University of North Texas’ mission is to generate, integrate, and disseminate knowledge in a learner-centered environment. The College of Information empowers individuals and organizations to create optimal learning environments for sharing knowledge and improving performance.
Students in Assistant Professor Dr. Barbara Schultz-Jones’s “Trends and Practices in School Libraries” course will have access to their own production ILS to assist them in completing their coursework. Schultz-Jones and her class are using a hosted installation of LibLime Academic Koha, free of charge. This allows students to have full cataloging access in the cataloging module, including MARC Bibliographic records, MARC Holdings records, and item records. They are able to create their own set of collection codes, location codes, and item types. This opportunity also allows them to create actual working records for discovery access in the OPAC.

Assistant Professor Dr. Barbara Schultz-Jones stated, “I chose LibLime's Koha as the best example of an Open Source system available. It has been implemented in the Plano ISD, Plano TX and is therefore relevant to our students' appreciation of viable alternatives for school library automation systems.” Her course involves an examination of current trends and practices in the school library profession; a detailed view of the current practice of automating a school library with emphasis on the selection, implementation and effective use of the automation system; assessing a school library's impact on student achievement and plans for future improvement.

LibLime's Koha with Class program is designed to give library school faculty a chance to embed the use of an ILS into their coursework and curricula. This allows students to gain practical experience with library automation software as they prepare to enter the library workforce.

Many faculty members around the world are taking advantage of the free support that LibLime provides with the LibLime’s Koha with Class installations. LibLime is striving to expand the program overseas to support librarianship at an international level.

To learn more about the program visit - http://www.liblime.com/we-give-back.