The Sirah Research Hub Master Plan

"Building a Sirah Research Hub is a multi-layered project that transforms a standard library catalog into a sophisticated scholarly ecosystem. To succeed, you must balance technical precision with the unique requirements of Islamic scholarship."

Turning a Koha instance into a dedicated portal for Prophetic Biography (SAW) requires a strategic, phased approach. Here is your complete, step-by-step master plan.

Phase 1: Preparation & Policy (Month 1)

Before touching the software, define your "Sirah Standard."

1. Identify Your "Libraries" (Sources)

  • Physical Libraries: National Library (NLP), IRI (IRI), Punjab University (PUL).
  • Virtual Libraries: Sher Nowrooz Khan (SNK), Hamidullah (HAM).

2. Standardize Language & Script

Ensure UTF-8 support for Urdu, Arabic, and European languages. Establish a Normalization Rule: Strip honorifics (SAW, RA) for database matching, but retain them for the public display.

Phase 2: Technical Setup (Month 2)

1. Framework Customization

Create three specific MARC frameworks to ensure clean data entry:

  • Sirah-Book Includes ISBN (020) and Physical Description (300).
  • Sirah-Thesis Mandatory Dissertation note (502) and Supervisor (500).
  • Sirah-Article Optimized for journal analytics via Host Item Link (773).

2. Matching Rules

Set a "Deep Match" rule to prevent duplicates: ISBN Match (100% score) or a combination of Title + Author + Year.

Phase 3: Data Ingestion (Months 3–6)

Layer 1: The Virtual Backbone

Import established bibliographies (like Sher Nowrooz Khan) first. Catalog entries as "Virtual" items and use Tag 510 to note the source and entry number.

Layer 2: The Physical Audit

Harvest data from IIUI and the National Library using Z39.50. When a physical book matches a virtual record, Koha merges them, showing the user exactly where to find the text in Pakistan.

Workflow Summary

Goal Action Koha Tool
Identity Prefix Accession Numbers MarcEdit / Templates
Accuracy Strip honorifics for matching MARC Mod Templates
Variety Add Articles & Theses 773 & 502 Tags
Visibility Create Collection Portals HTML/CSS Customization

Your First Step

I recommend creating your 3-letter Library Codes for your top 5 sources today. This prevents "Accession Number Clash" from the very first record you import.

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