A library is an institution of knowledge acquisition and learning; it provides invaluable serves to students, information server and to a wider local community. Several libraries have suffered failure as a result of inadequate management and incapacitations in handling sensitive information as regards members of the library.

This research therefore, aimed at developing a library offence documentation system, which will help to keep records of library offenders.

In the course of the development of this new system, the current system was analytically and critically studied or assessed and thus the identified strengths and weaknesses were highlighted and a new system was designed for the weakness.

The present system was analyzed using a standard procedure recognized worldwide for such purpose and this is called Structured System Analysis and Design Methodology (SSADM). PHP (Hypertext pre-processor) was used to code the program modules developed for the system using some computer aided design tools.

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL OVERVIEW

1.1 INTRODUCTION

A library is a Latin word “liber” means book is an organized & collection of information resources made accessible to a defined community for reference or borrowing. It provides physical or digital access to materials, and may be a physical building or room, or a virtual space. Globally library is an emerging knowledge-based society of the twenty first century because people need information to sustain their growth development, and intellectual capital investments knowledge and information have become wealth generators which make library a vital tool since it is repositories of reference resource, stacked with books and other information dissembling sources. A library is an institution of knowledge acquisition and learning; it provides invaluable serves to students, information server and to a wider local community (Ugah, 2007).

1. As earlier stated in section 1.0 A library is an organized collection of sources of information and similar resource, made accessible to a defined community for reference or borrowing. It provides physical or digital access to material and, maybe a physical building or room, or a virtual space, or both. (Casson&Lionel, 2002). A library’s collection can include books, periodicals, newspaper, manuscripts, films, maps, prints, document, microform, CDs, cassettes, videotapes, DVDs,Blu- ray Discs, e-data based and other formats. (Allan;1984). A library is organized for use and maintained by public body, an institution, a corporation or a private individual public and institutional collection and service may be intended for use by people who choose not to –or cannot afford to purchase extensive collections themselves, who need material’s. (Rany, 2013). In addition to proving materials, libraries also provide the services of librarians who are experts at finding and organizing information needs for libraries by providing quiets areas for studying, and they also often offer common areas to facilitate group study and collaboration. Libraries often provide public facilities for access to their electronic resources and the internet modem libraries are increasingly Bing redefined as places to get unrestricted access to information electronically. There are different types of libraries depending on the information that are retrievable. There, user accessibility of the information. These factor had led to the classification of the library into several categories including, national library which serve as a national repository of information, researcher library, reference library which does not lend books or any other information material and academic library. (Nicos& John,1978). This research Focusing on academic library, since it often serve number of services to students to provide student necessary tools needed for their succeed in their programs.(Casson,2002) These workshops may include help with citations; effectives search techniques journal database, and electronics citation software. (casson, 2002) Since library provides service to different individuals laws/rules of the library are formulated, designed to preserve the material and the activities in the library both for the librarians and the user to have accessed to the information needs. The establishment of these rules & regulation are variably achieved by conducting logical evaluations by seeking the opinions from the librarians and the user to device an appropriate sanction for offender. Although it has been looked at or defined variously this aspect of library management can as well be computerized to meet the evolving nature of the library service. We live in an information age, and libraries are expected to use information and communication technologies (ICT) to provide information more expeditiously and exhaustively to their user than easer provided. Computerized of library “housekeeping” operations is an important activity in this context. “Automation” when used in a library or similar environment, refers to the computerization of activities (Sadanandanshamin, 2008).

Library automation or computerization refers to use of computers associated peripheral media such as magnetic tapes, disks, optical media and utilization of computer based products and service in the performance of all typesof library functions and operations. Computer are capable of introducing a great degree of automation in operations function since they are electronic, programmable and are capable of controlling a process (Ryan, 2013). Use of information and communication technology in the process control of library will move the library operation economically feasible (Roberts & John marres, 1997). The capabilities of computer associated peripheral media & its application in library activities and services can led to a highly significant quantitative and qualitative improvement of operation.(Sadnand& Shamin, 2008)

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM.

Prior to computerize, library tasks were performed manually and independently from one another by Selectors ordered materials with ordering slips, indexed them with the card catalog and documentation of library offences is usually a by task because of lack of comprehensive report.

1.3. AIM AND OBJECTIVES

The aim of this project is to design and developed a computerized system for detection of library offence.

The following are the objectives of the project

1. To design a computerized system for detection of library offence.

2. To developed algorithm that will be used in implementing the design computerized system for detection of library offence that will help in registers of offence and sanction against offensive users.

3. To safely keep the list of offensive users.

To computerize the description of offence.

1.4 SCOPE OF LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

This project cover the designing of a system that collect information of a library user borrower at his first entrance (these information include name, Department, course, home Address and the borrowing duration of materials ) and it is limited to library users only.

1. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The present educational policy emphasize on self-study, experiments, field study and research rather than classroom study. Therefore, library has to play vital role in the higher education to meet user requirement. Hence the significance of this project:-

Is to play a vital role in the higher education to meet up with evolving trend of library user’s requirement.
It enhances optimum merit of automation functions & comparatively low cost in the use of computerized library facilities.
This also eases the automation of the library offences to ease the work of librarian, facilitate collection or more detailed data which can assist Liberians in proper management of library.

1.6 DEFINITION OF TERMS

1.6.1 LIBRARY

This is an institution which hold books and other forms of stored information for use by the public, it is usual but not a defining features of a library, for it to be housed in a building, to lend items of its collections to member either with payment or without payment and a provide various other services for its community of user.

1.6.2. COMPUTERIZED

Computerizes of library “housekeeping” operations is an important activity in this context. “Automation” when used in a library or similar environment, refers to the computerized or mechanization of activities in the library.

1.6.3. OFFENCE

In this context of library, it is the transgression or violation of the law or moral requirement of the library activities. Since libraries are institutions that provide services to the people, laws are established to regulate the established moral rules, users that violate these rules are said to have commit offence against the rule of the library.

1.6.4. PENALTY

A punishment for violation of the rule or an infraction of the daily or procedures.

1.6.5. LIBRARY STAFF

This is the general term used for individual attending to the daily activities of the library.

1.6.7. LIBRARY DATABAS

This is also the general term used for the database that runs the library systems.