Prepared by: Michael Alvin Antiporda Wimbelle Kaycee Encelan Vernie Liza Reyes Abdon Rodrigo Rodrigo Tamayo

INTRODUCTION

TRACE library system is similar to the regular

library system we used to know, which makes use of a library card where the information about the book being borrowed is being recorded. The usual library system involves too many tasks such as the surveillance of the in and out cycle of books, checking the availability of books and monitoring overdue returned books.

Radio Frequency Identification or RFID is a technology that uses communication through the use of radio waves to transfer data between a reader and an electronic tag attached to an object for the purpose of identification and tracking.

The designed project is primarily concerned on the improvement of TRACE library management system by the application of the RFID technology integrated with a database library system as well as maximizing the use of TRACE students identification cards.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

In general, the proposed project will focus on how to improve the library monitoring system of TRACE College.

Specifically, it sought solutions to the following problems: 1. The security system of TRACE library is insufficient enough to properly monitor the in and out cycle of the borrowed and returned books. 2. The current database of accessible books at TRACE library is not capable of determining the availability and non-availability of books to assist the borrowers of books. 3. Not all college students have access on borrowing books from the TRACE library because most of them do not have library cards. Not all college students have access on borrowing books from the TRACE library because most of them do not have library cards.

4. There are several tasks to be done inside the TRACE library and it is particularly inconvenient for the library attendant to handle all tasks effectively.
5.Locating books in the library is quite difficult for students who are not familiar with the sections of books in the library.

RESEARCH FRAMEWORKS

INPUT:

OUTPUT:

PROCESS:
List of Book IDs, List of Student Numbers, Date Borrowed/ Returned, User Name and Password for the Database. Book TAG Record the INPUTS at the Library Card
Reads and Register the TAG in the Database

Number of books borrowed, Number of times a student borrows from the library, Borrowers of Books

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The relevance of the designed project is that it will provide convenience to everyone arriving and leaving the working environment which is TRACE College library considering the benefits they can get from it. TRACE students and instructors, will experience convenience considerably for the faster transaction offered by the RFID technology. Moreover, the allotted time for checking the availability or non-availability of the reading material would be relatively shorter.

Hopefully, the project will eventually help and contribute to the management of TRACE with its advanced technology. Finally, this designed project will increase the knowledge of the proponents on the RFID technology and how it is being used in database management systems.

OBJECTIVES

The proponents aim in designing this project is to offer improvements in the TRACE library monitoring system with the use of the advanced Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology.

To provide a Radio Frequency Identification Antenna at the exit point of TRACE library for security to ensure that the in and out cycle of borrowed books are strictly monitored.. To offer assistance to determine the availability and non-availability of books much easier with a new database where the serial number of RFID tags attached to the books will be handled. To expand the usage of the TRACE students ID which contain an RFID tag that will act as a library card in the proposed system. To provide convenience by lessening the tasks to be done inside the library, such as the manual returning of books by the library attendant in its respective shelves, the checking of due and overdue borrowed books and also the availability and non-availability of books in a stack of library cards. To include a library map in the software where the sections of the bookshelves will be easily identified.

SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS

The proposed project will consist of the following:

The implementation of RFID cards and reader in the monitoring of books and library transactions of TRACE College. Surveillance bit inside the RFID card in each book for advance security. Maximum of 8 Engineering books with RFID cards as prototype.

A database where the students log-in and borrowed book records will be monitored. In addition, each time the student enters the library and log-in, a profile of each student will appear and show warnings if they still have unreturned books and overdue transactions.

It will be limited by the following conditions:

It does not cover those subjects that are not in the curriculum of the BS Computer Engineering students. The sample database only covers all the tentative list of graduating students information such as the Students Name, ID Number, Year and Course.

This RFID Antenna, which is also a RFID Card Reader, is similar to those alarm system which can be seen in shopping malls, however, only their function would be alike and not the actual external design of the antenna.
The readers can read cards only through a limited distance of 6cm because the RFID card types used as a prototype are passive. Also, the readers are only capable of reading cards with a 5-second time interval, reading under this time interval may cause the reader a possibility to malfunction especially when connected to the software program.

FOREIGN & LOCAL LITERATURE AND STUDIES

Kanade (2001)[1] states that using RFID tags in a RFID library management is easy and convenient; it saves time by automatizing the library keepers tasks and lessens or eliminates the readers waiting turns in a queue for borrowing and returning books. RFID tags can also assist in the location of books with the use of the RFID reader which identifies and locates the book.

This article by Kanade is very similar to the objectives of this research proposal, it presents the benefits that can be acquired through the use of RFID Technology such as advance security and lessening of inconvenient tasks. Moreover, the article demonstrates similarities on the significance of this project proposal, most especially its significance on the proper assistance of the students in the school library.

In a review on the Use of RFID Technology in Libraries: a New Approach to Circulation, Tracking, Inventorying, and Security of Library Materials, Shahid[2] concluded that an RFID System may be a comprehensive system that addresses both the security and materials tracking needs of a library. He also emphasizes that it is not a threat for staffs and if the best guidelines are followed rigorously in the library, it can speed up book borrowing and inventories and frees staffs to do more user-service tasks.

In this review, the proponents found that RFID in Libraries do not only provide advance security system and lessening of tasks in the library. RFID technology also speeds up transactions and inventorying and further monitor tracks of the cycle of the borrowed and returned reading materials.

In a review blog of TechPinas[4], the Land Transportation Office of the Philippines (LTO) implemented a project in using RFID tags as identification means for all private and public motor vehicles in the Philippines. In this blog the benefits of RFID is discussed and stated the following: Basically, Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is the use of a tag placed on or implanted into a living or non-living thing (cars, animals, humans, plants, etc.) for the purpose of its identification and/or tracking using radio waves. Because radio waves travel long distances without losing integrity, RFID tags can be read beyond the line of sight of the reader, up to several meters away.

The review above explains further the effectiveness and reliability of the Radio Frequency Identification Technology. As compared to bar coding, RFID is better used for systems involving distance factors. Moreover, since RFID is being used widely in various industries, the effectiveness of the technology assures its users that its functionality is quality-based.

RESEARCH DESIGN

This research proposal is designed to focus at the present condition of the research locale. The proponents have used the descriptive research method to produce a more accurate formulation of the problems to be solved. Specifically, the type of descriptive method used in this proposed project is descriptivestatus which is an approach to answer questions to real facts relating to existing conditions. It further stresses current conditions with the assumption that things will or may change.

RESEARCH LOCALE

This study will be conducted in TRACE College. It will require the perception of qualified respondents from the different College Department of TRACE.

RESEARCH METHOD RESEARCH LOCALE SAMPLING DESIGN RESEARCH INSTRUMENT DATA GATHERING PROCEDURES STATISTICALTREATMENT OF DATA METHOD ANALYSIS

 The proponents have used the descriptive research method to produce a more accurate formulation of the problems to be solved. Specifically, the type of descriptive method used in this proposed project is descriptive-status which is an approach to answer questions to real facts relating to existing conditions. It further stresses current conditions with the assumption that things will or may change.

This study was conducted in TRACE College. It requires the perception of qualified respondents from the different College Department of TRACE.

The samples of the study were fifty (50) respondents composed of college students from the different College Department of TRACE College enrolled during the school year 2011 2012. In the selection of the respondents, the proponents used the method of non-probability sampling which is the Quota Sampling. The sample size of the population is obtained using the Slovins formula: n = _____N_____ where: n = sample size 1 + Ne2 N = population size e = margin of error

The main instrument used in the study was a survey questionnaire made by the researchers, which consisted of ten (10) items about the perception or opinion of the respondents at TRACE College during the school year 2011 2012.

The questionnaires were distributed to the respondents on the 3rd week of March. It took the researchers only a day to retrieve or collect the questionnaire for the data needed in the study.

The data collected were classified, tabulated and coded for analysis using simple descriptive statistics such as frequency counts and percentage.

The percentage was computed by using this formula:

P = Fx 100 N Where: P = percentage F = frequency N = total number of respondents

Project Design

The main feature of the designed project is the Serial-to-USB connection of the modem or the RFID Card Reader to the database in the computer created using MS Access 2007 and programmed in Visual Basic.NET language.

In the assembly of the designed project the proponents modify the two Radio Frequency Identification Card Readers, the buzzer of the Card Readers are replaced with a bright red LED and 330 Ohm resistor, to eliminate the continuous beeping sound produced by the reader when reading data from the RFID Cards.

To connect the readers to a computer, an additional circuit must be attached to the circuit of the RFID Card Readers. This additional circuit is a USB-to-UART (Serial TTL) converter, which controls the transmission of the data or serial numbers in the card to the computer. Upon the completion of the circuits, the reader can now be connected in a database software programmed using Visual Basic.NET.

RESULTS DISCUSSION

Upon the completion of the designed project and based on the conducted survey, the proponents managed to acquire the following results: For the characteristics of the software program, the rating obtained from the cooperative respondents is Above Average for the General Appearance, Operation of Functions/Commands, and for the Overall User Satisfaction of the software program. While a rating of Average is acquired by the Ease of Use/Navigation and the Control and Connection of the Modem (RFID Card Readers). Meanwhile, the all of the characteristics presented for the whole system in the survey questionnaire obtained a rating of Above Average from the majority of the respondents. These characteristics are Functionality, Importance/Relevance of the System to the User, Performance, Reliability and Usability.

The design project entitled Application of Radio Frequency Identification Technology for the Trace College Library Management System was completed to provide convenience to both the Borrowers (Students) and to the Library Attendant/s. The proponents used their basic knowledge on Logic Circuits, Programming and researching skills to identify the proper connections of the RFID Card readers to the software that the proponents created using VB.net Language. The project aimed to produce the output of a Library Management System, through a well-thought of database to monitor the transactions at the school library. However, the proponents had a difficult time figuring the technique in making it possible. Nevertheless, the proponents managed to monitor the transactions at the library using the two RFID card readers; one for the inputs of Transactions and the other one for the Alarm System.

SUMMARY CONCLUSION RECOMMENDATION

The project was about the APPLICATION OF RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION TECHNOLOGY TO THE MONITORING OF BOOKS AND LIBRARY TRANSACTIONS IN TRACE COLLEGE FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR 2011-2012. Specifically, it sought the answer to the main problem of how to improve the monitoring of books and library transactions in TRACE College where Students and Library Attendants experience inconveniences. As an outcome of the project, the proponents managed to use two (2) RFID card readers that read the RFID tags for the books and for the students. One of the devices functions as an input and the other one is for the Alarm System. The proponents used MS Access 2007 to create the database for the list of the book references and for the Students data. The proponents connected the two RFID Card readers into a computer unit and created controls for each Library Transactions in the Library System. The interface for connecting the modem to the database is created using Visual Basic.NET language.

Due to the results of the project, the following conclusions are drawn: It is therefore concluded that the designed project answers the main problem sought by the proponents, which is the improvement of the monitoring of books and library transactions in TRACE College. The designed project provides solutions to the specific problems generated by the proponents through the application of the Radio Frequency Identification Technology to the surveillance of the in and out of books in the TRACE library.

Based on the results/findings and limitations of the study these recommendations are offered:

The design of the project can be further developed using Active RFID tag types for long distance card detection and for a better security system. The SMART Cards embedded in the TRACE Students Identification Cards are a good substitute for the Passive RFID tags used in the prototype; however another type of reader is necessary to read the data in the cards which is the SMART Card Reader. The software program can be further enhanced by polishing the report generation for overdue transactions and penalties.

THE END