Library Management for Universities
An open-source ILS sized for research universities — central library plus faculty branches, institutional repository, SSO with Shibboleth, and serials handling that scales to 50,000+ journal subscriptions. MARC21, Z39.50, and OAI-PMH included.
A university library management system handles multi-branch cataloging, serial subscriptions, acquisitions, institutional repository, inter-library loan, and research-output tracking at academic scale. OpenEduCat's library module supports MARC21, Z39.50 federated search, OAI-PMH repository harvesting, Shibboleth SSO, and integrates with the university SIS and finance modules.
Key Features
Everything you need to manage library management for universities effectively.
Multi-Branch Federated Catalog
Central library, faculty libraries, departmental reading rooms — one OPAC, one login. Borrowers see availability across all branches with real-time status.
Institutional Repository (IR)
Ingest theses, dissertations, preprints, and faculty publications. OAI-PMH feed exposes your research output to Google Scholar, CORE, and BASE aggregators. DOI minting via DataCite.
Shibboleth & SAML SSO
Federated login via Shibboleth, Azure AD, or Google Workspace. Students and faculty use the same credentials they use for Moodle/Canvas and campus Wi-Fi.
Z39.50 & SRU Federated Search
Students search WorldCat, Library of Congress, and partner libraries from the OPAC. Inter-library loan requests are one click from a federated result.
Serials & Acquisitions at Scale
Track 10,000+ journal subscriptions, handle standing orders, approval plans with major vendors, and fund accounting across schools and departments.
Reading Lists for Courses
Faculty attach reading lists to course sections. Students see reserves, e-journal links, and chapter scans from their LMS course page. ORCID integration credits authors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about library management for universities.
Can it handle a 1M+ book catalog?
Yes. Deployments on PostgreSQL handle multi-million record catalogs with sub-second OPAC search via indexed full-text. Reference universities run 2M+ titles on a single cluster.
How does it compare to Alma, Koha, or Evergreen?
OpenEduCat's library module is lighter-weight than Ex Libris Alma (which is a full library services platform) but covers the core ILS functions: cataloging, circulation, serials, acquisitions, IR, federated search, and SSO. It is functionally comparable to Koha or Evergreen but integrated natively with the university SIS and finance system. EU institutions favor it for GDPR data residency over US-hosted Alma.
Does it support Shibboleth federations like InCommon or eduGAIN?
Yes. Shibboleth and SAML 2.0 are supported natively. Your library authenticates against the university IdP and inherits group memberships for role-based access to e-resources and restricted collections.
Can we run a consortium of campuses on one install?
Yes. Multi-company mode maps each campus as its own legal entity with its own catalog and budgets, but they share borrowing privileges, union catalog, and inter-campus loans. Consortium licensing of e-journals is handled at the top level.
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