Functional requirements of University Library Management System with non-functional
Functional Requirements
- User Registration and Authentication:
- Allow users (students, faculty, staff, and administrators) to register and create library accounts.
- Provide secure login with role-based access control, where different roles (e.g., students, librarians, administrators) have different permissions.
- Catalog Management:
- Enable librarians to catalog new books, journals, and other resources by entering details such as title, author, ISBN, publication date, and subject.
- Support multiple formats, including physical books, e-books, journals, and multimedia resources.
- Allow users to search the catalog by various criteria, such as title, author, subject, and publication year.
- Search and Browsing:
- Provide advanced search functionality to allow users to search for library resources using keywords, filters, and Boolean operators.
- Allow users to browse the library’s collection by category, genre, or subject area.
- Book Issue and Return Management:
- Allow users to check out books and other materials, either physically or electronically.
- Track the due dates for borrowed items and automatically calculate fines for late returns.
- Provide a system for returning books, including drop-box management and electronic return for e-books.
- User Account Management:
- Allow users to view their borrowing history, current checkouts, and fines.
- Enable users to renew borrowed items online if they are not on hold by another user.
- Provide notifications for due dates, overdue items, and available holds.
- Reservation and Hold Management:
- Allow users to place holds on items that are currently checked out.
- Notify users when a reserved item becomes available for pickup.
- Manage a queue system for popular items with multiple holds.
- Inventory Management:
- Track the inventory of all library materials, including physical and digital resources.
- Provide reports on the status of items, such as checked out, available, damaged, or lost.
- Support inventory audits and reconciliation processes.
- Acquisition and Procurement:
- Manage the acquisition of new materials, including budgeting, ordering, and tracking of incoming items.
- Integrate with vendor systems for automated ordering and receipt of items.
- Support the evaluation of new materials, including user recommendations and librarian reviews.
- Fines and Fees Management:
- Automatically calculate and track fines for overdue items.
- Allow users to pay fines online through integrated payment gateways.
- Provide options for fine adjustments by librarians (e.g., waiving fines for specific cases).
- Reports and Analytics:
- Generate reports on library usage, including statistics on checkouts, returns, overdue items, and user activity.
- Provide insights into popular books, peak usage times, and resource allocation.
- Enable export of reports in various formats (e.g., PDF, Excel) for further analysis.
- Digital Resource Access:
- Provide access to digital resources, including e-books, online journals, and databases.
- Support integration with digital libraries and subscription-based services for seamless access to external resources.
- Enable digital borrowing with time-limited access to e-books and other electronic materials.
- Interlibrary Loan Management:
- Support interlibrary loan requests, allowing users to borrow materials from other libraries within a network.
- Track the status of interlibrary loans, including requests, shipping, and returns.
- Notifications and Alerts:
- Send automated notifications for due dates, overdue items, available holds, and library events.
- Allow users to configure notification preferences, including email, SMS, and in-app alerts.
- Library Events and Announcements:
- Manage and promote library events such as book readings, workshops, and guest lectures.
- Allow users to register for events and receive reminders.
- User Feedback and Suggestion System:
- Provide a platform for users to submit feedback or suggestions regarding library services, resources, or the system itself.
- Allow librarians to review and respond to feedback, and consider suggestions for new acquisitions.
- Integration with University Systems:
- Integrate with the university’s student information system (SIS) for seamless user account management and validation.
- Support integration with the university’s learning management system (LMS) for linking course materials with library resources.
- Admin and Librarian Dashboard:
- Provide administrators and librarians with a dashboard to monitor library operations, manage user accounts, and perform system maintenance.
- Allow for easy management of library policies, such as borrowing limits, fine rates, and resource allocation.
Non-Functional Requirements
- Scalability:
- The system should be able to handle a growing number of users, library resources, and transactions without performance degradation.
- Support for scaling to accommodate additional library branches, resources, and features as the university grows.
- Security:
- Implement strong encryption for data transmission and storage, ensuring the security of user data and library records.
- Employ secure authentication mechanisms, including role-based access control, to protect sensitive information.
- Regularly update security protocols and conduct security audits to prevent data breaches.
- Performance:
- Ensure the system provides fast and responsive interactions, even during peak usage times (e.g., exam periods).
- Optimize search functionality for quick retrieval of results from the library catalog.
- Reliability and Availability:
- Ensure high availability of the platform with minimal downtime, supported by redundancy and failover mechanisms.
- Implement regular backups and disaster recovery procedures to prevent data loss and ensure continuity of service.
- Usability:
- The user interface should be intuitive, user-friendly, and accessible to users with varying levels of technical expertise.
- Provide a consistent experience across different devices and platforms, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
- Interoperability:
- The system should be compatible with other university systems, external library databases, and digital resource providers.
- Support data exchange with external systems using standard protocols and APIs.
- Maintainability:
- The platform should be easy to maintain, with clear documentation, a modular design, and support for regular updates and bug fixes.
- Implement automated monitoring and logging to quickly identify and resolve issues.
- Compliance:
- Ensure the system complies with relevant regulations and standards, such as data protection laws (e.g., GDPR) and intellectual property rights.
- Provide features to support auditing, data retention, and regulatory reporting requirements.
- Data Integrity and Accuracy:
- Ensure that all data collected and processed by the system is accurate and consistent.
- Implement validation checks and data integrity mechanisms to prevent errors or data corruption.
- Localization and Internationalization:
- Support multiple languages, currencies, and regional settings to cater to a global student base.
- Allow easy adaptation of the platform to meet local regulations and practices in different regions.
- Accessibility:
- Ensure that the platform is accessible to users with disabilities, following web accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG).
- Provide features such as screen reader compatibility, keyboard navigation, and adjustable text sizes.
- Privacy and Data Ownership:
- Ensure that users retain ownership of their data and can easily control, access, and delete their information as needed.
- Provide transparency regarding data usage, sharing, and storage practices, with clear consent mechanisms.