Koha Community Newsletter: May 2013

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May 2013

Volume 4, Issue 5
ISSN 2153-8328
Edited by Daniel Grobani, Koha Community Newsletter Editor.
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Table of Contents

Development

Koha 3.12.0 Released
by Jared Camins-Esakov

It is with great pleasure that I announce the release of Koha 3.12.0, the latest stable release of the Koha open source integrated library system. Koha is the first free and open source software library automation package (ILS). Development is sponsored by libraries of varying types and sizes, volunteers, and support companies from around the world.

Koha 3.12.0 is a major release, with numerous new features, enhancements, and bugfixes. Koha 3.12.0 is released under the GNU General Public License version 3 or later. Since the release of Koha 3.10.0, the development team has added 1470 patches to Koha, comprising some 21 new features, 160 enhancements, and 440 bugfixes. The result, I am sure you will agree, is the best version of Koha yet.

Koha 3.12.0 can be downloaded here; for apt-based Linux distributions, .deb files can be downloaded from Koha’s apt repository. Installation documentation is here and in the INSTALL files in the tarball.

Illustrated Koha 3.12 release notes outlining some of the highlights of 3.12.0 are available, as are full release notes.

Koha 3.10.6 Released
by Chris Cormack

The Koha community is proud to announce the release of Koha 3.10.6. This is a stable release and contains many bugfixes.

Koha 3.10.6 can be downloaded here; installation instructions are here or in the INSTALL files that come in the tarball. Packages are here.

Release notes are here.

This is also my last release as 3.10.x release maintainer. Thanks again to all the many people who have contributed along the way.

Koha 3.8.13 Released
by Chris Cormack

It is with great pleasure that the Koha community announces the release of Koha 3.8.13. This a maintenance release and contains many bugfixes.

Koha 3.8.13 can be downloaded here; installation instructions are here or in the INSTALL files that come in the tarball.

Release notes are here.

This is my last release as release maintainer for the 3.8.x branch. I would like to thank all those who wrote patches, tested, signed off, and did QA, as well as of course Jared the release manager.

Koha 3.12 Live DVD Released
by Vimal Kumar V.

A live DVD based on Koha 3.12 and Xubuntu 12.04 has been released. Here are the key features of the DVD:

  • Easy installation steps
  • Koha installation based on Ubuntu packages
  • Koha customised for ready to use
  • Zebra server enabled
  • Customised MARC fields in cataloguing
  • Scheduled database backup
  • Built on Xubuntu 12.04 LTS
  • Detailed Read Me file
  • Post installation manual
  • Sample reports
  • Easy to upgrade to a new version of Koha like any other Ubuntu packages

You can download the live DVD and an installation manual here.

Koha Statistics

Chris Cormack, Koha Community statistics wizard, has posted statistics for the Koha 3.10.5 release and for April 2013.

Community

New Koha Libraries

Community Gossip

The library of the Institute of Mathematics at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics has posted a Hungarian-language account of their migration to Koha.

Nicole Engard has posted a tutorial video on defining circulation and fine rules in Koha 3.10.

The National Library of Armenia and the Fundamental Scientific Library of the Academy of Sciences of Armenia, Armenia’s two largest libraries, are using Koha for their union catalog of Armenian periodicals with holding information.

Jared Camins-Esakov, Koha 3.12 Release Manager, raised the bar on Koha release notes with his illustrated 3.12.0 release notes in PDF format.

Support Provider News

Larry Baerveldt of ByWater Solutions has posted an account of changing the home from which he works.

BibLibre has updated their Koha demonstration website.

inLibro is seeking a lead programmer and a web developer to join their French-speaking team in Montréal.

Danielle Elder has joined ByWater Solutions as a Koha Migrations Specialist.

Upcoming Events

June General IRC Meeting

The June general IRC meeting will be held on 5 June 2013 at 18:00 UTC.

The agenda and other information is here.

KohaCon13 News

The preliminary program has been posted for KohaCon13, to be held 15-22 October 2013 in Reno, Nevada, USA.

Shanxi (China) Koha Mini Conference

The Taiyuan University of Technology Library is hosting a Koha mini conference in Shanxi, China, on 21-22 June. For more info, contact Anthony Mao.

Past Events

May General IRC Meeting

The May general IRC meeting was held on 7 May 2013.

The agenda, links to the minutes, and other information is here.

Global Bug Squashing Day

A global bug squashing day was held on 10 May 2013. More info is here.

Philippines Training
by Eugene Jose Espinoza

A training for libraries entitled “Organize IT Digitally, Open-Source Tools for your Library: Training on the use of Koha, DSpace and Greenstone Digital Library” was held at the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) in Tigbauan, Iloilo City, Philippines, on 15-17 May 2013. The seminar-workshop, attended by 88 participants from different libraries and information centers in the Philippines, was sponsored by the Association of Special Libraries of the Philippines in cooperation with the SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department.

Maldives Training

The Maldives Library Association conducted a training on Koha 21-23 April 2013 at the Villa College QI Campus computer lab. Seventeen staff from ten libraries attended the training, which was part of the nationwide digital library project initiated by the Maldives Library Association in partnership with the National Library of Maldives. More info is here.

Pisa Seminar

The Franco Serantini Library and Hyperborea Srl organized a seminar on Koha in Pisa, Italy, on 19 April 2013. The event was attended by approximately 100 participants from various Italian libraries. More info is here.

Koha Gruppo Italiano at the Spring Event

The Koha Gruppo Italiano had a presence at the Spring Event 2013 in Rome on 23 May 2013. The previous day, Paul Poulain of BibLibre addressed a meeting of current and future Koha users at the American University of Rome.