Openbiblio South Africa

About OpenBiblio

OpenBiblio is a free, open-source Integrated Library System (ILS) designed for efficient library management. Known for its simplicity, multilingual support, and comprehensive documentation, OpenBiblio is widely used by small and rural libraries worldwide.

We provide affordable OpenBiblio hosting in South Africa, with plans starting at R200.00 per month, ensuring fast and reliable access to your library system.

OpenBiblio History

Developed in 2002 by Dave Stevens, OpenBiblio was created to be an easy-to-install, user-friendly library management system. Over time, it has been enhanced with new features and bug fixes. OpenBiblio can be downloaded from Surgeforce Openbiblio

OpenBiblio Usage & Implementations

OpenBiblio is actively used in libraries, schools, and archives worldwide, particularly in regions with limited resources.

• Mexico: Recommended for indigenous community libraries, supporting Nahuatl and other languages.
• Armenia: Suggested by the National Library of Armenia for 900+ small and rural libraries.
• Chile & Latin America: Used in primary schools and gaining interest in Colombia, Cuba, and Venezuela.
• Brazil: Researched at the Federal University of Paraíba for training future librarians in automation systems.

Key Features of OpenBiblio

OpenBiblio includes essential library automation features, making it ideal for small to medium-sized libraries:

• ✅ Circulation: Issue and return books, manage patron records.
• ✅ Cataloguing: Add, edit, and delete bibliographic records (MARC & MARCXML support).
• ✅ Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC): User-friendly search interface for patrons.
• ✅ Administration: Manage settings, users, materials, fines, and library policies.
• ✅ Reports: Generate custom reports using the built-in RPT syntax.

While OpenBiblio covers core library functions, it does not include acquisitions or serials management, unlike Koha or Evergreen.

OpenBiblio Hosting Services in South Africa

We offer specialized hosting for OpenBiblio on South African servers, ensuring:

• ⚡ Fast & secure access to your library system
• 💡 Local support tailored for South African institutions
• 💰 Affordable pricing, starting from R200.00/month

Want to get started? Contact us today!

About Openbiblio

Openbiblio is a free library software solution that helps organizations manage their libraries efficiently. Hosted locally in South Africa, we provide affordable hosting plans starting from just R200.00.

OpenBiblio is an open source Integrated Library System. The software is popular with small and rural libraries worldwide due to its simplicity, extensive language support, and good documentation

History

Openbiblio was created in 2002 by Dave Stevens, who was interested in creating an easy-to-use, well-documented, easy-to-install library system.[2] The current maintainer is Hans van der Weij. After 2017, the current version with a variety of options and bugfixes was published on openbiblio.de.

Implementations and usage

Though the system is still under active development, it has already become widely used in small libraries and archives worldwide. Researchers from the National Autonomous University of Mexico have recommended the use of the system in indigenous community libraries in Mexico, particularly because of its support of the Nahuatl language.[3] The National Library of Armenia has recommended the use of OpenBiblio for the country's 900 small (fewer than 40,000 volumes) and rural libraries.[4]

The system has been translated into Spanish by a professor of Castilian, and is used in the primary school system in Chile. In addition, Colombia, Cuba and Venezuela have expressed an interest in this program, according to Werner Westerman of the Chilean Educalibre group.[5]

The system has been translated into Spanish by a professor of Castilian, and is used in the primary school system in Chile. In addition, Colombia, Cuba and Venezuela have expressed an interest in this program, according to Werner Westerman of the Chilean Educalibre group.[5]

Researchers from the Federal University of Paraíba's Information Science department also discuss the use of OpenBiblio in teaching future librarians about library automation systems.[6]

Features

Circulation: for staff to check items in and out to patrons, and to add new patrons. Cataloguing: for staff to create, modify, or delete bibliographic records, including uploading of MARC and MARCXML records. Online public access catalog (OPAC): a public catalog for patrons to find books Administration: Configuration and management of the system, including library, staff, material, fines, and website settings. Reports: Retrieve and format information from the database, including overdue letters and statistical models for the use of the library's materials. OpenBiblio uses a special syntax called RPT for its reports, so that users do not have to learn PHP to create these reports.[9]

While OpenBiblio provides all the essential functionalities for a small or medium-sized library, it does not include the more complex features, such as acquisitions and serials management, provided by other open source integrated library systems, such as Koha or Evergreen.[10]

Contact Us

Phone: +27 082 807 8579

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