Library Information Processing System: ODS Data Model

A library system contains books, authors and users and many types of other material. For books, the location is identified by a Class Number, for author by an author's name and for users by a users' name. Author and book is a one-to-many relationship whereas library and book is a many-to-many relationship. A library can hold many copies of a book, and a book can appear in many libraries. A book and a library enter into a relationship grouping by sharing a copy. This relationship instance has a cost attribute, which states how much the library paid for the book. Patron-library and user- to- book are many-to-many relationships. When a user borrows a book, the transaction creates an instance of the patron and book relationship and attaches a due date attribute to it.

The intention of this article is to highlight the findings during our study on LIPS (Library Information Processing System) regarding the advancement of a conceptual framework for considering a fully integrated library automation system. Although due to the space we would limit the discussion to E-R model and Object Originated model, it is not asserted that what follows constitutes a complete framework, but rather an attempt to take a step towards the development of a framework. The motivation is both intellectual and pragmatic. At an intellectual level, there is curiosity about the nature of things and about how and why they work. At a pragmatic level, there is the incentive that a clearer theoretical understanding might bring about greater effectiveness in practice.