Page created 16 May 2025, last updated 11 July 2025.
New system live
We are now using the new system! Our new system is called Koha, and it is hosted by a company called Open Fifth. We have a new catalogue, see https://search.heythroplibrary.co.uk
Important changes for current Library users:
- Do you want to log in to our new catalogue to check your account, reserve items or request books from the off-site stores? Initially you will need to get your new password. To do so:
- Click on Forgotten password recovery › Heythrop Library catalogue
- As the login: use your library card number (starting with 019….)
- Please add the email you used to register (you will have received emails from us at that address).
- If this doesn’t work, please contact us by email.
- [As of 11 July 2025 the following is not possible any more for loans before 1 July 2025!]
Want a copy of the list of books you borrowed? Please go to your account and export this. We are not sure how long this data will be available for, after 30 June 2025. - Borrowing rules after 1 July 2025 have changed: the system won’t let you manually-renew books after you had the initial 4 weeks of borrowing, plus the previously-available 5x of 4 weeks automatic renewals! This means that the maximum time of borrowing is 6 months. If you need longer, please contact us.
What this new change means for members:
- a new Library catalogue: https://search.heythroplibrary.co.uk (the old catalogue will soon be shut down)
- a new “back end” (you won’t see the difference, but your lovely librarians might take a bit longer to do certain things, as they are getting used to a new system!)
- a change to how renewals of borrowed books work [no more manually renewals after 6 months of borrowing]
- a better online display of new acquisitions (the front page of our catalogue displays recent acquisitions)
- system messages which will be clearer
- the option to let you subscribe to notifications about journal issues received (e.g. you would like to know when the latest issue of Catholic Biblical Quarterly has arrived, and you will get a system’s email once we have received it).
We have been very grateful for your patience during the time of changing to the new system.
Why change to Koha?
Most libraries change their system every 10-20 years. We had to change our system as our previous working relationship with another library had to come to an end. Koha is an open-source system, and over the last 25 years has garnered more and more libraries who use it. There is an incomplete list of UK libraries.
Why Open Fifth?
Open Fifth has a lot of experience with Koha, and has migrated many libraries’ data to Koha. They have a list of their customers.
Any more questions?
Do you need more information, or is something not clear? Please talk to us.