Library Management System with Barcode Scanning

A library system that uses barcode scanning for fast book issue/return.

Issuing and returning books with a paper register is slow, and fines for overdue books are easy to calculate wrongly. A librarian typing member and book details for every transaction also makes typing errors. This project builds a library management system in which every book and member card has a barcode, so each transaction is one scan.

The application is written in PHP with a MySQL database that holds books, individual copies, members, loans, reservations and fines. Because a USB barcode scanner behaves like a keyboard that types the code and presses Enter, the issue screen keeps a focused input field: the librarian scans the member card, then each book, and the loan is created with a due date. Issue and return run as database transactions that check availability, the member's loan limit and unpaid fines, so a book cannot be issued twice. On return, the fine is calculated from the due date, the return date and the daily rate and stored as its own record. A daily job lists overdue loans, reservations move to the next member when a copy comes back, and members can search the catalog and see their loans online. The trial measures how much faster scanning is than the register.

You will learn database design, transaction handling, hardware integration and web development. The Project Reference Guide documents the system, and the Reference Implementation includes the application, database script and set-up steps.