Libraries, collections & archives
Our team, Rōpū kohinga, work with you to create trusted technology solutions for your physical and digital collections. If you’ve got ideas for managing your collection, or are seeking advice on a new or existing library software initiative, we encourage you to talk to our team.
Global expertise, local care
We've partnered with libraries and organisations worldwide to help them care for their physical and digital collections. Whatever your collection contains, and however that collection needs to be cared for, accessed and presented, we're interested to learn more.
We specialise in open source software for libraries, collections, and archives
Rōpū kohinga are Koha experts
Koha library management system is a community-driven project and the most widely used library system in the world. A New Zealand-born system originally designed by libraries for libraries, it can be used to manage and access collections of all types and sizes. With over 15 years of dedicated Koha support and innovation, you can trust our team to support your collections management needs.
With Koha, libraries of all types and sizes can enjoy the freedom, flexibility and security of the world’s most implemented library system. Plus, partnering with our dedicated team of Koha consultants and developers means you can leave the software and security concerns to us and focus on delivering value to your customers.
- Intuitive, easy-to-use, fully featured library management platform with many integration options.
- Web-based admin and public catalogue interfaces – do it all in your browser.
- Customise the public interface to align with your organisation’s visual brand.
- Implemented by 20,000+ libraries and supported by a global community of software developers and library people.
- Modern, flexible and future-proofed platform.
- Open source, meaning free from vendor lock-in and licensing costs.
- Tools for inventory management and reporting directly from the library database.
- Enhancements and security fixes through regular upgrades.
- Support for 40+ languages.
- Submitting code enhancements and fixes on behalf of the libraries we support
- Release management and maintenance roles
- Facilitating training, workshops and user group meet ups
- Overseeing an intake of Catalyst Open Source Academy high school students and interns.
- Contributing to the annual Kohacon.(external link)
Partnering with Rōpū kohinga
- Collaborative, future-focused, and tailored to your collection’s needs.
- Secure, scalable solutions for collections of all sizes, with data sovereignty guaranteed.
- Reliable, New Zealand-based support and seamless third-party integrations.
- Design and accessibility expertise to ensure the best user experience.
- Full implementation support, training, and secure cloud hosting, enabling you to focus on your community.
Success stories
A year after the launch of Ia: the world's first Rainbow research portal
Ia, the world’s first Rainbow portal launched in September 2023, and a year on, we share the collaborative nature of the project between Rōpū kohinga and AUT.
A next-generation digital asset management solution
Archives Central were limited by the Kete system: it had served them well for over 10 years, but had not attracted a sufficient community to stay current with expectations of modern digital collection management.
University of Canterbury: QuakeStudies and Islandora
University Canterbury needed a digital library that could handle a large amount of content and combine multiple types of media from various organisations, while allowing the staff to curate material and the public to easily explore collections.
Jessie Street National Women's Library: Honouring Australian stories
Learn how Jessie Street National Women's Library preserves Australian history in Koha library software, honouring the stories of women and Aboriginal people.
The Kolovai Library: a real treasure to Tonga
Learn how the first public library in Tonga, Kolovai Public Library, has grown using the Koha library management system.
Koha library system: Protecting taonga in Taranaki
Explore how Rōpū kohinga supported Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa Trust to future-proof their collection using Koha.
Other collections software we can support
We welcome conversations about the challenges and opportunities your organisation is facing – our job is solving problems and creating the right solution for you. We match technology recommendations not only to the requirements for the collection and system, but also to the people who will be maintaining it.
Tell us about the goals for your organisation and your team, and we’ll work with you on a plan for the technology.
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Secure, scalable, and sovereign hosting
Our hosting solutions prioritise data sovereignty so your collection and data remain in your control.
In Aotearoa, Catalyst Cloud is a secure, scalable, and sovereign hosting option for your data. Find Catalyst under Infrastructure Managed Services on the NZ digital government Marketplace.
In Australia? We use Australian-owned, Servers Australia to remove barriers to data sovereignty.
If you'd like to self-host, or partner with a local cloud or data centre, we can support you with the implementation.