Assessment of Library Users’ Problems on Transactional Procedures: Basis for Library Management System Development

Abstract

This research aimed at assessing problems encountered by library users- librarian, staff, students, and teachers- on the different library transactional procedures as basis for the development and design of a Library Management System for Cagayan State University-Piat in the Philippines. The study utilized the descriptive design in determining the degree of seriousness of the problems encountered by the respondents in using the existing library transactions, and the interventions that can be done to address the problems encountered by the respondents. Findings revealed that the problems encountered by the library users in the manual operations of the library in terms of borrowing, returning and searching library materials are “Very Serious”. On the part of the library staff, the issues on security of records, cataloguing, borrowing, returning, searching, inventory of library materials and generation of reports are considered “Serious”. Using Waterfall Model, the system was developed with the aid of software and hardware requirements. The library system developed “very efficiently” stored the library records in the database secured with password, systematically classified the materials, save time in entering information of library materials, displayed for duplication of accession numbers, monitored the borrowed and returned books, systematically displayed inventory of materials, and saved time in generating accurate library reports. It can be concluded that the proposed library system can provide better and easier access to the different transactions in the library and provide convenience to the library staff and library users in the different transactions.