Choosing free library software: Experiences of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Studies in Zagreb

The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Library relocated in 2009. The new way of conducting business meant the change of software used, as the application CDS/ISIS no longer suited the Library needs. The library needed a modern integrated program solution and had no time to wait for the implementation of both Voyager and later Aleph which was organized by National and University Library. At that point it was decided to implement the free integrated library software, Koha. The paper brings a brief overview of the most used library programs in Croatian libraries, analyses the free software concept and discusses the possibilities of using the free software solutions in libraries. The surveys show that free software solutions are, in terms of quality and comprehensiveness, no longer behind their commercial counterparts. And as such, among the available free library software, Koha seems to be the most competent one. The operation of The Faculty of Humanities and Social Studies Library confirms this statement. Koha provides quality support in the everyday work of the Library and enables further development of its services.