Automating Library Acquisition and Cataloguing: A Workflow Implementation using Koha and MarcEdit

Abstract

The introduction of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the 1990s, coupled with the open-source movement, has significantly transformed the operations of libraries and information centres. Most of the library activities have now become automated. However, acquisition is still an area where many libraries are devoid of full-fledged automation. While several studies have examined the implementation of the acquisition module in Koha, most focus on adding items to the vendor basket through options such as “Add from Purchase Suggestions” or library staff manually adding the details of the books to be purchased using the “add to basket option.” This strategy is prudent if the library’s collection development is based primarily on OPAC suggestions. However, when members of faculty submit large lists of book recommendations (let’s say around 500 titles), this method doesn’t augur well, leading to the submission of Excel sheets to the library. Eventually, this again leads to the manual method, as library staff must individually add all the titles to the vendor basket. However, this lacuna can be filled if the library goes for the “from a staged file option in Koha”. The purpose of this paper is to devise a fully automated method by utilising the “from a stage option in Koha” along with MarcEdit software. By implementing this method, the process of collection development could be fully automated, starting from the receipt of book recommendations, creation of purchase orders, placing orders, receiving the shipments, cataloguing the books, etc. Informal reflections from implementation at NIT Calicut show a considerable reduction in processing time and improved consistency in bibliographic data, making the workflow especially beneficial for academic libraries managing high-volume acquisitions.