Cheshire Education Library Service chooses Koha open source library management system, hosted and supported by Open Fifth
Last updated on: 7th April 2025| 18th March 2025 | Fiona Borthwick
Press Release
Koha library management system
With over 18,000 systems worldwide, Koha is one of the most widely used library management systems (LMS) in the world. Koha is entirely web-based for both staff and public functions. This helps make the system light, easy to use, easy to deploy and easy to manage.
Koha’s impressive feature set continues to evolve and expand to meet the needs of its user base. It includes modules for circulation, cataloguing, acquisitions, serials, course reserves, user management, interlibrary loans, and more.
Take a look at Cheshire Education Library Service’s catalogue.
Susannah Hill, Lead Librarian Cheshire Education Library Service, shared:
“Koha offers us a responsive and cost effective system to enable us to provide improved services to our subscribing schools. Koha gives us increased functionality and we are really pleased with the work done to enable Quotas for our schools. We have had great support from the PTFS team and look forward to working with them on potential new developments.”
Fiona Borthwick, Head of Sales and Account Management at Open Fifth shared:
“We are thrilled to welcome Cheshire Education Library Service as a new Koha customer. Having collaborated and worked with public libraries in both Cheshire East and Chester West and Chester for many years, we are excited to see Koha implemented in this different setting and see how it grows in the education library environment. As part of this implementation, Open Fifth developed new Quotas functionality, which we believe will be highly valuable across libraries in all sectors.
The Koha library management system provides ELS with the ability to connect schools and teachers while assigning checkout quotas to school records based on their subscription service. Beyond offering an attractive catalogue, Koha’s adaptable design integrates seamlessly with the library’s existing workflows.
We look forward to exploring how this library service uses Koha and are pleased to welcome Cheshire Education Library Service to our growing customer base.”
Any questions? Please contact Fiona Borthwick, fiona.borthwick@openfifth.co.uk.
About Open Fifth
Open Fifth Limited (formerly PTFS Europe Limited) is a UK-based company with the vision to make technology easy for libraries. We focus on enabling library users through high-quality, open source software solutions. Our way of working is characterised by listening, finding solutions, reliable delivery, and above all open communication. Our highly skilled team has a friendly and approachable style in delivering our quality implementation and support services.
We proudly work with customers across all library sectors, including public, academic, health, governmental, museum, law and special libraries. The reason so many customers continue to choose us is that we solve problems, we don’t sell software. When libraries join us as a customer, they are gaining the expertise of our developers, trainers, data migration experts, and experienced account managers to support them throughout the journey. As an ISO27001 accredited company, you can also rely on the quality and integrity of the support we’re providing.
About Cheshire Education Library Service
Cheshire Education Library Service supports schools by providing quality resources to enrich learning and promote reading for pleasure. ELS offers a subscription service to nurseries, primary, secondary and special schools in Cheshire, Warrington, Halton and Stockport. We also offer a service to schools further afield if they do not have access to a more local School Library Service.
