Enable Amazon Cover Images in Koha

Enable Amazon Cover Images in Koha

🛠️ 1. Enable Amazon Cover Image in Koha System Preferences

Path:
Koha Administration → System Preferences → Enhanced content

1. Go to your Koha staff interface.

2. Navigate to:

   Administration > Global system preferences > Enhanced Content
   

3. Set the following preferences:

Preference	Value
AmazonCoverImages	Enable
AmazonAssocTag	Your Amazon associate tag (optional)
AmazonDevKey	(deprecated - leave blank)

📌 Note: As of 2020, Amazon discontinued support for public API access to Product Advertising unless you are approved. So cover images from Amazon may no longer work unless you're using an Amazon Product Advertising API v5 account. Otherwise, use alternative sources like OpenLibrary or Google Books.

🖼️ 2. Confirm Cover Images are Enabled Globally

Still in Enhanced Content system preferences:

• Ensure OPACXSLTResultsDisplay and OPACXSLTDetailsDisplay are configured to show images.

• If you use XSLT views, make sure they’re not customized to exclude images.

📂 3. Display Priority: Amazon, OpenLibrary, or Google?

Koha checks multiple sources in order. If Amazon is enabled, it may try that first. You can prioritize other sources (like OpenLibrary) in:

Administration → Global System Preferences → Enhanced content

Check these:

• OpenLibraryCovers: Enable

• GoogleJackets: Enable

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🧪 4. Test Display

1. Go to the OPAC or staff catalog.

2. Search for a book by ISBN.

3. If the cover image is available from Amazon (or others), it will show next to the record.

⚠️ Notes & Tips

• Amazon Dev Key (API access) is now restricted. You need an approved affiliate account and actual usage/sales.

• If you don’t have Amazon access, use:

  • OpenLibraryCovers

  • GoogleJackets

• ISBN is critical for cover retrieval – ensure your records have valid ISBNs.

🛠️ Bonus: Customize Display via XSLT

If you're using XSLT-based templates for results/details display:

1. Go to:

   /usr/share/koha/intranet/htdocs/intranet-tmpl/prog/en/xslt/
   

2. Edit files:

   • MARC21slim2OPACResults.xsl

   • MARC21slim2OPACDetail.xsl

Ensure these have the logic to include:

<xsl:if test="isbn">
  <img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/{$isbn}.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg" alt="Cover image" />
</xsl:if>

📌 But Koha usually injects these automatically unless you've overwritten XSLTs.

✅ Conclusion

To display Amazon cover images in Koha:

• Enable AmazonCoverImages in system preferences

• (Optionally) provide your AmazonAssocTag

• Make sure you use ISBN in your records

• Consider enabling OpenLibrary/Google covers as fallback

• Confirm via OPAC or staff catalog