KohaSupport has introduced Koha Theme Builder™, a new way for libraries using Koha to give their public catalog a more polished, professional appearance without editing CSS, modifying templates, or hiring a developer.
For many libraries, the Koha OPAC is the first digital touchpoint patrons see. It is where users search the collection, check availability, manage their accounts, and discover library services. Koha is powerful and flexible, but the default public catalog can feel dated unless a library has the technical resources to customize it.
Koha Theme Builder was created to make that process easier.
Instead of starting with a blank design project, libraries can choose from a curated set of professionally designed OPAC themes, preview them with real catalog data, adjust basic branding, and publish the selected design to their Koha instance.
Designed for Different Types of Libraries
Theme Builder launches with five theme families, each created for a different library setting and visual style.
Meadow is warm, welcoming, and community-focused. It is designed for public and community libraries that want their online catalog to feel friendly, approachable, and easy to use.
Cloister is calm, structured, and research-oriented. It gives academic and research libraries a clearer information hierarchy, with a design that supports focused discovery rather than visual noise.
Stonebridge is clean, practical, and browse-friendly. It works well for public libraries with larger collections where visual navigation and topic-based browsing are just as important as keyword search.
Chambers is precise and authoritative. It is suited to law libraries, government collections, document repositories, and specialist libraries that need a more formal catalog experience.
Abbey uses a more distinctive, heritage-inspired visual language. It is designed for rare book collections, historical libraries, theological libraries, and institutions that want their OPAC to feel timeless and memorable.
The goal is not simply to “reskin” Koha. Each theme is designed around the way different libraries present their collections, serve patrons, and guide users through discovery.
A Simpler Workflow for OPAC Customization
Theme Builder removes much of the technical work usually involved in OPAC customization.
Libraries can preview available themes, adjust key branding elements such as the library name, logo, and colors, and review the design before anything is published. Once a theme is selected, it can be applied without manually editing Koha template files.
This makes it easier for smaller libraries, solo librarians, and institutions without in-house web developers to improve the public catalog experience.
Theme Builder is also designed to support iteration. A library can start with one visual direction, review how it looks with real catalog content, and adjust the approach before committing to a final design.
What the Themes Include
Each Theme Builder theme includes styling for the main public-facing Koha OPAC experience, including:
- Homepage and search presentation
- Search results styling
- Bibliographic detail pages
- Patron account pages
- Responsive layouts for desktop, tablet, and mobile screens
- Branding options for library identity, colors, and visual tone
The themes are built to work with KohaSupport-hosted Koha environments and are intended to give libraries a cleaner, more modern starting point than the default OPAC.
Availability
Koha Theme Builder is available with KohaSupport Standard and Enterprise plans.
Libraries evaluating KohaSupport can explore the live theme preview to see how each design works with sample catalog data. Existing KohaSupport customers can use Theme Builder as part of their KohaSupport environment, depending on their plan.
For libraries that want a more professional Koha OPAC without a full custom design project, Theme Builder offers a faster and more practical path forward.
Koha Theme Builder™ is how KohaSupport libraries get there — without hiring a developer.
Five Themes, Designed for Real Libraries
Each theme in Theme Builder was designed with a specific library type in mind. They’re not generic templates — they reflect how different types of libraries present their collections and serve their patrons.
Meadow — Warm, welcoming, community-focused. Designed for public libraries that want a friendly, approachable catalog that feels like the library itself.
Cloister — Calm and structured, with a clear information hierarchy. Built for academic and research libraries where discovery depth matters more than flashiness.
Stonebridge — Clean and browse-friendly, with strong visual navigation. Ideal for public libraries with large collections where helping patrons browse by topic is as important as keyword search.
Chambers — A registry-style layout for special collections, law libraries, or government document repositories. Precise, authoritative, and easy to navigate.
Abbey — Cathedral-inspired typography and layout for heritage collections, rare books, or libraries that want a distinctive, timeless feel.
How It Works
Theme Builder doesn’t require you to edit any CSS or touch any Koha template files. The entire process is managed through the KohaSupport interface:
- Choose a theme — Browse the five themes in the live preview tool
- Customize your branding — Upload your logo, set your library’s name, and adjust your primary colors to match your institution
- Preview in context — See exactly how your catalog will look with your real data before any change goes live
- Publish — One click deploys the theme to your Koha instance
Changes go live within minutes. If you want to try a different theme, you can switch at any time — no data loss, no downtime.
What’s Included
Every theme includes:
- Full responsive design (desktop, tablet, and mobile)
- Customized search results page with facet navigation
- Patron account page styling
- Bibliographic detail page layout
- Accessible markup (WCAG 2.1 AA compliant color contrast on all themes)
Available on All Plans
Koha Theme Builder is included with all KohaSupport Standard and Enterprise plans. If you’re already a customer, you can access Theme Builder from your account dashboard. If you’re evaluating KohaSupport, the live demo shows all five themes with real catalog data.