George KhayatSoftware Engineer
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GK-004 · Academic · Desktop · Database

Library ManagementSystem

Cataloguing, borrowing and member records

A Java desktop application integrating the Google Books API for cataloguing, borrowing, inventory management and member records.

Year
2024
Status
Complete
Context
University project · American University of Science & Technology
Stack
Java · Java Swing · JDBC · MySQL · Google Books API
Recognition
2nd Place — AUST Expo
01

Problem

Manual tracking of library inventory and borrowing cycles led to lost books, overdue items that were never followed up, no reliable catalogue and no member accountability.

02

What was built

A Java + MySQL application with complete catalogue management, ISBN-style book lookup, borrowing and return workflows, overdue tracking with notifications, and member profiles.

03

System

lookupExternalGoogle Books APIClientJava Swing appEdge / APIJDBCDataMySQLProcessOverdue tracking
Hover or tab through the nodes to trace each pathway.
  1. Stage 01
    • Google Books APICatalogue lookup
  2. Stage 02
    • Java Swing appCatalogue, borrowing, returns, members
  3. Stage 03
    • JDBCDatabase access layer
  4. Stage 04
    • MySQLNormalized schema — books, members, loans
  5. Stage 05
    • Overdue trackingNotifications and reports
Catalogue source → desktop app → relational store → tracking
04

Technical decisions

  1. D01

    Catalogue from a real source

    Book data is pulled from the Google Books API instead of being typed in by hand.

  2. D02

    Normalized schema

    Books, members and loans are modelled relationally in MySQL and accessed through JDBC.

  3. D03

    Close the loop on loans

    Borrowing and returns feed overdue tracking, notifications and reports.

05

Outcome

  • 2nd Place at the AUST Expo, for efficient relational database design and practical desktop application development.