AUTOMATED LIBRARY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Report on Planning, Design and Evaluating Web System Usability/Accessibility /Security Issues

Report on Planning, Design and Evaluating Web System Usability/Accessibility /Security Issues

Introduction

Libraries have been around for a very long time and they use a variety of methods to reserve or loan out books and other items, and also to keep their records and data systems up-to-date. Historically, libraries operated manually and in most cases using face-to-face contacts and keeping paper records. The library management wants to move from the inefficient walk-in or telephone type of service provision to an automated system that also includes self-service kiosks and online reservation, loan and return services to be able to operate 24 hours and cater for various types of customers. Some libraries are of very large size and they have to keep the data of large number of customers along with the facilities they provide, such as inter-library loans, online registration, reservation and loan facilities etc, and they have commissioned you to design a front end web system and report on how the system will provide facilities for the library services. The system should have facilities to surf, register, reserve, loan, return, check and pay fines as necessary. The library needs more appropriate and effective means of tracking the clients of library along with their preference and the details about each individual customer, fines and items borrowed. The common needs for a new customer is to make reservation or loan any item of library, they need to register online with a or phone number, correct address, password and email address etc; and a unique library number /card will be provided to the customer (Hove and Crooks, 2005, pp. 50-62).

Discussion

Need for a Web based reservation system for a Library

System analysis is a comprehensive study of the several operations which are executed by various systems and their interactions with in the systems and outside the system. The main question is to analyze the existing problems of the system and to sort out the solutions of those problems. Analysis initiates when a manager or the user starts a though study of the existing system being used in the current program (Hove and Crooks, 2005, pp. 50-62). It can easily be observed that in the current system all the dealings and transactions of books including returning books, returning books and searching for books. Most important disadvantage of manual libraries is to prepare the record of all books that are borrowed by the people. Another important task is to make list of all available books that are present in the library, this is the most time taken task for the librarians. Usually all these verification processes takes a whole day or some times more than a day (Chapman and Chapman, 2006, pp. 50-92). Therefore after accomplishing the feasibility study it was decided to convert the manual library management system to the computerized management system. Following are the benefits that would be gained from the establishment of a web based/automated library reservation and management system;

For Management of ...