Web based Community Information Services in Public Libraries using ‘Koha’: Open Source Integrated Library System

Abstract

Information acts as a crucial factor in the development of individuals and community. Community information is the information which is required by every human being in their day-to-day life for problem solving and decision making. In this ‘information age’, public llibraries face severe challenges from ICT developments and changing user expectations. UNESCO Public Library Manifesto defines public library as the local centre of information which makes all kinds of knowledge and information readily available to its users. Being the local gateways of knowledge, it becomes the duty of the Public Libraries to collect organize and disseminate all local information to the community it belonged to. This study explores Community Information Services in Public libraries and proposes providing web based community information services using Koha open source library system.