as per the requirement of Indian libraries. Further, it will help establish a community of practice for Koha enthusiasts, promoting knowledge sharing, collaboration, and mutual support among library professionals.

Success: The success of the proposed project will be measured on multiple indicators mentioned below : Skill and Competency Levels: Assessment (Pre and post-training) of improvement in library professionals' technical skills and competency using Koha. Participation and Implementation: Number of participation of library professionals in the training and implementation of the Koha in their respective libraries. Koha Contributors: Number of trained professionals who volunteer to contribute to developing and maintaining the software. Migration from Commercial Software: The number of libraries migrated successfully from commercial to Koha. Active Discussion Forum: The frequency and quality of discussion shared in the community. It can be measured by the number of resolved queries, shared resources, best practices, and experiences. Project Reach: The geographic reach of the project with the representation of trained professionals from libraries ( school, college, university, research labs) of different regions of India. Professional Feedback: Collecting feedback from the professionals to evaluate their satisfaction on 1. Quality of content and training gained; 2. Use of Koha software in the libraries.

Total Budget: USD 24978

Affiliations: Indian Institute of Technology Delhi

LMIE Carveout: Yes, the project fits in this category as the location of all team members and the community belongs to Low and Middle-Income Economies, i.e., India.

Team Skills: The Central Library, IIT Delhi team has successfully migrated from a commercial ILS to Koha. The following open infrastructure are managed by us: Koha OPAC : https://libcat.iitd.ac.in/ Koha Staff Interface: https://libcat.iitd.ac.in:8443 [ Only Accessible in Intranet] Library Website (Drupal): https://library.iitd.ac.in/ Institutional Repository (Dspace): http://eprint.iitd.ac.in/ Sites of OJS, Omeka, and CKAN are accessible through the intranet. The members of the core team of this project have the required qualifications(Major in computer science), skill set, and theoretical and practical understanding of the open-source software based on the LAMP stack. Most library-related software uses LAMP stacks like Koha, Dspace, Drupal, CKAN, OJS, and Omeka. They are independently managing this software at their respective institutions. Also, they have trained professionals on these software on many occasions. The team's expertise will provide valuable insights to beginner professionals about the ILS, including installation, customisation, debugging, testing, deployment, community engagement, version control, documentation, and best practices. The team members are based at different geographical locations that bring group diversity, knowledge of localized implementation, collaboration and networking, regional support, and outreach at the national level. This whole team will establish an active community of practice of koha experts in India.

How Did You Hear About This Call: Word of mouth (e.g. conversations and emails from IOI staff, friends, colleagues, etc.) / Boca a boca (por ejemplo, conversaciones y correos electrónicos del personal del IOI, amigos, colegas, etc.)

Submission Number: 74