Guides & how-tos
The Koha Blog
Practical guides for libraries running Koha — installation, hosting, migration, cataloging and the maintenance nobody warns you about.
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AI in Library Management: What It Actually Does
Most "AI library software" pages describe a demo, not a product. Here is what an AI assistant genuinely does in a live library catalog today — and what is still just a roadmap slide, everywhere, including ours.
October 20, 2026
How AI Cataloging Cuts Copy-Cataloging Time
A real before-and-after: cataloging a title by hand versus letting an AI assistant draft it from an ISBN first. What it saves, what it does not, and why a librarian still checks every field.
October 23, 2026
Zebra or Elasticsearch: Choosing Koha’s Search Engine
Elasticsearch is better at the things Zebra is worst at, and it is a second production service to run. Which one a library should choose, and the honest reasons to stay where you are.
October 16, 2026
How Much Server Does Koha Actually Need?
Koha will run on very little and fall over on a machine that looked adequate on paper. What actually consumes memory, why records are the smallest thing on the disk, and three starting points you can size against.
October 13, 2026
Can You Run Library Circulation From a Phone?
There is no official Koha mobile app. Here is what actually works on a phone or tablet today, and how a camera replaces a USB barcode scanner at the desk.
October 9, 2026
Koha Union Catalogs and Consortium Lending Explained
One shared catalog or several catalogs with search over the top? The two models, what each costs, and the governance questions that decide success.
October 6, 2026
How to Upgrade Koha Without Breaking It
Koha upgrades are routine if you have a backup you have restored and a staging copy to try it on. Here is the safe sequence, and what usually breaks.
October 2, 2026
Koha Cron Jobs: The Ones That Actually Matter
Koha’s web interface shows you the library; cron jobs are what make it behave over time. Which are essential, and what silently breaks without each.
September 29, 2026
Koha Backup and Restore: A Practical Guide
An untested backup is not a backup. What to back up in Koha, how often, where to keep it, and how to actually restore — including the drill nobody runs.
September 25, 2026