What is Koha?

In doing a little Googling on this question, I ran across a page that defines and also gives an interesting philosophical interpretation behind the word's meaning: http://solari.com/blog/?p=68 According to a native New Zealander quoted in Catherine Austin Fitt's Blog: Mapping the real deal, "Koha" is a Maori word, and a short definition " is "a gift brought by the visitor to the people of the land, often food or treasures, and it is part of the process of Manakitanga which defines the realm of hospitality or the sharing of information." I think the naming of this shared instrument for the organization of information sources is a nice touch.

Koha, in the cataloging sense, is the first open-source Integrated Library System (ILS). Open source=it is collaboratively created and updated and users help each other with problems. More specifically it is distributed under the General Public License (GPL). This license holds for the user:

• the freedom to use the software for any purpose,
• the freedom to change the software to suit your needs,
• the freedom to share the software with your friends and neighbors, and
• the freedom to share the changes you make. (from A Quick Guide to GPLv3 http://www.gnu.org/licenses/quick-guide-gplv3.html)
  

ILS= database based "modules for circulation, cataloging, acquisitions, serials, reserves, patron management, branch relationships, and more."

According to Wikipedia, there are several other open source ILS, but after a quick look at information on these, I think Koha may be the most user friendly, i.e. less specific technical knowledge needed. It is also widely used by libraries world-wide.