[OPLINTECH] Libki for Kiosk Management

[Jessica D. Dooley]

Hello,

 

I wanted to share Adams County Public Library's experience using Libki, an
open-source patron time management solution. We've been using Libki to
manage timed patron computer sessions since October 2015, and we couldn't be
more pleased. Compare Libki directly to products like PC Reservation,
Cassie, and MyPC. Libki is free, lightweight, multi-platform, open source,
and under active development by the original creator. ACPL was prepared to
deploy a paid kiosk time management solution, and looked at the three above
before selecting Libki. In my opinion, Libki beats all of them hands-down on
reliability, simplicity, and function.

 

Here is a survey of the features:

 

Libki is a multi-platform software with a server-client model. The server
runs on Linux; clients on Windows or Linux systems.

Libki is web-administrated. (Screenshot attached.)

It offers walk-up, reservation, or combined models.

Full SIP2 integration; we use it with Sirsi-Dynix Symphony (part of SEO
library consortium). Patrons log in with their library card number and PIN,
and any desired SIP fields can be queried. (Our favorite: users with
available holds receive a pop-up notice at login.)

Full statistical reporting and history, which are both configurable.

Client display is customizable (we added local branding and instructions).

Offers discrete, configurable settings for time allowance, automatic time
extension, reservation behavior, batch printing of guest passes, open hours,
user age, and custom JavaScript integration (if desired).

Integrates well with solutions like Deep Freeze and Centurion; the client
can be configured to restart the PC between sessions, or simply log off, if
desired. 

Paid support and feature development are available. ACPL just finished a
contract with Libki creator Kyle Hall; we commissioned three additional
features, which he has released into the open-source code.

 

I run the Libki server on a Debian VM, and manage 50 Windows clients spread
across four locations. Staff administration is simple, as the clients can be
managed from a single web interface, and segregated by location. Settings,
users, and configuration are managed from the same web interface, depending
on user rights. A separate web interface can be published to patrons for
self-reservation, if desired. Libki can batch generate disposable guest
passes daily, and I wrote a simple script to batch print and cut individual
guest passes on our receipt printers. 

 

The product website is libki.org, but the feature info is out of date. Read
the latest feature commits, and get the server and client code, including an
executable client for Windows, at
https://bitbucket.org/libki-kms/libki-server/ and
https://bitbucket.org/libki-kms/libki-client/. A users' email listserv has
messages from organizations who've deployed Libki on multiple continents,
with various ILS integration or with stand-alone user databases:
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/libki-users  

 

Shout out to Joe Knueven at the Germantown Public Library, who has been
using Libki for years, and gave me some great advice when I first
investigated it. Many thanks to Don and Michael at SEO for helping me run
tests against Symphony's SIP server til Libki was fully compatible, and to
Travis at WAY for generating SIP queries from PC Res for comparison.

 

I'd be very happy to share more about our experiences with Libki. Please
feel free to email or call, if I can answer questions. Thanks,

 

Jessica D. Dooley

IT Specialist

Adams County Public Library

937-587-2085

dooleyje at adamscolibrary.org

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