Open-source school library management software a teacher can run.

Most school libraries are run by a teacher-librarian with one computer at the desk, a class arriving every period and a register that never quite matches the shelves. Khulla is open-source school library management software built for that desk. It installs like any other app, keeps the catalogue on the library's own computer and works whether or not the school's internet does.

Lending to a whole class, quickly

• Scan and go. Scan a student's card or type their name, scan the book, and the due date is set by their category.
• Different rules for students and teachers. Make your own categories, each with its own loan limit, loan period and membership length.
• Returns in one scan. Returning a copy closes the loan and works out any fine for you.
• Holds for popular titles. Students join a queue, and a returned copy waits on the hold shelf for the next one.
• Stop the same students running up overdues. Optionally block lending to anyone who already has something overdue.

A school library catalogue with barcodes

Add each title once, with its ISBN, then add a copy for every book on the shelf. Khulla numbers the copies for you and prints barcode spine labels on ordinary A4 label sheets. Search finds a title from three letters of its name, author or ISBN, so a student asking for "that Harry Potter one" is found at once. New to this? Read how to catalogue a small library and Dewey Decimal for small libraries.

Reports for the principal and the committee

See what is out, overdue and on hold on the dashboard every morning. At the end of term, the circulation, collection, membership and fines reports show how the library was used, and export to CSV for a spreadsheet or the school's annual report.

No IT department needed

• Installs without admin rights on Windows 10 and 11, so a teacher can set it up on a locked-down school computer. More on Windows.
• No server, no hosting, no subscription. It's open source, with nothing to renew each year.
• Works offline. Everything at the desk works without internet.
• Handover-proof. Staff sign in with their own accounts, and one backup file moves the whole library to a new computer when the teacher-librarian changes.

What it doesn't do yet

Khulla keeps one catalogue per computer, so two desks can't share a live catalogue, and students can't search it from home: there is no online catalogue (OPAC) yet. There's also no MARC import. If your school needs those today, compare it with Koha, SLiMS and others in our open-source library software comparison.

Questions

What is the best library management software for a school library?

For a school library run from one desk, the best choice is software a teacher can install and run without IT help. Khulla is open source, installs on Windows without administrator rights, works offline and covers the catalogue, lending, fines, student records and reports. A school district running many libraries on one catalogue is better served by a server-based system such as Koha.

Can students and teachers borrow on different rules?

Yes. You set up your own member categories, such as students, teachers and staff, and each has its own limit on how many copies, for how long, and how long membership lasts.

Can we scan student cards and book barcodes?

Yes. At check-out you can scan a member's card number or search by name, then scan each copy. Any USB or Bluetooth barcode scanner that types like a keyboard works.

Does it need the school's internet or a server?

No. The catalogue is kept in one file on the library computer, so lending carries on when the school's connection is down. There is nothing to host.

Can the library assistant use it without seeing everything?

Yes. Each staff member signs in with their own account, and one of four permission levels decides what they can change.

See it with your own library

Open the demo in a browser and check out a book in under a minute. When it fits, download it for the library computer. There's nothing to pay, however many students you have.