A three-day international workshop on “Koha Integrated Library Management System” was organized by the Royal School of Library and Information Science and the Central Library of The Assam Royal Global University (RGU). The workshop was held from August 28 to 30, 2024, and was attended by experts from the Northeast states, as well as faculty members and research scholars from RGU and other institutions.
The workshop began with an inaugural address by Professor Alak K Buragohain, the Interim Vice Chancellor of the University, which emphasised the significance of computer technology in managing the ever-increasing volume and complexity of libraries. The Professor stressed the necessity of developing awareness and the required skill for effective and widespread use of the robust software Koha.
In his keynote speech, Professor Bijoy Singh Mipun, Dean of Students Welfare and the Dean of the Royal School of Earth and Environment Sciences, discussed the importance of information and technology in improving the research ecosystem in academia. He also emphasised the significance of open-source software in libraries and explored its aspects, including the definition of open-source software in libraries, relevance of open-source software in libraries, key advantages of open-source software in libraries, migration from Libsys to KOHA, cost-saving and effectiveness, seamless access and adopting circulation process, and customizing digital archive solutions.
The workshop culminated with a felicitation and certificate distribution ceremony on August 30, 2024. The event emphasised the success of the workshop and the positive impact it had on the participants. The workshop stressed the importance of developing awareness and the necessary skill for effective and widespread use of Koha by librarians, general readers, and research scholars. The workshop also provided an opportunity for librarians to explore the different aspects of open-source software and how they can be effectively used to improve library efficiency and productivity.