KOGI STATE POLYTECHNIC LOKOJA,

KOGI STATE,
SCHOOL OF APPLIED SCIENCES,
DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE.

INTRODUCTION TO SOFTWARE
ENGINEERING (COM324)

FEASIBILITY REPORT
ON

LIBERARY AUTOMATION

BY
GROUP: 007 – 009

MATRIC NUMBER NAME

1. INTRODUCTION

The librarian of kogi state polytechnic Library state that the school library which was invented
up to 30years ago has in its collection 2,895 books and non-book material, and receives 899
periodical titles. On an average, the library is open on 245 days in a year, has 2,979 registered
users, and circulation of 2,588 documents.

The library shares its resources with other polytechnic libraries; provides teachers personal
library (TPL) facility, reference and reprographic services; brings out monthly documentation
list, list of new additions and occasionally arranges exhibitions.

These services are provided by 68 full time staff members of which 27 are professionals.
However, 22 posts from non- professional category are vacant. The school authority is trying to
provide the acquired information within manageable time to its users. However, increase in the
intake of students has created greater demand for library services and performance of each
operation manually, makes it difficult to provide the acquired information to users without
loosing their time and tempo.

Moreover, due to paucity of clerical staff, most of the semi-professional and professional staff
has to perform the routine clerical operations which increases the unit cost of each operation.
Often, long leave of professional staff creates backlog in the work, and hence, rest of the
professionals are engaged in clearing the backlog. In this situation, it is not possible to maintain
schedule of the services or to introduce new services, which in turn is leading to dissatisfaction
among the users.

One of the solution to solve these problems, is library automation. Library automation is the
mechanization of library house keeping operations, predominantly by computerization of statistic
by subject, category of user class of student, language of books, type of material, etc.

Due to characteristics like speed, promptness, huge storage capacity, accuracy, versatility,
diligence, cost effectiveness, ease in functioning, elimination of duplication of work, greater
possibility of manipulation, etc., the computer can be used as a device to help the librarian in
doing things rapidly, more economically and efficiently.
 OBJECTIVES
The present study was undertaken with a view to survey the available infrastructure in the school
as a whole to forecast the social aspect of library automation. Identify the tangible and intangible
benefits of the system.

2.1. Areas considered for Automation:

The computerization of the school library will cover the following operations :
(a)Acquisition: It includes book selection, purchase of books including ordering and accounting,
receipt of books, follow up for the unsupplied books, communication of discrepancies, etc.
(b) Technical : It includes accessioning, preparation of author, title, classified and alphabetical
subject catalogue, preparation of spine labels, sending books for binding, stock verification-
checking missing books, recording of withdrawn books, etc.
(c) Circulation : It includes charging and discharging of books to users, inter-library loan,
departmental loan, renewals, fine calculation, sending reminders, compilation.
(d) Information services : It includes current awareness service-list of new additions, current
contents from journals, SDI, location service-local documentation list, retrospective search, etc.

3. REQUIREMENTS
In all, about 30 data files need to be created for various operations covered under study to get the
required outputs and perform desired functions.
3.1. Hardware Requirements
Computerized would require multi-user system with 80386 microprocessor, 16GB core memory
(RAM), 1TB hard disk, line and dot matrix printers.
3.2. Software requirements
The software required for the system would be :
Operating system: UNlX version 5.0
W Editors: vi (visual instructors)
Compilers: BASIC and C.
4. FEASlBlLlTY STUDY
Considering the requirements, a full scale feasibility study was undertaken for testing the
possibility of computerization of the school library. The feasibility study was carried out under
the following three areas :
(a) Technical Feasibility,
(b) Social Feasibility,
(c) Economic Feasibility.

4.1. Technical Feasibility

The Department of computer science has a computer centre. The hardware available in the center
are zeus, a multi-user system with 4Gig RAM. The system has one hard disks of 40Gig.
Two types of heavy duty printers-one line printer with 600 lines per minute and one dot-matrix
printer with 200 characters per second speed are attached to the system.
The system has standard software like vi (visual instructors) and ed (editors), compilers of
BASIC, FORTRAN, COBOL and C language, and UNlX operating system v 3.2.
It was possible for the Commerce Department to provide terminals in the library, attached to the
CPU of commerce department.
For software, it was thought to develop an in-house package and the school library had a person
with basic education in library and information science coupled with specialization in computer
programming and also familiar with library operations so that there can be a complete
understanding of the requirements, such (MAMA G)
This shows, that technically it is feasible to get the required hardware, software and a person
having complete understanding of the requirements to develop the software package.

4.2 Social Feasibility

Generally computerization brings fear of unemployment amongst the existing staff. The
automation of the school library will not create unemployment problems but will create new job
positions, like system manager, system analyst, programmers and program maintenance staff,
data entry operators, etc. It will also relieve the existing, professional staff from their routine
clerical activities, so as to enable them to perform intellectual professional duties which will
need reorganization of staff.
The reorganization of professional staff will lead to job improvement as well as job satisfaction.
As computerization will generate the possibility of additional information services, such as
current awareness service, selective dissemination of information, bibliographic services,
retrospective information services etc., the existing one professional will not be sufficient to
provide these services. In future, the system would need system analyst, programmers and data
entry operators.

Though there will not be any change in the qualifications of the existing staff, except for
additional training but in future appointments, the qualifications for the different professional
posts have to be changed and specialization in computer programming will be a necessary
qualification along with basic professional postgraduate degree. It will lead to higher pay scales
especially for the posts of system analyst, programmers, etc. than that of the assistant librarian
and senior library assistant respectively.

The existing organizational structure will remain unchanged, except for the addition of one more
subsystem, i.e., computer system, for which the librarian will be accountable.
Social cost of the proposed system will consists of the cost of education and training,
consultation and communication. For computerization, each of the existing staff was consulted
for their requirement and problems they have in the existing system. At the time of
implementation, each employee will be consulted and accordingly, in-house education and
training program will be arranged for the existing staff member of the library for 8-1 0 days
duration. However, staff members who are about to retire within 1-2 years, may be reluctant to
undergo training in use of computer due to ignorance, fear and hostility, such persons can be
utilized for manual professional activities, as an alternative to avoid redundancy payment.

4.3. Economic Feasibility

The economic feasibility study was carried out under following areas:
*Cost of operations of existing systems
*Cost of operations of the proposed system
*Cost of development of the proposed systems
*Benefits of the proposed system.
Cost of operations of the existing system : Financial records, like annual budget, payrolls, etc.
were scrutinized and the librarian and each section in charge in the school library was
interviewed to determine the manpower cost, material cost, operating cost, equipment cost,
overhead cost, etc. for calculation of unit cost of each operations in the school library.
The total operational expenditure of the library on manpower, material overhead, etc. in 1991-92
was #346,963 Table 1.
Cost of operation of the proposed system: The computerized school library system requires
manpower, materials, equipment, overhead cost, etc. Also, it requires data preparation and
conversion cost, maintenance cost, site preparation cost, etc.

The computer based system will require data entry operators. Till they are appointed, the
operations can be performed by the existing junior library assistants and typists after giving
required training for data conversion.

Table 1. Cost of operations of the existing system for the year 2000-2011.
1. Manpower (Salary) #20,589,200
2. Materials. #9,327,500
3. Equipment cost #4,162,313
4. Overhead cost #779,950 Total #34,858,963
selective dissemination of information (SDI) and bibliographic services, so as to make the
system cost beneficial.
Apart from these, the following can be the intangible benefits of the proposed system :
1 Faster response time and accuracy in providing information can improve the quality of library
service.
2 Availability of statistical information from the system which can lead to effective decision
making
3 elimination of wastage saving of future expenditure in collection development because of
possibility of sharing resources with other libraries.
4 Provision of new information services like current awareness service, selective dissemination
of information, retrospective search, etc.
The library has to spend #11,000,000 as capital cost, which is one time investment. It is cost
effective to the extent of services provided by the proposed system.
The customers will accept the system, as it will provide them required information without
losing their time and tempo. The employees can happily accept it as their friend to supplement
their job and improve their status.

5. CONCLUSION
Library automation is the need of the day. However, one has to think of the investment, its
technical and social aspects.
Technically it is feasible to get the required hardware, software and person having complete
understanding of the requirements to develop software package.
Automation will create new job opportunities for higher scales and relieve the existing
professional staff from their routine clerical activities to enable them to perform intellectual
professional duties. The reorganization of professional staff will lead to job satisfaction. The
social cost of proposed system will be only the training cost of library personnel for 8-10 days. It
shows that the library automation in the school library is feasible socially.
The operational cost of the proposed system is less than that of existing system which includes
manpower, material equipment and overhead cost. At the same time, the system will be able to
generate financial resources to make the system cost beneficial along with many intangible
benefits, hence economically library automaton is feasible.