President's Choice Software
Functional Specification
Summary

 

Library Management System                              
 
Library Managament SystemWe at PC Software have been asked to develop a Library Management System for the Springfield Public Library, which, upon completion, will keep track of all information necessary for the day-to-day operations of the library. The LMS is being implemented based on a set of specifications recevied from the Spingfield Public Library. The specifications state that the system must:
     
  1. Keep track of all transactions
  2. Monitor all books in the library
  3. Store information about each customer
Transactions1. A transaction involves the borrowing and returning of books to the library, and thus the subsystem is responsible for keeping track of all the information pertaining to such actions. This includes:
     
  • monitoring the lending/returning of books from the library
  • monitoring books which are on hold
  • keeping track of overdue books and subsequent fines
Books2. Monitoring all books in the library involves keeping track of all information about each and every book copy within the library. This includes:
     
  • Location of the book copy
  • ISBN
  • Author
  • Publisher
  • Subject
  • Title
  • Circulation Status
  • Media Type
  • Category
  • etc.
     As well, a book administration section is required to allow for:
     
  • Adding a new book
  • Deleting books from the data base
  • Modifying information within the database
  • Searching for a specific book
Customers3. The system must keep track of all customers to the library. This involves storing information about each customer, such as:
     
  • Name
  • Home address
  • Library card number
  • Fines
  • Maximum allowed books
  • etc.
     There must also be a customer administration section to allow for:
     
  • Adding a new customer
  • Removing a customer
  • Modifying customer information
  • Searching for a customer
      The system design and implementation processes for the library system has already been tentatively scheduled, culminating in the LMS demonstration performed for your company some time in early April, 1997. It is the belief that we at PC Software Inc. will provide for you an efficient system that will meet your needs by that time. Throughout the design stages, we have made an effort to keep usability and user friendliness in mind, while at the same time trying to make the system as comprehensive as possible. It is our hope that your experience with our company will be a pleasant and mutually beneficial undertaking.

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Overall, the functional specification was very impressive. The dialogs seemed very easy to use and we liked how the buttons all had icons as well as text on them.

The screen shots had many innovations as far as the interface was concerned. We really liked the "New" buttons besides our code lists for items like Subject or Book Category or Media type. This makes the program very easy to use even for a beginner. Also the use of grid controls in various places makes the dialogs very powerful and allows them to provide compact information.