How to Add Z39.50 Servers in Koha: Step-by-Step Guide

Adding Z39.50 servers to Koha is one of the most effective ways to speed up your cataloging workflow. Instead of manually creating MARC records from scratch, you can import high-quality records from major sources like the Library of Congress or WorldCat and reduce repetitive cataloging work for many published materials.

This guide walks you through the complete process, from accessing the administration panel to testing your first connection.

Why Add Z39.50 Servers?

Z39.50 (Z39.50 Information Retrieval Protocol) is the library industry standard for searching and retrieving bibliographic records. By connecting Koha to Z39.50 servers, your catalogers can:

• Reduce repetitive cataloging work by importing high-quality records through copy cataloging
• Access high-quality records from authoritative sources (Library of Congress, OCLC, national libraries)
• Reduce cataloging errors by using professionally maintained MARC records
• Import authority records to maintain consistency across your catalog
• Access international materials from libraries worldwide

Prerequisites

Before adding Z39.50 servers, ensure:

1. You have Koha admin access - You must be logged in with administrative privileges
2. Your Koha instance can reach external servers - Verify firewall rules allow outbound connections on port 210 (or the server’s custom port)
3. You understand basic MARC records - See our MARC Records Guide if you’re new to MARC
4. You have required server credentials - Some servers (like OCLC WorldCat) require authentication

Step 1: Access Z39.50/SRU Server Administration

1. Log in to your Koha staff interface with administrative privileges
2. Navigate to Administration (main menu at top left)
3. Click Z39.50/SRU servers in the left sidebar
4. You’ll see a list of any existing Z39.50 servers
5. Click New Z39.50 server button

Step 2: Enter Server Connection Details

Fill in the following fields. Fields marked Required must be completed before saving.

Required Fields

Server name (Required)

• Choose a descriptive name for internal use (e.g., “Library of Congress”, “OCLC WorldCat”)
• This name appears in your cataloging interface when staff choose a Z39.50 source
• Koha uppercases the name automatically on save

Hostname (Required)

• Enter the server’s hostname or IP address (e.g., lx2.loc.gov for Library of Congress)
• Do NOT include http:// or https:// prefix
• Do NOT include the port number here; that goes in the Port field

Port (Required)

• The TCP port for Z39.50 connections — usually 210 for standard Z39.50
• Some servers use non-standard ports (e.g., British Library: 9909, National Library of Australia: 7090)
• Check the server’s documentation if unsure

Database (Required)

• The specific database to query on that server
• Library of Congress: LCDB
• OCLC WorldCat: OLUCWorldCat
• See our Z39.50 Server Directory for 150+ databases

Optional Fields

Userid / Password

• Leave blank for public servers (Library of Congress, British Library public access, etc.)
• OCLC WorldCat requires your institution’s OCLC symbol and password
• Your library consortium may provide shared credentials for consortium-level servers

Preselected

• Checkbox — if ticked, this server is pre-checked every time a cataloger opens the Z39.50 search dialog
• Tick this for your primary server (e.g., Library of Congress) so catalogers don’t have to select it manually each time
• Avoid ticking more than 2-3 servers or the search dialog becomes slow

Rank

• Controls display order in the Z39.50 search dialog (lower number = appears first)
• Set your most-used server to rank 1, next to 2, etc.
• Leave blank to use default ordering

Attributes

• Additional PQF (Prefix Query Format) attributes appended to every search sent to this server
• Leave blank for most servers — only needed for servers with non-standard attribute sets
• Example: @attr 1=4 forces title-only searches regardless of what field the cataloger picks
• Contact the server operator if you’re unsure what attributes to use

Syntax

• The MARC format the server uses to send records back to Koha
• Full list of options in Koha 25.11:
  • USMARC — labeled “MARC21/USMARC”; the standard for North American and most English-language libraries (use this for LOC, OCLC, British Library)
  • UNIMARC — used in France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Russia, and much of continental Europe
  • UKMARC — older UK format (now largely replaced by USMARC/MARC21)
  • NORMARC — Norway
  • LIBRISMARC — Sweden (LIBRIS national catalog)
  • DANMARC — Denmark
  • FINMARC — Finland
  • CANMARC — Canada (largely replaced by MARC21)
  • INTERMARC — older French format
  • CCF — UNESCO Common Communication Format (very rare)
  • SBN — Italian National Library Service (ICCU)
• Default: USMARC works for the vast majority of servers; only switch if the server’s documentation explicitly states a different format

Encoding

• How the server encodes text characters in the records it sends
• Options in Koha 25.11:
  • utf8 — Unicode; supports all languages and scripts (recommended for modern servers)
  • MARC-8 — Legacy MARC encoding; handles Latin, Greek, Cyrillic, Hebrew, Arabic — most pre-2010 servers default to this
  • ISO_8859-1 — Western European Latin characters (Latin-1); older European servers
  • ISO_5426 — MARC encoding for Western European characters; used with UNIMARC servers
  • ISO_6937 — Latin characters with diacritics; older European standard
  • EUC-KR — Korean Extended Unix Code; Korean national library servers
• Rule of thumb:
  • North American servers (LOC, OCLC): utf8
  • European UNIMARC servers: ISO_5426 or utf8
  • Unknown/older servers: start with MARC-8; switch to utf8 if you see garbled characters (?, ?, ???)

Timeout (seconds)

• How long Koha waits for a server response before giving up
• Enter 0 to disable the timeout entirely (not recommended)
• Increase to 45-60 for international or slow servers
• Default of 30 seconds works for most North American servers

Record type

• Bibliographic — for searching and importing bib records (books, DVDs, serials, etc.) — use this for cataloging
• Authority — for importing authority records (name authority, subject headings) from authority servers
• Set to Bibliographic unless you are specifically adding an authority record source

XSLT File(s) for transforming results

• Optional: path(s) to XSLT stylesheets that transform imported records before they appear in the editor
• Separate multiple filenames with commas
• Leave blank unless you have a specific transformation requirement (e.g., stripping fields, mapping local call numbers)
• Most libraries leave this blank

Step 3: Configuration Examples

Here are ready-to-use configurations for the most popular Z39.50 servers:

Library of Congress (Recommended for All Libraries)

Server Name: Library of Congress
Host: lx2.loc.gov
Port: 210
Database: LCDB
Search Name Mapping: Default
MARC Syntax: MARC21
Character Encoding: UTF-8
Username: (leave blank)
Password: (leave blank)
Timeout: 30

Why use it: 18+ million records, highest quality MARC records, free access, comprehensive coverage

OCLC WorldCat (Best for International Materials)

Server Name: OCLC WorldCat
Host: zcat.oclc.org
Port: 210
Database: OLUCWorldCat
Search Name Mapping: Bib1
MARC Syntax: MARC21
Character Encoding: UTF-8
Username: [Your OCLC institution ID]
Password: [Your OCLC password]
Timeout: 45

Why use it: 500+ million records, international coverage, rare/special materials

Note: Requires OCLC membership credentials. Contact your consortium for details.

British Library

Server Name: British Library
Host: z3950cat.bl.uk
Port: 9909
Database: BLAC
Search Name Mapping: Default
MARC Syntax: USMARC
Character Encoding: MARC-8
Username: (leave blank)
Password: (leave blank)
Timeout: 40

Why use it: UK/European publications, British authors, authenticated access available for member institutions

National Library of Australia

Server Name: National Library of Australia
Host: z3950.nla.gov.au
Port: 7090
Database: Voyager
Search Name Mapping: Default
MARC Syntax: USMARC
Character Encoding: MARC-8
Username: (leave blank)
Password: (leave blank)
Timeout: 45

Why use it: Australian publications, Pacific region materials

Step 4: Test the Connection

After filling in the configuration:

1. Click Test Connection button (red button labeled “Test Connection” on the form)
2. Wait for the result:
   • ✅ Success - Green checkmark = Server is reachable and responding
   • ❌ Failed - Red X = Server is unreachable; see troubleshooting below
3. If successful, click Save to store the configuration
4. If failed, review the error message and check Z39.50 Troubleshooting Guide

Common Test Issues:

• “Timeout after 30 seconds” → Server is slow/distant; increase timeout or check firewall
• “Connection refused” → Server port may be blocked; check firewall rules or try different port
• “Database not found” → Wrong database name; verify in server documentation

Step 5: Use Z39.50 in Your Cataloging Workflow

Once configured, start using these servers:

1. In Acquisition/Pre-cataloging Module:
   • Order records for items; system can import Z39.50 records automatically
2. In Cataloging Module:
   • When adding a new item, click Z39.50 Search (or Import from Z39.50)
   • Select your configured server from dropdown
   • Search by ISBN, title, author, or other field
   • Click on matching record to import into your current item
   • Review and customize the MARC record as needed
   • Save to complete cataloging
3. Copy Cataloging:
   • Most libraries use Copy Cataloging workflow for 80% of items
   • Search Z39.50, import record, make minimal local changes, save
   • Only original cataloging for locally-published or unique items

Z39.50 Searching Best Practices

Use ISBN or Standard Numbers

Best approach:

• Search by ISBN (13-digit International Standard Book Number)
• Click the record to import

Why: ISBN matches are highly reliable and return results in <1 second.

If No ISBN Available

Search order:

1. Title (first few words) + Author (last name)
2. Title alone (first 5 words)
3. Subject heading
4. LC Call Number (if available in source system)

Refine Your Search

• Truncate long phrases: Search “managing library” instead of “managing library staff”
• Try multiple servers: Library of Congress for books, OCLC for everything, special libraries for niche materials
• Check publication date: Newer records tend to be higher quality

Advanced: Adding Multiple Z39.50 Servers

Most libraries use 3-5 servers for different purposes:

Workflow tip: Train your catalogers to search Library of Congress first (fastest, highest quality), then OCLC if no match found.

Troubleshooting Z39.50 Connections

See our complete Z39.50 Connection Troubleshooting Guide for:

• Connection timeout issues
• Database not found errors
• Character encoding problems
• Authentication failures
• Server no longer responding

Related Resources

• Z39.50 Server Directory - Browse 200+ active Z39.50 servers
• What is Cataloging in Koha? - Full cataloging workflow overview
• MARC Records Guide - Understanding MARC record structure
• Authority Records in Koha - Import and manage authority files via Z39.50
• Copy Cataloging Workflow - Detailed copy cataloging process

Get Koha on AWS — Free to Start

KohaSupport deploys Koha on your own AWS account with Z39.50 pre-configured and ready to use:

All plans run on your AWS account — you own your data, no vendor lock-in. Compare plans →

Contact Support

Have issues adding Z39.50 servers? KohaSupport can help:

• Contact us for Z39.50 configuration help or a migration consultation
• View Z39.50 Server Reports - See recent server status updates from the community
• Report Server Issues - Help us keep the server directory updated

Tip: Start with Library of Congress and OCLC WorldCat. These two servers provide 95% of materials most libraries catalog. Once your team is comfortable with Z39.50, add specialized servers as needed.