Secure Login: Provide secure registration, login, and account management for users, including students, faculty, librarians, and administrators.
Role-Based Access: Implement role-based access controls to manage permissions based on user roles (e.g., librarian, student, faculty).
Catalog Management
Cataloging: Allow librarians to catalog new books and resources, including details such as title, author, ISBN, publication date, and subject.
Resource Classification: Support classification systems (e.g., Dewey Decimal Classification, Library of Congress Classification) for organizing resources.
Catalog Search: Provide search functionality for users to find books and resources by title, author, subject, or other criteria.
Book Lending and Returns
Checkout and Return: Facilitate the checkout and return of books and other resources, including tracking due dates and managing overdue items.
Renewal: Allow users to renew borrowed items if no other reservations exist.
Reservation: Enable users to reserve books or resources that are currently checked out.
User Management
User Profiles: Manage user profiles, including personal information, borrowing history, and fines.
Account Management: Allow users to update their profiles, manage their borrowing limits, and view their current loans.
Fines and Fees Management
Overdue Fines: Calculate and manage fines for overdue books or resources.
Fee Payment: Facilitate online payment of fines and fees through integrated payment gateways.
Inventory Management
Inventory Tracking: Track the availability and condition of library resources, including checking for lost or damaged items.
Stock Management: Manage inventory levels and perform stock audits to ensure accuracy.
Reporting and Analytics
Usage Reports: Generate reports on library usage, including checkouts, returns, and reservations.
Inventory Reports: Provide reports on inventory status, including current stock levels, overdue items, and missing resources.
User Activity Reports: Track and report on user activity, including borrowing patterns and fines.
Communication and Notifications
Email Notifications: Send notifications to users about due dates, overdue items, and reserved item availability.
Alerts: Notify users and librarians about important updates or changes, such as system maintenance or new acquisitions.
Integration with External Systems
External Catalogs: Integrate with external library catalogs or databases for interlibrary loan services.
Student Information Systems: Interface with student information systems to verify user status and borrowing privileges.
Admin Management
User Management: Manage user accounts, including adding, editing, and deleting users.
System Configuration: Configure system settings, including borrowing policies, fine structures, and notification preferences.
Support Management: Provide support and resolve issues reported by users.
User Interface and Experience
Dashboard: Provide an intuitive dashboard for users to manage their accounts, search for resources, and view their borrowing history.
Responsive Design: Ensure the system is accessible through web and mobile interfaces with a responsive design.
Non-Functional Requirements
Performance
Efficiency: Ensure the system performs efficiently under varying loads, including handling multiple user requests, search queries, and transactions.
Response Times: Provide quick response times for searching, checking out, and managing resources.
Scalability
Data Scalability: Scale the system to accommodate increasing volumes of resource data, user interactions, and transaction records.
User Scalability: Support a growing number of users and concurrent access without performance degradation.
Availability
High Availability: Ensure high availability with minimal downtime (e.g., 99.9% uptime) to maintain continuous access to library services.
Disaster Recovery: Implement disaster recovery and backup solutions to protect data and ensure system continuity.
Security
Data Protection: Secure user data, borrowing history, and resource information through encryption and access controls.
Compliance: Adhere to relevant data protection regulations and standards (e.g., GDPR) to ensure privacy and security.
Usability
User-Friendly Interface: Design a user-friendly and intuitive interface to facilitate ease of use and navigation for students, faculty, and librarians.
Accessibility: Ensure the system is accessible to users with disabilities and provides a consistent experience across devices.
Compatibility
Cross-Platform Support: Ensure compatibility with various devices (e.g., desktops, tablets, smartphones) and operating systems.
Browser Compatibility: Support major web browsers to ensure accessibility for all users.
Maintainability
Modular Design: Maintain a modular and well-documented codebase to facilitate updates and maintenance.
Automated Testing: Implement automated testing and continuous integration practices to ensure system stability and reliability.
Reliability
Error Handling: Provide robust error handling and recovery mechanisms to minimize system errors and downtime.
Monitoring: Implement monitoring tools to detect and address issues proactively.
Compliance
Regulatory Compliance: Ensure compliance with relevant regulations and standards related to library management, data privacy, and financial transactions.
Standards Adherence: Adhere to industry best practices for library management and resource handling.
Efficiency
Resource Optimization: Optimize resource usage (e.g., memory, processing power) to ensure efficient operation and cost-effectiveness.
Data Processing: Implement efficient data processing and storage practices to handle large volumes of resource and user data.
