Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust chooses Koha supported by PTFS Europe

The library at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust has chosen the Koha open source library management system to replace its existing Unicorn system.  PTFS Europe are carrying out the initial implementation and providing ongoing support.  The system is hosted at the PTFS Europe data centre in Maidenhead.
Koha Library Management System
With Koha, library staff access to the system is completely web-based; acquisitions, circulation, cataloguing, serials and reports are all done through a web browser.  As well as an excellent search engine the OPAC offers a range of Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 facilities such as tagging, commenting and public and private lists.   Koha can also integrate with the ArchivalWare digital library as well as other link resolution services.
A key part of the migration is the ability of the team at PTFS Europe who will extract the data from Unicorn and then convert and load it into Koha.  In addition, working with PTFS provides the freedom and functionality of open source software together with the benefits of receiving high quality customer support.
Angela Douglas, Head of Library and Learning Resources said “The Library required a library management system that was flexible and would allow us to make use of web 2.0 and new technologies as they come on stream.  We also wanted a user friendly system both in terms of the needs of library staff and our users. Koha fulfilled all of these needs and more.
We chose PTFS because we had worked with them before and knew them to be reliable, innovative and interested in helping libraries to offer excellent, state of the art services”
Nick Dimant, Managing Director at PTFS Europe said “It is great to be working with the team at the Tavistock once again and also to see another health library join our growing community of users.  The changing economic climate emphasises even more the benefits of the combination of modern technology and value for money that can be achieved by moving to Koha.”

About the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust
The Tavistock and Portman is a specialist mental health trust focused on psychological, social and developmental approaches to understanding and treating emotional disturbance and mental ill health, and to promoting mental health. It has a national and international reputation based on excellence in service delivery and clinical innovation, and high quality clinical training and workforce development.  The Trust achieved authorisation as an NHS Foundation Trust in 2006.  The library’s resources at the Tavistock and Portman reflect the multidisciplinary approach of the trust and span all aspects of the behavioural sciences.