Resources & Guides

Migrating from Follett Destiny to Koha: What School Libraries Should Prepare

A practical migration checklist for school libraries moving from Follett Destiny to Koha, including MARC export, item barcodes, copy data, and spreadsheet cleanup.

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Migrating from Follett Destiny to Koha: What School Libraries Should Prepare

School libraries moving from Follett Destiny to Koha should pay close attention to item data, barcodes, copies, locations, and student-facing catalogue quality.

The migration is not only about moving titles. It is about preserving the data needed for everyday circulation.

Start with the catalogue export

Request or create an export that includes:

  • bibliographic records;
  • item/copy data;
  • barcodes;
  • call numbers;
  • locations;
  • material types;
  • copy statuses;
  • notes if needed.

If the export is not in MARC, confirm whether the data can be exported as CSV or Excel. MARCReady can help map spreadsheet data into MARC21.

School-specific data to review

School libraries often need to preserve:

  • classroom sets;
  • teacher resources;
  • textbook collections;
  • reading level notes;
  • collection codes;
  • copy categories;
  • lost or damaged statuses;
  • location labels;
  • barcode ranges.

Decide what belongs in Koha as item data, public notes, or internal notes.

Check barcodes carefully

Barcodes are essential for circulation.

Check:

  • every item has a barcode;
  • barcodes are unique;
  • barcode formats are consistent;
  • withdrawn items are handled properly;
  • duplicate barcodes are resolved before import.

Check copies and locations

A title may have many copies in different locations.

Make sure the migration does not create one bibliographic record per copy unless that is intended.

Review:

  • one title with multiple copies;
  • branch or location values;
  • shelving locations;
  • item types;
  • call numbers.

Use MARCReady for sample review

Upload a sample export to MARCReady.

MARCReady can help identify:

  • missing or malformed fields;
  • ISBN problems;
  • empty subfields;
  • encoding issues;
  • local fields needing review;
  • spreadsheet mapping issues.

Use the free preview to inspect up to 3 records per upload before a full repair.

Test in Koha

Before full import:

  1. Stage a small file.
  2. Check item count.
  3. Check barcodes.
  4. Search the OPAC.
  5. Test staff search.
  6. Confirm item availability.
  7. Review classroom or textbook examples.
  8. Repeat until the sample is reliable.

Next Steps

After Deployment
Post-Installation Setup
Recommended
Security Best Practices
Keep It Running
Monitoring & Maintenance

More in Resources & Guides

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