Library Management System

Name:

Razia Mohammad

1. Analysis
1.1 Introduction :
On 5th April 2001, the Sharjah Library first opened and today it is one of the largest libraries in the country. And it is the most used and visited library in the country by children and adults, in one week it is visited over 300 times by different people. It is in the centre of the city providing easy access for the population. The library contains different types of books of different languages, magazines and newspapers for different age groups, leading to more than 8000 books. Now it has many branches in the country and is continuously growing. The library is huge building covering 20,000 square meters. They maintain a steady interaction with the clients to constantly get their feedback and also preserve the good relations. The library has its own attractive reading area and a section filled with computers. From the
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day it opened many people came to borrow books and also to join the library. The library contains three floors, two of which are for the books and a separate floor is kept for the employees and files as the library needs a large storage area because the system used here is manual system. As the days went on the number of members also increased so the library needed more employees because as I said already, the system in use here is manual system.

Data collection:
I observed the library to see how it works (system) for few days and saw that everything went slow because of the manual system. Then I interviewed one of the employees, and he said that many information are collected which needs a lot of storage space and everything was going slow as it is done by hand. Then I gave questionnaire papers to be answered by the workers, in which most said that they wanted the system to be fast and they were not happy with the system. Then finally I inspected the records and found that the system is really old and its not helping the library or its workers.

1.2 Description of the problem :

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When the people come to join the library, they have to fill an application form which asks them about their personal information (like a drivers license and a mobile number) so they can be contacted. This information is collected and kept in a storage room. When they borrow a book, they fill in their library cards and show it to the employee, who then records the information of the book and the date borrowed and the return date. Then finally the costumer signs on the form. The date borrowed and the return date is also stored in the members file. So therefore, each member of the library has two file that needs to be stored. The library also needs to keep store information about each of books in the library. So the library needs different storage place for its books records. As its a manual system, they use a lot of paper which takes up a of storage space and data retrieval is also slow.

Requirements specifications:
While having a talk with the head of the library, he insisted that the new system should have the following specifications: Contain various details about the books in the library : a) The cost of the book. b) The name of the author of the book. c) The genre of the books. Save information about the employees. a) Their names and personal details.
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b) The salary given to each one of them. Save information about the library members: a) Their names and personal details. b) The name of the book they borrowed. c) The date they borrowed the book. d) They due date of returning the book. Easy user-interface. Should be able to delete, update and change any records when required to do so, appropriate validation and verification checks. High performance.

1.3 Objectives :
Make a system that consumes less storage area, so fewer resources are wasted.
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Make a system where the job is carried out faster. Make strong security for the system, so only authorized people can access the system. Future changes or improvements can be possible. Create system that is easy to understand. Put validation and verification checks. The number of members in the library should increase. Make the system user-friendly , which allows the user to insert, delete, sort, search or update specific data. Should be able to update the costumers file when he/she returns the old book or borrows a new book. Should be able to calculate and print out a receipt if the user did not return the book on time. Make back-ups of the system, so when anything is damaged, the second copy can be used. Attract more members to the library. Should have easy navigation.

1.4 Description of existing solution:

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When a member comes into the library and wants to join the library, he/she will first go to one of the employees and will be asked to fill in the form given below:

SHARJAH LIBRARY
(Please write in CAPITAL LETTERS) Name (Sir Name): _____________________ Date of birth First name:___________________________ Second name: ________________________ Date of birth: _________________________ Address: ____________________________________ _____________________________________ Gender: Male/Female (Please circle) Please paste photograph here.

Email: ________________________________________________________ Telephone Number (s): __________________________________________ __________________________________________ The information given above are true to the best of my knowledge and I agree to abide by the Library Rules: Date Applied:______________ Signature: _____________________

FOR OFFICE USE ONLY:

Mr. /Ms: ___________________________________________ o o 9 The information given above is verified and checked by me. The application is therefore accepted.

The employee notes down the name and tells him/her that they will inform them when the card is ready. Then the form is taken to the head department, where it is verified. After verification, a new folder is made on the name of the applicant and kept in the storage room. Then the form is sent to the New Member office, where the card is issued and processed. The new member gets the card and can now start borrowing books. If they cannot find the book, they go to the counter and ask for it. The counter member will check if the book is in the returns trolley, if not one of the employees will help and find it for them. When the book wanted is found, they go to the librarian, the librarian searches for the members file and notes down the current date, the due date and the book code. Then the member fills in the library card and gets it stamped and signed by the librarian. When the member comes back to return the book, the employee searches for the members file and then checks if the book is returned exactly on the due date and deletes the members name from the due date file. If the member was late in submitting, an invoice is printed out and he/she has to pay fine of Dhs.50.

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1.5 Evaluation of existing solution:

Advantages: No need for training the staff, as everything is done manually. There is no use of any expensive machines, it is relatively cheap. No details will be changed or lost if there is any power failure. Easy to understand. Since its only a paper-based system, the possibility of any health issues is very low. Disadvantages: Wastage of resources. A lot of paper is used, which is not environmental friendly. Takes a lot of time to complete small tasks. The library will only realize that a book over due, when they receive it from the member who
borrowed it. The security level is too low.
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 The system is very slow, which can make the members angry and the library can lose its
reputation. Everything is written by hand, so it can be hard for the employee to read and understand other employees handwriting. Data can be lost or overlooked. The stress can make the employees to even quit the job. The invoices have to be calculated manually, only after the library realizes a book is overdue.

Improvements: Store the files in alphabetical order, in order to reduce the time taken to find the files and also
stress.

1.6 Description of possible solutions:

Following are the 2 possible solutions: Solution 1 Part A The application form is given to the person who wants to become a member. The form is filled in by the person using a pen.
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 The form is then submitted to the administration department. The administrative department can enter the data using an OCR. The data is thus stored on to the computer. Part B When the member wants to borrow or return a book, the library can scan the barcode behind the book using a barcode reader. If any information is missing, it can then be typed in. The data is thus stored.

Solution 2 The application form is given to the person wanting to become a member. It is filled in manually using pen.
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The form is then collected by the administration office. The information is then typed into the computer using a keyboard. The date can be processed using a generic software package. The information is thus stored.

1.7 Evaluation of other possible solutions:

Solution 1: Advantages:
Faster that the old system. Less space consumed. Only the administrative department needs to know how to use computers, not the costumers. Amount of stress is reduced.

There is no need to type in data. Disadvantages:

There can be health issues for some members of the administrative department. OCR is not always accurate. It is more expensive than the previous system. The barcode reader is not always 100% correct and accurate. Employees need to be trained to use barcode reader and OCR.

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Solution 2 : Advantages: It is faster than the paper-based system. Costumers dont need to know how to use computers. Less space is consumed. Everything is well organized. The data will not be lost easily as it is not just kept in a room, but is stored in a computer. You can back-up the system, which can be very useful when the data is lost or there is a break down in the system. Less stress. Disadvantages: Health issues may rise in the employees. The employees need to be trained to how to use the system. An error may occur, while typing in the data.

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The solution that I am choosing is solution 2, as it is the best solution according to me and the manager of the library. And it is the answer to all the problems. There is not much disadvantages and they can be solved too.
Health issues: Give the employees break after a reasonable period of time. The employees who know how to use the system can do tasks related to computers, while others who dont know can be assigned to do other tasks The errors can be solved by inserting different validation and verification checks.

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2.Design:
Action plan:
Heading Start Date
2/3/2013 2/3/2013 3/3/2013 4/3/2013 5/3/2013 6/3/2013 8/3/2013 11/3/2013 18/4/2013 18/4/2013 19/4/2013 19/4/2013 20/4/2013

Finish Date
12/3/2013 2/3/2013 3/3/2013 4/3/2013 5/3/2013 6/3/2013 9/3/2013 12/3/2013

Analysis
Introduction Description of the problem Objectives Description of existing solution Evaluation of existing solution Description of other possible solutions Evaluation of other possilbe solutions

Design
Action plan Structure diagram

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Library Management System

Books

Members/ Costumer

Menu

Loans

Report

Under 18

Above 18

Old Member

New Member

Genre

School Books

Record s/ Bank details

Custom er feedba ck

Error report

Print bills

Ages betwee n 2-5

Ages betwee n 6-17

Persona l details file

Create new file

Fictio n

Religio n

Student guides

Employ ees bank details

Compl aints/ sugges tions

Delay in returnin g book

Book Mishap

Nurse ry Books

Applicati on form

Adve nture

Horror

Roman ce

Drama

Islam

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