The Coursework Requirements

Scenario

University libraries are facing challenges in the digital society as users continuously demand for better quality services. The Campus Library sets its goal to serve the university through its mission of contributing to university's research, teaching, and learning activities. Moreover, since the university has historically been integrated into the community through providing life-long learning and consultancy services to the public and the local industry, the Campus Library is expected to play a major role in the university's position as the symbol of learning in the region. Therefore, the Campus Library is aiming to be positioned as the centre of gravity for academic intellectual activities of the university.

After an initial pilot study, the Campus Library has decided to integrate the Library routine operations into an Internet-based Library Management System (ILMS). This new software system should be able to provide a 24-7 (24 hours a day and 7 days a week) service as a real time learning support resource. To develop this system, the existing library operational functions must be correctly understood and new functions may be required in order to support all kinds of services in an online fashion.

The Campus Library has university staff and students as its primary users. The Library is also open to the public with a modest fee for the membership and they are treated with some different rules. All users must be registered with the Library and issued with username (library card number) and password (pin number) for accessing their own account in ILMS.

ILMS should be able to support day-to-day functions, such as search book, reserve book, renew the copy of book, check the user's account for various status, and generate a reminder for the purpose. When a book is borrowed or returned by the library user, this information should be captured in the system and the account of the user should be updated.

There are some business rules for the library users to follow and should be incorporated in ILMS. They are as follows.

• The library users must log-in with the username and password when the services of ILMS are required.
• Each staff member can borrow up to 17 books, a postgraduate student 10 and undergraduate student 6. The limit for a member of the public is 6 books.
• A library user can search for a book through an online catalogue. If no book item is available for borrowing, a reservation can be made and added to the reservation queue of the book. The library will send a reminder via Email to the one whose reservation is on the top of the queue when the first copy of the book becomes available.
• When a copy of book is overdue, a fine will be started and it is added to each day. The staff and students have the same rate of overdue charge while it is twice as much for a member of the public. A reminder of the overdue item is immediately issued and sent via Email to the borrower when it occurs.
• Each user can renew book items via the online facility. The user is allowed to renew maximum 7 times for each book item without a librarian's intervention. After 7 times, it is considered as overdue if the book item is not physically returned to the Library in time.
• The current journals and magazines can only be read in the Library. However, the issues of past years are bound in volumes by year. These volumes can be lent out in the same way as books.
• Each year the Library has a budget for books, journals and magazines. University staff and students can recommend books for purchase, together with details such as book title, authors, publisher, etc. A senior librarian will make the decision over the recommendation. The Library will then contact the publisher and purchase a certain number of copies of the book. If there is a high demand on certain books, additional copies will be purchased. Journals and magazines can be recommended only by university staff. These recommendations will be reviewed and approved in the same way as for books.

You are required to produce the following deliverables

• Upon the completion of the assignment, students will deliver a project report, which documents the results of analysis and design for the development of a computer system that supports the library's business operations. The report contains approximately 15 pages including all diagrams.

• The report MUST contain an application of the chosen UML techniques with clear explanation and justification for the design.

• Well-structured, concise, report in professional format, i.e. clear logical presentation.
• Critically justify your decisions on the design which reflect your in-depth understanding of the analysis and design in the OO paradigm.
• All required design documented well.
• Evidence of learning outside the practicals, i.e. appropriate advanced functions in the design.