Library Technology Guides

Bury College chooses Koha open source library management system, hosted and supported by Open Fifth. Bury College has chosen Koha as its new library management system, to replace the previous system. Open Fifth has implemented the new system and will provide ongoing hosting and support services to Bury College to ensure its success in supporting these collections into the future. [Full Announcement].

The Marine Biological Association chooses Koha open source library management system, hosted and supported by Open Fifth. The Marine Biological Association has chosen Open Fifth to host and support their Koha library management system to manage their collection at the National Marine Biological Library (NMBL). Open Fifth has migrated the system and will provide ongoing services to the Marine Biological Association to ensure its success in supporting these collections into the future. [Full Announcement].

ByWater Solutions partners with Open Fifth to streamline SFTP management to Koha community users. ByWater Solutions, an open source community contributor and America's forefront provider of open source library technology support, announced today that they have partnered with Open Fifth to streamline SFTP Management to Koha Community Users. This new feature now includes an administration interface for managing FTP and SFTP server connections, eliminating the need to duplicate connection details across different parts of the system. [Full Announcement].

ByWater Solutions partners with Open Fifth to simplify SIP administration to Koha community users. ByWater Solutions, an open source community contributor and America's forefront provider of open source library technology support, announced that they have partnered with Open Fifth to simplify SIP Administration to Koha Community Users. This feature includes a new SIP2 module that allows staff users with SIP2 permission to manage SIP2 institutions, accounts, and system preference overrides directly in Koha Administration. [Full Announcement].

Danskernes Historie Online chooses Koha open source library management system, hosted and supported by Open Fifth. Danskernes Historie Online has chosen Open Fifth to host and support their Koha library management system. Open Fifth migrated the system in December 2025 and will provide ongoing hosting and support services to Danskernes Historie Online to ensure its success in supporting these collections into the future. [Full Announcement].

Beyond the Summer reading challenge: engaging library patrons with Aspen Discovery. Open Fifth is pleased to share details of the continued development of the ‘community engagement module' for Aspen Discovery, allowing libraries to run campaigns, challenges and rewards within their library discovery system. The development has been led by Open Fifth and was first introduced earlier in 2025, with further tailoring to meet the specific needs of UK libraries. [Full Announcement].

Heythrop Library chooses Koha open source library management system, hosted and supported by Open Fifth. Heythrop Library has chosen Koha as its new library management system to replace the previous system. Open Fifth has implemented the new system and will provide ongoing hosting and support services to Heythrop Library to ensure its success in supporting these collections into the future. [Full Announcement].

The Homosaurus, an LGBTQ+ linked data vocabulary, is now available in Koha. Pride has arrived in Koha this month through a new plugin, the Homosaurus. The Homosaurus is an inclusive vocabulary for describing LGBTQ+ resources within the collections of libraries, archives, museums, and other institutions. [Full Announcement].

Norwich BioScience Institutes chooses Koha open source library management system, hosted and supported by Open Fifth. Norwich BioScience Institutes has chosen Open Fifth to host and support their Koha library management system. Open Fifth launched NBI's Koha system in 2012, with support until 2018 when NBI opted to self-host and support with their internal IT resources. [Full Announcement].

Open Fifth achieves ISO/IEC 27001 recertification, securing customer information and business continuity. Open Fifth announced its recertification to the globally-recognised leading Information Security Management Systems Standard ISO/IEC 27001. This also represents the company's first assessment against the updated version ISO/IEC 27001:2022. Open Fifth's Certificate of Registration is publicly available online. The certification audit was undertaken in May 2025 by the UKAS-accredited British Assessment Bureau, in which Open Fifth demonstrated conformity to every applicable requirement of the Standard. [Full Announcement].

PTFS Europe announces company name change to Open Fifth. PTFS Europe, a leading UK provider of open source library solutions, announces its change to the new company name of Open Fifth. Effective from 25 March 2025, the company is operating under the registered name of Open Fifth Limited (known as ‘Open Fifth') for all purposes, including legal, financial, operational and social. This exciting transformation marks a new chapter in the company's evolution since its founding in 2007, and the final stage of the rebrand initiated in 2022. [Full Announcement].

Cheshire Education Library Service chooses Koha open source library management system, hosted and supported by PTFS Europe. Cheshire Education Library Service has chosen Koha as its new library management system, to replace the previous Oliver system. Their new Koha library catalogue is publicly available, allowing their subscribed schools and teachers to browse the extensive collection and request resources. PTFS Europe has implemented the new system and will provide on-going hosting and support services to Cheshire Education Library Service to ensure its success in supporting these collections into the future. [Full Announcement].

East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture partners with PTFS Europe to give residents better access to books and e-content. East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture has partnered with PTFS Europe to launch Aspen Discovery as its new library catalogue. Aspen Discovery is a web-based system that works on any device and provides easy access for library users to discover books, e-books, magazines, board games and more. Patrons can also renew items on loan, reserve items and find new content from library sources and external websites. PTFS Europe has implemented the new system and will provide ongoing hosting and support services to EDLC to ensure its success in supporting these collections into the future. [Full Announcement].

PTFS Europe announce appointment to the APUC Framework for library services platforms. PTFS Europe announced that it has once again been appointed to the APUC Framework as a supplier for Library Services Platforms. Being on the framework means that we can continue to offer APUC's Higher Education and Further Education member institutions our open source library management solutions through a transparent and efficient procurement process. Ranked 4th overall out of the six appointed suppliers in this competitive tender process, it means a lot as a small business to be positioned amongst some of the biggest suppliers in our sector. We were the highest ranked supplier for the commercial evaluation as we continue to demonstrate fantastic value for money for our customers. [Full Announcement].

Royal Veterinary College chooses Koha open source library management system, hosted and supported by PTFS Europe.. Royal Veterinary College has chosen Koha as its new library management system, to replace the previous SirsiDynix Symphony system. The college has also implemented Aspen Discovery as the library portal to their resources. PTFS Europe has implemented the new systems and will provide ongoing hosting and support services to the college to ensure its success in supporting these collections into the future. [Full Announcement].

Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council partners with PTFS Europe to give residents better access to books and e-content via a mobile app. Sefton Libraries has partnered with PTFS Europe to launch LiDA, the companion app for their Aspen Discovery Library Engagement Platform. Aspen LiDA provides a comprehensive mobile solution which Sefton Libraries were keen to introduce for their library patrons. Users are empowered with a quick and convenient way to search the library catalogue and manage their library account. Library patrons have access to a digital library card and can easily manage their library account activities (such as renew material and place reservations) with just a few taps. [Full Announcement].

Université La Sagesse (ULS) chooses Koha open source library management system, hosted and supported by PTFS Europe.. Université La Sagesse Lebanon has chosen Koha as its new library management system, to replace the previous Drupal system. PTFS Europe has implemented the new system and will provide on-going hosting and support services to ULS to ensure its success in supporting these collections into the future. [Full Announcement].

NESCOT chooses Koha open source library management system, hosted and supported by PTFS Europe.. North East Surrey College of Technology has chosen PTFS Europe to host and support its Koha system. PTFS Europe has implemented the new system and will provide on-going hosting and support services to NESCOT to ensure its success in supporting these collections into the future. [Full Announcement].

Dalarna University, Sweden chooses Koha open source library management system, hosted and supported by PTFS Europe. Dalarna University has chosen PTFS Europe to host and support its Koha system. The library implemented the library system Koha in 2020. The library catalogue contains about 100 500 physical books and about 305 000 electronic books. The library has 17 employees and its vision is to strengthen education, research and training based on the needs of users in a changing world. [Full Announcement].

Armenian Institute chooses Koha open source library management system, hosted and supported by PTFS Europe. Armenian Institute has chosen Koha as its new Library Management System, to replace the previous manual cataloguing system. PTFS Europe has implemented the new system and will provide on-going hosting and support services to Armenian Institute to ensure its success in supporting these collections into the future. [Full Announcement].