International Workshop at The Assam Royal Global University
Rongili Barta- The Royal School of Library and Information Science and the Central Library of The Assam Royal Global University (RGU) organised a three-day international workshop on ‘Koha Integrated Library Management System’ from 28 to 30 August, 2024. Several participants from the northeastern states besides the faculty members and research scholars from Royal Global University and other institutions from Guwahati participated in in the workshop. A distinguished panel of experts including Dr. D. P. Tripathi from the NIT, Jalandhar, Mr. Alex Buckley, from Catalyst IT, Australia, Ms. Jessica Zairo from By Water Solutions, the USA and Dr. Vimal Kumar Vazapelley from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala acted as the Resource Persons in the workshop. Inaugurating the workshop Professor Alak K Buragohain the interim Vice Chancellor of the University pointed out at the great importance of computer technology in the management of the ever-increasing volume and complexity of library. Koha being an open-source free software for integrated library management, Professor Buragohain stressed upon the need for developing awareness and the necessary skill for effective and widespread use of this robust software by the librarians, general readers and the research scholars. Professor Bijoy Singh Mipun, Dean Students Welfare and the Dean, Royal School of Earth and Environment Sciences, discussed at length in his keynote speech about the importance of ICT in improving the research ecosystem in academia. Prof. (Dr.) Ankur Ganguly, Dean of Academics who spoke on ‘Exploring Open Source Software (OSS) for Libraries’ threw lights on its aspects such as- ‘Definition of Open-Source Software in Libraries’, ‘Relevance of OSS in Libraries’, ‘Key Advantages of OSS in Libraries’, ‘Migration from Libsys to KOHA’, ‘Cost Saving and Effectiveness’, ‘Seamless Access and Adopting Circulation Process’, ‘Customizing Digital Archive Solutions’, and ‘Recommendations for Using OSS in Libraries’ and encouraged his audience to make the most of this workshop and utilization of tools provided with a comprehensive understanding of its pros and cons. Dr. D.P. Tripathi, Deputy Librarian, NIT Jalandhar shared a presentation on ‘Koha Cataloguing Module’ in a session that focused on ‘MARC-Machine-Readable Cataloguing Tags’, while Dr. Hirak Jyoti Hazarika discussed the ‘Patron Module’ in Koha. The following day, Ms. Jessica Zairo threw light upon ‘Plugin Management in Koha’, ‘Overview of ByWater Solutions’, ‘E-Resource Management in Koha’, and ‘Demonstration of Koha OPAC’, while Mr. Alex Buckly from Catalyst IT, New Zealand threw light upon ‘History of Koha and Evolution’, ‘Koha Con 2024’, ‘Koha Help for Large Catalogue and Bug Issues’, ‘User Statistics Update and Bugzilla’, and ‘Vufind and Koha Plugin’, and Dr. Vimal Kumar Vazapelley covered the Tools Module of Koha, providing a detailed walkthrough of various administrative and technical tasks. The workshop was summed up with a Felicitation and Certificate Distribution Ceremony on the 30th of August, 2024