eCommerce in Koha

by Donna Bachowski on Aug 25, 2020

One of the challenges for libraries is taking credit card payments within Koha. You have several options, but the most important point is that you will need a third-party vendor to assist you with this process. We are going to look at the products that integrate directly with Koha.

Let’s go over some options.

PayPal

One of the most widely known online payment services, PayPal is set up through PayPal plugin. When configured, libraries will allow their patrons to pay fines through the OPAC. We have a blog post on both setting up a PayPal account.

Additional Resources

PayPal eCommerce

Monday Minutes: PayPal System Preferences

Plugins

There are three additional ecommerce platforms, FIS PayDirect, Nelnet, and PayGov, which are integrated with Koha using plugins. These plugins are available on ByWater’s github site, https://github.com/bywatersolutions . Any of these will allow patrons to pay their fines and fees through the OPAC at their convenience. Remember that you will need a merchant account with whichever platform you use.

But wait, there’s more!

Have you heard about SIP? Standard Interchange Protocol enables the communication between the Koha ILS and library self-serve applications. This opens up a whole new world! Pretty much any service that uses SIP and allows patrons to manage their accounts will integrate with Koha. Examples of this include EnvisionWare and Comprise Technologies.

And moving forward, we are working on a PayFlow plugin which will allow you to connect with different payment processors - a very exciting development!

If you have any questions about how to set up one of these resources, or are considering adding a resource that is not specifically mentioned, please contact us!