Staff training
Koha Staff Training — Live Sessions for Your Team
Private sessions for your library’s own staff, on the Koha you already run, with your own records. Wherever your library is.
Sound familiar?
Koha is running. Your team is not sure how to use it.
Most Koha problems we are called about are not bugs. They are settings nobody understood and tasks nobody was shown.
“The person who set Koha up has left, and nobody else knows how it works.”
“New staff learn from whoever is at the desk, so everyone does it differently.”
“We avoid acquisitions and serials because nobody is sure what the buttons do.”
“Fine rules and loan periods were set once and nobody dares change them.”
How it works
Three steps, planned around your team
No slide decks, no generic course. Your staff learn on the system they use every day.
We find out what your team needs
A short call and a look at your Koha: who uses which modules, what they find hard, and which settings are causing trouble. You get a session plan per role, not a generic course.
Live sessions on your own Koha
Online, by screen share, at times that fit your library’s working hours and time zone. Each session covers one area with the staff who do that work, using your own records, so what they practise is what they will do tomorrow.
Notes, fixes and follow-up
After each session your team gets written notes for the tasks covered. Anything wrong we found in your settings is listed with what it does, and we agree whether to fix it. Questions in the following weeks go to the same trainer.
What we cover
Every module your staff touch
Pick the areas your team needs. Each session is one area with the people who do that work.
- Circulation deskCheckout, return, renewals, holds, transfers, overrides
- PatronsCategories, registration, imports, cards, privacy settings
- Circulation and fine rulesLoan periods, limits, fines, grace periods, the calendar
- NoticesTemplates, the message queue, and why a notice did not send
- CataloguingMARC21 frameworks, item records, Z39.50 copy cataloguing, imports
- Acquisitions and serialsFunds, baskets, receiving, subscriptions, claims
- ReportsSaved SQL reports and the questions management asks
- OPACWhat patrons see and how to change it
- Server administrationNot included: that is our support service, not staff training
Why it works
Training that fixes things too
Training on a live system shows what is wrong with it. We tell you what we find.
Live, not recorded
Your staff ask questions about their own screens and get answers in the session.
Your own records
Practice uses your catalog, your patron categories and your rules, not sample data.
Settings checked
A fine rule that charges nothing or a loan period of zero days shows up fast in a live session. We list it and explain the effect.
By role
Desk staff, cataloguers, acquisitions and administrators each get the part they need.
For new staff too
Book a refresher when someone joins, so knowledge does not leave with one person.
Any Koha
Your own server, another host, or Koha Cloud. You do not have to move anything to be trained.
Need help keeping Koha running as well?
Training teaches your team to use Koha. Koha support keeps it working: notices that stop sending, a broken SMTP or Z39.50 setup, circulation rules that block checkouts, upgrades, and putting your OPAC on your own domain.
Koha support for your existing KohaTraining one person for a certificate?
The Koha Certificate is our course for individuals. Students practise on our own training library and earn a certificate at the end.
Koha training and certificationFAQ
What libraries ask before booking
Is this the same as the Koha Certificate course?
No. The Koha Certificate is a course for individuals, who practise on our training library and earn a certificate. Staff training is for an institution: we train your own team, in private sessions, on the Koha your library already runs, using your own records and your own settings.
Do we need to be on Koha Cloud or buy support to book training?
No. Training is a service on its own, for any Koha installation: hosted by us, by another provider, or on your own server. Many libraries combine it with support so the same people who trained the team answer their questions afterwards, but that is a choice, not a condition.
How are the sessions run?
Live, online, by screen share, at times that suit your library's working hours and time zone. Each session covers one area, such as circulation, cataloguing or acquisitions, with the staff who do that work, and is short enough that the desk can stay open. We can record sessions for staff who join later, if your institution agrees.
What if our Koha has settings that are wrong?
That is common, and training is often where it shows: a fine rule that charges nothing, a patron category with a loan period of zero days, notices that never leave the server. We point out what we find, explain the effect and agree with you whether to fix it during the session or afterwards.
How is training priced?
By the number of sessions and the areas covered, so the quote follows a short conversation about your team and what it needs. Tell us how many staff, which modules they use and what they find difficult, and we will propose a plan.
Related reading
Background for your team
Why Koha overdue notices are not sending
The five causes, in the order they are worth checking.
Read the guideKoha and MARC21
Fields and frameworks, explained for the people who catalogue.
Read the guideThe Koha cron jobs nobody checks
Fines, overdues and holds depend on jobs your team never sees.
Read the guideOther services
Get a quote
Plan training for your team
Tell us how many staff, which modules they use and what they find difficult. We will propose a session plan.