Public libraries
A Public Library Management System, with Memberships Built In
Koha for public, community, welfare, municipal and subscription libraries: memberships of any length sold and tracked, a gate register that counts itself, family cards, lending beyond books, holds between branches and self-check, hosted and supported so your staff can look after readers.
What we hear
The problems public libraries bring us
“We sell monthly, quarterly and yearly memberships, and keep track of them in a notebook.”
“Visitors sign a paper register at the door, and the board asks how many people use the library.”
“A family wants one account for the parent and cards for the children, linked together.”
“A reader asks for a book held at another branch, and we phone around to find it.”
How we set it up
Set up for how a public library works
Whether we install a new Koha, migrate you onto one, host it, or support the Koha you already run.
Memberships built in
As many plans as you need, priced however you like, by days, weeks, months or years. Reading-only plans that refuse a checkout, a pause for a member who travels, grace days after expiry, plans valid at one branch or all of them, and a reminder before a card expires. Members see their plan online and can ask to renew, and you see income, renewals and lapsed members.
A gate register that counts itself
Members scan their card at the entrance; walk-in visitors are recorded by name, ID and purpose. Time spent is recorded, a room can warn at 90% full or refuse entry, and footfall, peak hours and length of stay come out as reports, so the desk is staffed when it is busiest.
Families, branches and self-service
Children’s cards are linked to a parent’s account, and new readers can register online for staff to check and approve. Holds are sent between branches with a transfer, and SIP2 self-check kiosks and RFID security gates are connected and tested before go-live.
What you get
Everything a public library needs
| What | How it works | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Membership plans | Any length and price, side by side | No more handling every other plan by hand |
| Reading-only plans | Entry and study without borrowing | The checkout is refused automatically |
| Pause and grace | A pause moves the end date; grace days after expiry | Members who travel or fall ill are treated fairly |
| Renewals | Reminder before expiry; members ask to renew online | Fewer lapsed members, less chasing at the desk |
| Income | Collected and earned per period, by plan and branch | Membership money you can account for |
| Gate register | Card scan in and out; walk-ins by name, ID and purpose | Replaces the paper register at the door |
| Footfall | Visits, unique visitors, busiest day and hour, length of stay | Numbers for the board and for staffing the desk |
| Room capacity | Warn at 90%, or refuse entry when full | The reading room never overflows |
| Families | Children linked to a parent’s account | One family, one place to see every card |
| Branches | Holds sent between branches with transfers | A reader collects a book from the nearest branch |
| Self-check and gates | SIP2 kiosks and RFID security gates | The equipment you own keeps working |
| Beyond books | Laptops, tools, toys, kits, DVDs, each with its own loan rules | Lend whatever your community needs, booked for set dates if you like |
Public, municipal, community, welfare, subscription and private membership libraries, from one reading room to a city system with branches. A library with manuscripts or a heritage collection has its own page.
Included
What we look after
Memberships built in
Plans, pauses, grace days, renewals and income reports.
Gate register
Members and walk-ins checked in and out, with time spent recorded.
Footfall reports
Visits, busiest hours and length of stay for any period.
Family cards
Children linked to a parent, and online registration you approve.
Holds between branches
A book sent to the reader’s nearest branch, tracked in transit.
Hosted and backed up
Upgrades, patches and backups are ours, with a copy you can download.
More in Koha Cloud, not in standard Koha
Tamper-evident records
Every book’s movements and every fine, payment and waiver in an append-only history. Any change is detected and flagged.
Audit-ready recordsGate register and footfall
Members and walk-ins check in and out; time spent, peak hours and daily trends are reported.
Visitor managementMembership plans
As many paid plans as you sell, with freezes, grace days, study-only passes and renewals.
Membership plansPartner-library loans
Lend to and borrow collections from libraries outside the system, with agreements, deposits and due dates tracked.
How partner loans are trackedAI built into Koha Cloud
Advanced library automation, with an AI assistant for your staff and readers
Koha Cloud is more than hosting. On any plan, your library can add an AI assistant inside the librarian panel that catalogues, audits and reports alongside your staff. Write to it in English or the language your readers use, and it answers in the same language. It proposes; a librarian approves every change.
Copy cataloguing from every source
Give it an ISBN or a title. It searches your own Z39.50 and SRU servers in the order you rank them, then Google Books and Open Library, and brings back the 10 best matches, each labelled with its source. You pick one; the record is drafted for you to confirm.
DDC numbers and author marks
Suggests a Dewey number and a Cutter-style author mark worked out from cataloguing rules and your library’s own convention, for one book or every record missing one. A librarian approves each change.
Catalogue health score
40 checks rolled into one score out of 100: missing marks, invalid ISBNs, likely duplicates, records with no copies. It ranks the worst problems first, tracks the score over time, and fixes them in reviewed batches.
Stock audits and registers
Accession register, stocktake summary, missing items, item history, holdings as of any date and reconciliation, asked for in a sentence instead of built as a report.
Reports on request
Most-borrowed titles, dormant stock, overdues, fines, branch comparisons: 28 ready reports, asked as a question and saved for next time.
Patrons search in plain words
On your public catalogue a reader can type “books on climate change in Urdu published after 2015” or “Agatha Christie novels on the shelf right now”, and the AI turns it into a catalogue search with the right filters.
The same assistant also runs the circulation desk, acquisitions, patron registration, labels and your library's public website by chat, within each staff member's own permissions.
Koha Cloud pricing
Hosted Koha from $30 a month
Or $300 a year, saving $60. Up to 5,000 titles and 10,000 copies, 5 staff and 1,000 patrons, with hosting, a subdomain, data migration, the public catalog, cataloguing, circulation, acquisitions, administration and training. The same price in every country; larger libraries get a tailored quote.
Not ready to change your library system? Put just your catalogue online from $10 a month, from your spreadsheet, SLiMS export or register.
Already running Koha?
We support and fix the Koha you have, on your own server, and train your team in live sessions.
Koha supportMoving to Koha?
From another library system or a spreadsheet, validated and reconciled before go-live.
Koha data migrationYour team needs training?
Private live sessions for your staff on your own Koha, in your working hours.
Koha staff trainingFAQ
What public libraries ask us
Can we sell memberships of different lengths and prices?
Yes. Koha Cloud has membership plans built in: as many as you need, by days, weeks, months or years, each with its own price, branch and borrowing rights. A member can pause a plan, get grace days after expiry and ask to renew online, and you see who is current, who has lapsed and what was earned.
Can we replace the paper visitor register at the door?
Yes. Members scan their card at an entrance desk and walk-in visitors are recorded by name, ID and purpose. Time spent is recorded, and visits, busiest hours and length of stay come out as reports. It runs on an ordinary computer with a barcode scanner.
Will our RFID security gates and self-check kiosks keep working?
If they speak SIP2, which most do, yes. We connect and test each kiosk and gate before go-live, and keep the configuration documented.
Can parents and children have linked cards?
Yes. A child’s account is linked to a parent or guardian, who is the contact for notices, and new readers can register online for your staff to check and approve.
How is it priced?
Koha Cloud's Basic plan has a published price in US dollars, the same in every country, with the first three months free and training included. A city system with many branches gets a written quote.
Can we lend things other than books?
Yes. Laptops, tools, toys, games, kits, DVDs or anything else your community borrows each get their own item type with their own loan period, limits and fines, and an item can be booked for set dates before it is collected.
Related reading
Background reading
Koha SIP2 integration
Self-check and RFID with Koha.
Read the guideKoha union catalogs
One search across a group of libraries.
Read the guideKoha data migration
Moving from your current system without surprises.
Read the guideKoha in your region
By type of library
Our services
Get a quote
Talk to us about your library
Tell us where you are and what you run today. We reply in your working hours.