Open Fifth Team Returns from Koha Hackfest in Marseille with Exciting Updates!
Last updated on: 15th April 2025| 15th April 2025 | Martin Renvoize | Latest News
Building Community: The Heart of Open Source
One of the most valuable aspects of the Hackfest was the opportunity to connect face-to-face with our international colleagues. As Chloe noted, the team had “about 13 in-depth conversations on topics ranging from careers, Koha development, community processes, swapping Windows for Linux, cultural differences, and how languages are both fascinating yet quite random.”
These personal connections are the foundation of our open source community. By hackfest spending days collaborating on code and evenings exploring Marseilles together, we’ve strengthened the relationships that power Koha’s development throughout the year. These social connections help us work more effectively together, even when we’re thousands of miles apart.
VueJS Architecture: Streamlining Development
One of the most significant developments came from our own Pedro and Matt, who presented a re-imagined VueJS architecture for Koha. This received enthusiastic support from the entire community, with plans to incorporate the foundational work into the upcoming 25.05 release.
This modern approach will streamline future development efforts and greatly improve consistency across Koha’s interfaces. While users might not immediately notice dramatic changes, the consistent interface patterns will gradually enhance user-friendliness and provide more solid foundations for future enhancements.
Dashboard Widgets: Personalised Library Management
The team showcased our ERM dashboard widgets, which generated significant interest and serves as an excellent example of what the VueJS architecture can help achieve. These customisable widgets will allow library staff to personalise their Koha experience, putting the information they need most right at their fingertips. The concept was so well-received that there are already discussions about extending this functionality to other areas of Koha.
Accessibility Improvements: A Collaborative Effort
Chloe and Alexander led productive discussions on implementing reusable tooltips to improve accessibility. They also triaged and worked on several accessibility bugs, with patches already submitted. We were particularly delighted to collaborate with Biblibre’s newest intern, Nina, who made valuable contributions to the accessibility statement functionality. Working with young developers just starting their journey in the Koha ecosystem is energising and brings fresh perspectives to long-standing challenges.
ILL Enhancements On Track
Pedro made significant progress with Inter-Library Loan functionality, working closely with international partners. The auto-backend functionality (Bug 35604) and follow-up enhancements are expected to be pushed next week. This will streamline the ILL process for libraries using this important feature. The team also worked on supply-side ILL improvements, which will be particularly valuable for consortium members.
Hackfest: Plugin Store Development
The community showed enthusiasm for our Plugin Store initiative, which aims to make discovering and installing Koha plugins simpler. While the discussions were productive, there’s still significant work ahead, and we’re looking for more community involvement to help drive this project forward. We’re excited about the potential but recognise that implementation will require sustained effort from multiple partners.
Acquisitions 2.0: A Phased Approach
A clear road map was established at the hackfest for the ambitious Acquisitions 2.0 project, with our own Matt taking a leading role. This major overhaul will modernise Koha’s acquisitions process through a carefully phased approach:
- Vendor improvements with VueJS coming in 25.05
- Fund and ledger refactoring by May 2025
- New ordering process development starting June 2025
- Testing opportunities at each phase
While individual components will be available for testing throughout the development process, the complete Acquisitions 2.0 system won’t be production-ready until all pieces are in place. We’ll be actively seeking testers and feedback at each stage to ensure the final product meets the diverse needs of our library community.
Koha Charitable Foundation
Andrew contributed to advancing the Koha Charitable Foundation, which will help ensure the long-term sustainability of the project. The foundation will focus on developing funding streams, overseeing community resources, and providing strategic product management.
Learning and Connection
Beyond specific projects, our team members deepened their understanding of Koha’s codebase, strengthened relationships with the international community, and brought back valuable insights that will inform our development priorities. Jacob, Jake, and Martin all contributed to technical improvements that will make development more efficient for the entire community.
What This Means For You
These developments mean that your Koha system will benefit from:
- More consistent interfaces built on modern technology
- Improved accessibility features
- Enhanced ILL capabilities
- Customisable dashboard widgets (coming soon)
- A better acquisitions module (developed in phases)
- Progress toward easier plugin discovery and installation
We’re excited to implement these improvements in the coming months, and we’ll keep you updated as they become available. As always, our participation in the Koha community and the hackfest ensures that we’re at the forefront of library technology, bringing those benefits directly to your library.
Thank you for your continued support as we work to make Koha the best library system it can be!
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