Smart Library Management System using QR code

Adarsh Singh
Department of Computer Science
Earlham College
Richmond, Indiana
[email protected]

ABSTRACT
The importance of this project lies in the technological development In lieu of the current systems with the issues presented above,
of libraries. Even with digitized information, libraries remain to be this paper explains a library system using Quick Response (QR)
the primary source of information for thousands of people. The aim code. This system is geared towards college libraries and student
of the project is to create a smart and simple solution for managing users specifically. A lot of colleges do not have the resources to
libraries through a QR code system. Most library management implement high-tech solutions. However, especially students would
systems currently require significant human labor, supervision and benefit greatly from being able to be more independent in a library
large amounts of funding and resources. This QR code management by using technology to find what they need and complete the tasks
system relieves most of the human labor and barely requires funding they need to on their own. During stressful periods in school, stu-
or other resources. This management system works through one dents are often in a time crunch and need to access information
application directly accessible to library users. Through the QR quickly and independently. The proposed library system can help
code function, the users can use the application to issue, return, students use library resources more efficiently and independently
and manage books, with minimal to no employee assistance. The and it is a system that is feasible for all colleges, even those that
proposed management system simplifies library processes, keeps do not have financial resources. This system provides a student
track of all records, and makes the library more directly accessible interactive and operational library management software solution.
to its users. Students can access the library and manage their library activities
through their own phone. This application provides an end to end
KEYWORDS solution for easy library management: issuing and returning books,
exploring books, and maintaining book records. QR code technol-
library system, QR code, smart technology, user independence
ogy is very simple to use and understand and it is able to store
.
the user information and book details in a database which controls
the application. There is a student version and librarian version of
1 INTRODUCTION the application. More details on the application are provided in the
A library is required to keep up with the digital world using various later sections.
technologies that are available in this modern age [9]. Over the past The paper is organised as follows: Section 2 discusses related
two decades, library management systems have been increasingly works, introducing different technology and library management
used by libraries to store data digitally and create more efficient systems; Section 3 describes the design and implementation of the
library processes. The primary issue for any library system is orga- QR code solution; Section 4 explains the test plan for the application;
nization and record keeping due to its large number of users and and Section 5 concludes the project.
items. Misplaced items are especially an issue due to the frequent
movement of books within and outside of the library, creating a 2 RELATED WORK
struggle for the librarian and the user to find and keep track of This section presents related works of commonly used technologies
books. The second focus of a library management system should in Library Management Systems and applications of QR code. The
be the user. Since a library’s function is primarily to enhance ed- first part of this section will be introducing management systems
ucation and gain knowledge, it should be geared towards public currently used by libraries: the barcode, RFID (radio frequency
accessibility and their ease of use. In the end, it is desirable for the electromagnetic wave) technology, and an IoT system. The second
user to be more directly involved with the information and become part will introduce the QR code and two systems currently using
independent users in a library, i.e. checking out books without as- the QR code: ATM transactions and ticketing systems.
sistance. [12]. Although there are library systems using different
technologies such as RFID, Barcode, IoT (Internet of Technology), 2.1 SLMS using Different Technologies
the application of technology in library management is usually not
A fair amount of work has been published on Smart Library Man-
satisfactory. This is either because these systems are time consum-
agement System (SLMS) and the following section gives a brief
ing and highly human dependent or because they are not feasible
description of three different technologies that are used most com-
for most libraries due to a lack of available resources.
monly in university libraries: Barcodes, RFID, and IoT.
2.1.1 Barcode. A barcode is a piece of Automatic Identification
CS488: Senior Capstone Experience, Earlham College,
© 2019 Association for Computing Machinery. Technology (Auto ID) that stores real time data. It is a series of
vertical bars that encode numbers and letters in a format which
CS488: Senior Capstone Experience, Earlham College,
Adarsh Singh

can easily be retrieved and interpreted via a reader by measuring alphanumeric, binary, and kanji. QR codes can hold much more
the intensity of the reflected barcode light. Nearly every type of information than a regular barcode. The information encoded in a
industry uses a barcode technology to replace keyboard data entry QR code can be a URL, a phone number, an SMS message, a V-card,
as barcodes work much faster and are more accurate. The design or any text. They are referred to as QR because they allow the
of a barcode based library systems is very similar to the QR system content to be decoded at high speed. One of the drawbacks of this
proposed here since both methods involve the scanning of a matrix. technology lies in error-correcting and error-detecting abilities of
However, a QR code is more efficient than a barcode. It stores the Reed Solomon Code [5].
information in both horizontal and vertical patterns. QR codes can
hold much more information than a regular barcode and they can 2.3 Different Systems using QR code
store larger data in a smaller area. These features are helpful in a
QR codes have become widely popular in recent years and they
library where large data has to be compressed for easy handling.
are being used in a wide range of contexts and systems. This sec-
2.1.2 RFID. Radio frequency electromagnetic wave (RFID) tech- tion will help introduce the QR code system and how it can be
nology is a form of automatic contact-less data capturing technique. used which will help make clear the application of QR codes in
RFID technology, as a library management system, has several com- a library management system. This section introduces two differ-
ponents to it: tags, a micro-controller, reader and database software ent QR code applications that have become popular: ATM’s and
[15]. The readers are placed in certain locations to recognise the Ticketing Systems.
tags. RFID technology can detect tags through larger distances than
2.3.1 ATM. One of the areas where QR code has become popular
barcodes and can detect multiple tags at once. It can also be used
is in ATM transactions. QR codes are used for authenticating users
for ID cards, making library transactions more efficient than work-
to ATM’s and other secure machines for card less transactions.
ing with a barcode. Addepalli describes an RFID library system as
These transactions work through an image code being displayed on
consisting of tags and sensors. When a student walks in or out of
an external device. Users then need a mobile device with a decoding
the library, the sensor scans and displays the actions possible or
function, usually provided through their banking application. This
required [1]. However, high cost of tags and time consuming instal-
function decodes the transaction information encoded in the image
lation are substantial drawbacks of this technology. The QR code
and authorizes access to a secure resource [11]. It transmits the
is a good alternative as it eliminates the use of tags and scanners
information and an identifier of the mobile device to an authentica-
thereby saving a great amount of capital.
tion system, granting access to the secure resource if the transaction
2.1.3 IoT. Larsan discusses an Internet of Things (IoT) based information and the identifier satisfy the authentication test.
SLMS which provides the luxury of fetching a book from its place The ATM system provides an example of how personal infor-
with the assistance of an interconnected system using a Wi-Fi based mation of library users can be stored and how library users can
Local Positioning System (LPS) and Near Field Communication gain access to the library system through using QR code authentica-
(NFC) tags [3]. This IoT solution is revolutionary in the sector of ed- tion methods. The QR code system can keep track of library users,
ucation to produce a smart library system as it expands functional their information, and their borrowed items. Most importantly,
competence, user experiences of learning, and real-time visibility. through the QR code authentication system, the user becomes self-
The user places his NFC enabled phone over the NFC reader placed reliable without someone having to regulate the transaction to
at the entrance of the library to get access to the library’s local area ensure proper use. The method is simple and ensures the organiza-
network. Here, the user can check-in/out books, reserve rooms, tion and safety of users, staff, and materials in the library.
make appointments, and more. This system is probably the most
2.3.2 Ticket System. Ticket sales are usually powered by hu-
successful in solving the introduced issues of libraries compared to
mans where the application of internet technology is still at its
the previous two technologies. However, this is a system that re-
beginning. QR codes are starting to be used more and more in tick-
quires a complete reconfiguration of libraries which would require
eting processes and still, there is usually some human power needed
immense amounts of resources. Resources unavailable to small li-
to assist and oversee the code scanning and entrance procedures.
braries like Earlham’s Lily Library. This is why a QR code system
Zhang and Yao describe a system that combines the QR code with
is still a much more attractive option for many libraries.
scenic spot’s eTicketing system [16]. Their system is directed at
tourists who are exploring different sites. The tourist has access
2.2 QR Code to an official webpage and only needs to click a "buy the ticket"
The QR code is the main feature of the library management system button, fill in some personal information (name, ID card number)
therefore it is important to understand its detailed functions and and then make the payment through online banking or a third party
capabilities. A QR code is a matrix barcode readable by smartphones platform. On approval, the mobile operator would send the QR code
and mobile phones with cameras. They were developed in 1994 by to the tourist’s cellphone. The tourist’s only need to scan the QR
Denso-Wave, a Toyota subsidiary [8]. On most phones purchased code via a two-dimensional code reader at the entrance in order to
in the United States, a free application is accessible to process the verify their identification and be able to enter the premises.
QR code. The QR code usually appears as a small white square with This system provides an easy explanation to understand how
black geometric shapes, although some colored and even branded keeping track of books and other library items will be easy and
QR codes are now being used as well [2]. To store data efficiently, a user friendly. Especially in combination with the authentication
typical QR code uses four standardized encoding modes: numeric, characteristic described in the previous section, the QR code is an
 CS488: Senior Capstone Experience, Earlham College,
Smart Library Management System using QR code

efficient and simple technology that can make library management

much easier.
The proposed SLMS and both systems described in this section
are based on the QR code technology. QR code can be used for
specific purposes. In the ATM system, it authenticates users, i.e.
represents unique user in 3d barcode. In the ticket system, it repre-
sents the ticket and the information of the ticket holder. In SLMS, it
represents book details. Hence, a QR code can be used to represent
information in a non recognizable format. These three systems
eliminate the use of human labor and hence reduce the needed
capital significantly.

3 DESIGN
The following section describes the design structure of the library
system. It gives further insight on the QR code technology, talks
about the framework of the system, and gives brief implementation
details of the features.

3.1 Overwiew
This SLMS includes two interfaces of the library application: One
for the library users (students) and one for the library employees.
Figure 1a displays the features and processes of the student version
(a) Student
whereas figure 1b shows the features that the librarians can access
and perform managerial tasks with.
The student version of the library system provides the following
features for users that access the system:
• issue books
• return books
• search books
• check book status (homepage)
• manage book status (homepage)
With these features, users can effectively manage their library trans-
action themselves through authentication technology (google fire-
base) and the QR code technology. The application automatically
gives the user access to the student page if they log in with a student
ID.
The library staff has a different application that they access
by logging in with their staff user ID. The library staff will have
access to some extra features that allow them to regulate the in-
coming/outgoing of books, contact students, and run interference
as necessary, hence the librarian interface includes an "Inventory"
and "Add Book" option which allows them to add or remove a new
book from the database. Librarians can also access the backend of
the application to run interference on possible issues, like cancel
Issue Requests that were made in error by a student. While some
staff regulation and overseeing is still needed, the amount of staff (b) Librarian
work needed will decrease greatly through the QR code as it can
replace a lot of the check in/out and record keeping work. The focus
of the project will be the student interface. The different features
and components introduced in this section are further explained in
Section 3.2.
When the application is launched, the user is directed to the
welcome page where they can login, sign up or choose to reset the (c) Legend
password of their application. New users can choose to sign up by
providing information such as name, student ID and cell number. Figure 1: Applications Structure
On successful registration of the user, the user is redirected to the
CS488: Senior Capstone Experience, Earlham College,
Adarsh Singh

homepage. The homepage is the main page of the application where books. It also allows the staff to add new books, edit books and
the user has access to all the primary features of the application manage the database.
such as issuing a book, searching a book, finding the issuance status
of a book, extending the lending time, and returning a book. 3.2.5 Time Period. This is not a primary button in the applica-
The application uses the Firebase database to register users, store tion, but the feature is unique and based on the popularity of books.
books, authentication and management of all the in going and out- The popularity of the book is measured by the number of requests
going books. All the data is encrypted before being stored which (n.r), i.e. number of people interested in borrowing the book. Time
reduces the probability of hacking vulnerabilities. period is divided into three categories: One week(n.r > 10), two
weeks(n.r > 5), and three weeks(n.r < 3). This feature is in sync with
3.2 Features the number of copies available of the same book. Each book in the
As introduced in the previous subsection, there are four main fea- library has a unique QR code. For example: Python Programming
tures to the application: searching books, managing books, issuing I is extremely popular(n.r > 10) hence the user is only allowed to
books, and returning books. The issuance and return of books are issue it for one week.
two features that will require the use of the QR code scanner which
is be built into the application. 3.2.6 Database. The user information and metadata for each
book is stored in the Firebase database. The QR code for each book
3.2.1 Issue Books. The process of issuing a book starts by press- is generated from its metadata and is unique for each book stored in
ing the ’Issue Book’ button which opens the rear camera of the the database. As shown in Figure 3, each book has four parameters
android phone through the application, which searches for a QR by which it is stored. The book can be searched by its title, year,
code present on the books. On successfully scanning a valid QR author, publisher. To give a brief information about the book, a
code, the application decrypts the information of the QR code and small abstract is also provided with the book search. The database
fetches the relevant details about the book from the database. It then can be accessed only by the library staff members. Any change in
automatically calculates the due date of the book as the time period the book inventory is notified to the librarian. This protects book
is based on the popularity of the book. The popularity is calculated thefts and ensures a smooth flow of books in and out of the library.
on the basis of the number of requests to borrow the book For
example: Harry Potter is extremely popular and several students
want to borrow it, so its time period is one week; whereas a history 4 TEST PLAN
book has lower demand and can be borrowed for a month. The due The application will be tested in Earlham’s Lilly Library. An experi-
date is calculated based on the current date thereby allowing the mental data set of 20 random books is considered for the testing.
user to issue the book at a click of a button. At minimum, one user will be required to sign-up, login and use
the different features. The following is a list of experiments that
3.2.2 Return Books. To return books the user confirms the re- the application should successfully pass:
turn of the book by pressing the return function. The returned
books will be placed in a physical shelf near the librarian’s desk.
The library staff is notified when a book is returned and they can 4.1 Add Books
verify the return by scanning the QR code for each book. The appli- From the sample collection of books, we add a book into the data-
cation tracks the due date from the database and checks if the book base. This test is only for the librarian application as the feature is
is returned before or after that date. In case of the latter, the fine is not available in the student application. To ensure that the book
calculated accordingly and the user is notified. If the book is late by is successfully added, we will search for the same book from the
1-4 days then the fine is $1, for 5-29 days its $20 and if it’s late for ’search button’ function. To check for security, the same book can
more than a month, the student has to pay the price of the book. be attempted to be added again, if the system rejects the book, then
it confirms that each stored book is independent of the other.
3.2.3 Search Books. This feature gives the user a chance to
search the book collection of the library. They can check for book
availability, browse through different genres and get acquainted 4.2 Login System
with the library. This saves the user time and energy as they essen- The user registers as a new user and a successful sign in would
tially have to go to the library to just pick up the book. For example: imply that the login system is functional. The user is sent an email
on a bad weather day, a user can verify the availability of the book on successful registration. The forget password button also sends
through the application rather than physically visiting the library an email to get new password. To make sure the login system
to find out its unavailable. is efficient, about 5-10 students will register and confirm if they
receive emails. For security, if a user tries signing up with the same
3.2.4 Manage Books. The importance of this feature is to reg- email again, the new user registration should be unsuccessful as a
ulate the movement of books and prevent thefts in the library. Its login account already exists. Since there are only 3-4 library staff
access is granted only to the library staff. It provides a list of outgo- members, they will be asked to login to the library application and
ing and incoming books and notifies the staff if the book is overdue. confirm if they received notification about new user registrations.
If the staff is informed about a possible mishandling of books by a It is also important to ensure that a student ID is rejected in the
user, they have the option to prohibit the user from issuing further library application.
 CS488: Senior Capstone Experience, Earlham College,
Smart Library Management System using QR code

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Attempt to scan the QR code of the book and borrow the book from authenticating users to ATMs and other secure machines for cardless transactions.
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should be able to borrow the books independent of each other. For on android phone using security warnings. In Proceedings of the 8th ACM SIGSAC
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a request for an extra time period. This feature will be tested by an RFID technology. International Journal of Reasoning-based Intelligent Systems
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5 CONCLUSION
The SLMS application and QR code implementation has been built
and tested: The login, profile data, library management and QR
code have been successfully implemented. The homepage of the
application also gives the user options to choose between the librar-
ian or the student edition. Each student user has a personal page
which contains their information and the history of books they
issued with the library. This allows the user to choose between past
interests and track movement of the books they have issued. Each
staff user gets access to the list of books in and out of the library.
Whenever a book is issued by a user and taken out of the library,
it is added to the list of books away. The system was tested with a
sample data set of 20 books. The test user was successfully able to
issue and return a book using a smartphone and search for books
as per convenience.
With this successful application of a SLMS through using QR
code, students are now able to use a library more efficiently and
independently. Through this SLMS the library staff required to
manage a library reduced significantly. The future work involves
a website interface for the SLMS along with recommended search
option through machine learning.

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