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Migrating from Symphony to Koha: MARC and Item Data Checklist

A practical checklist for preparing Symphony catalogue exports for Koha migration, including MARC records, item data, local fields, and sample testing.

May 19, 2026 3 min read

Migrating from Symphony to Koha: MARC and Item Data Checklist

Moving from Symphony to Koha requires careful review of bibliographic records, item records, local fields, and export settings. The goal is not only to move data, but to make sure the new Koha catalogue is usable for staff and patrons.

This checklist focuses on MARC and item preparation.

Start with a small export

Before requesting or processing the full export, prepare a representative sample.

Include:

different item types;
multiple branches;
items with different statuses;
records with multiple copies;
older records;
records with local notes;
records with non-English characters;
records without ISBNs.

A good sample helps reveal migration issues before they affect the full catalogue.

Review bibliographic fields

Check core MARC fields such as:

020 ISBN;
100/110 main entries;
245 title;
250 edition;
260/264 publication;
300 description;
5XX notes;
6XX subjects;
7XX added entries.

Look for incomplete records, empty fields, duplicate fields, and inconsistent punctuation.

Review item data

Koha needs item data for circulation.

Confirm whether the export includes:

barcode;
home branch;
holding branch;
location;
item type;
call number;
copy number;
lost/withdrawn/damaged status;
price;
public note;
non-public note.

Map values to Koha codes before final import.

Review local and system fields

Legacy systems often store important data in local fields. Inventory these fields and decide what to do with them.

Possible actions:

preserve for audit;
map to Koha item fields;
map to bibliographic fields;
remove from public display;
ignore after migration.

Do not discard local fields until you understand their purpose.

Check MARC quality with MARCReady

Upload the sample to MARCReady.

Review:

invalid indicators;
ISBN problems;
empty subfields;
duplicate fields;
encoding problems;
incomplete fixed fields;
local fields that may need review.

Use the free preview to inspect up to 3 records per upload at no cost before processing a full batch.

Test in Koha

Stage the repaired sample and check:

record count;
warnings;
matches;
item count;
staff display;
OPAC display;
barcode search;
item availability;
branch and location display.

Repeat until the sample behaves correctly.

Migration planning tip

Keep a migration decision log. Record export settings, mappings, item field decisions, MARCReady repairs, and Koha staging choices. This makes the final import easier to repeat and troubleshoot.