Library Management module

Here’s a detailed list of features for a Library Management module in a University Management System, specifically designed to cater to UG, PG, and PhD students, faculty, and researchers. This module handles everything from book acquisition to advanced research material access and integrations.

Core Features of Library Management System

🔐 User Roles & Access Control

• Role-based access:

  • Students (UG/PG/PhD)

  • Faculty / Research Guides

  • Librarians

  • Heads of Departments

  • Admins

• Tiered borrowing privileges (e.g., UG: 2 books, PG: 4, PhD: 6+)

• Configurable access levels for digital vs. physical collections

🗃️ Catalog & Inventory Management

• Centralized catalog of:

  • Books

  • Journals (print + digital)

  • Research papers / theses

  • Magazines, newspapers

  • eBooks and audiobooks

  • Multimedia (DVDs, CDs, etc.)

• Dewey Decimal or Universal Decimal Classification (UDC) support

• Barcode/RFID tagging and tracking

• ISBN/ISSN integration for quick entry

🔍 Search & Discovery Tools

• Smart search by title, author, subject, keyword, or ISBN

• Advanced filters (department, availability, format, publication year)

• Integration with OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog)

• AI-based book recommendations (optional)

🛒 Acquisition & Procurement

• Book request and recommendation module (students/faculty)

• Vendor management & quotation comparison

• Purchase order generation

• Budget tracking (department/program-wise)

• Acquisition status tracking (requested → approved → ordered → received)

📦 Circulation Management

• Book issuance/return/reservation

• Auto calculation of due dates based on role/policy

• Renewal and reservation system

• Fine calculation & payment gateway integration

• Alerts for overdue, reservation availability, and renewal reminders

🖥️ Digital Library & Repository

• Access to digital content:

  • PDFs, eBooks, scanned archives, video lectures

• Integration with external digital libraries:

  • DELNET, INFLIBNET, Shodhganga, JSTOR, IEEE, Springer, etc.

• Authentication-based content access (IP-based, VPN, Shibboleth, or SSO)

• Upload and manage in-house publications, e-resources, and theses

🧪 Research & Thesis Management

PG:

• Project report submission & archiving

• Plagiarism check reports (Turnitin/Urkund integration)

• External examiner access for review

PhD:

• Online submission of synopsis, thesis, and progress reports

• Research paper indexing (link to Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar)

• Controlled access to full theses (embargo/restricted options)

• DOI generation and repository linking

📄 Membership & ID Management

• Automated member registration from admission data

• Membership type based on academic level

• Library card generation with barcode/RFID

• Visitor logs and temporary member creation (external researchers)

📊 Reporting & Analytics

• Book issue/return logs (by department, role, period)

• Most borrowed books/journals

• Fine collected report

• Inventory and stock reports

• Expiry reports for subscriptions

• Department-wise budget utilization

• Library usage statistics (for NAAC/NIRF/UGC reporting)

💬 Notifications & Communication

• SMS/email/app notifications for:

  • Due reminders

  • Reservation availability

  • Acquisition requests and status

  • New arrivals or subscriptions

🛠️ System Configuration & Policies

• Define borrowing policies (book count, renewal count, duration)

• Department-level book caps or restrictions

• Setup holidays/exam-time exceptions

• Manage fine rules (per day, slab-based, grace period)

🧑‍💻 Student & Faculty Portal

For Students:

• View issued books, due dates, and fines

• Online renewal and reservation

• Digital resource access

• Book suggestion submission

For Faculty/PhD:

• Reserve books for class/reference shelf

• Upload study/research materials

• Recommend acquisitions

• Manage thesis/project records

🔗 Integrations

• Student Information System (SIS): Auto-sync of student data

• Fee & Finance: Auto fine collection, library deposit refund tracking

• Plagiarism Tools: Turnitin, Urkund

• Digital Learning Systems (LMS): Cross-linking to course content

• Single Sign-On (SSO): Seamless access across platforms

🛡️ Security & Audit

• RFID/barcode based theft prevention

• CCTV integration for tracking library usage (optional)

• Role-wise digital content protection

• Audit trail for every transaction (issue, return, edit, delete)

📌 Program-Level Customizations

UG:

• Textbooks, reference books, novels, and general reading

• Semester-wise access restrictions (optional)

• Popular book listing and reading challenge features

PG:

• Access to academic journals, conference proceedings

• Project archive browsing

• Cross-institutional access to interlibrary content (INFLIBNET)

PhD:

• Access to full research resources

• Thesis/research paper repository

• Integration with publication databases and grant-tracking systems