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University Library Application
A library application that gives a university's students, faculty and librarians one place to find, borrow and manage materials.
Business goals
The client is a university whose students and faculty rely on the library for coursework, research and study. Finding out whether a title is on the shelf should not require a trip across campus or a question at the desk. Librarians also need an orderly record of what is held, who has it and when it is due. The client needed an application that served both sides of the circulation desk.
Project overview
Hexagon delivered a library application covering the patron side and the staff side of daily library work. Students and faculty search the catalog, check availability, place holds and review their own loans. Librarians add and update records, check items in and out, and follow overdue materials. Both groups work from the same data, so a returned book shows as available to the next reader without a separate update.
Challenges faced and solved
An academic library runs on accurate records, and every term brings a new wave of readers who need them.
Knowing what is actually available
A student with a paper due needs to know whether a title is on the shelf or out on loan. Without live availability, they walk over to the building and often leave empty-handed.
We tied catalog search to circulation records, so each result shows whether the copy is available, checked out or waiting on the hold shelf.
Busy periods at the circulation desk
Midterms and finals send readers to the desk at the same time. When staff answer every renewal and due date question by hand, lines grow and shelving falls behind.
We gave patrons their own account view for loans, due dates and renewals, which leaves staff free for the questions that need a librarian.
Materials that don't come back
Overdue books mean the next student can't get a required text. Following up by hand across a whole campus is slow, and items can quietly go missing for a full term.
We built overdue tracking into circulation, with due date reminders and staff lists showing which items are late and who holds them.
Keeping catalog records clean
New acquisitions, extra copies and withdrawn titles change the collection all year. Scattered records leave readers chasing books the library no longer owns and staff unsure about holdings.
We built one place for staff to add, edit and withdraw records, with each physical copy tracked under its title.
Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Students and faculty | |
| 1. Catalog Search | Readers search by title, author, subject or keyword and narrow the results until they find the right work. |
| 2. Availability Status | Every result shows whether a copy can be borrowed now, which saves a wasted trip to the stacks. |
| 3. Shelf Location | Records show the call number and location, so a reader can walk straight to the right section. |
| 4. Holds | A reader can reserve a title that is out on loan and take the next place in line for it. |
| 5. My Account | Each patron sees current loans, due dates and open holds after signing in. |
| 6. Online Renewals | Eligible loans can be renewed from the account page, without a visit or a phone call to the desk. |
| 7. Due Date Reminders | Notices go out before and after a due date, which keeps books moving back to the next reader. |
| Circulation staff | |
| 8. Check-Out and Check-In | Staff record loans and returns at the desk, and the catalog status updates right away. |
| 9. Patron Records | Staff look up a borrower's loans, holds and standing when answering a question or resolving a dispute. |
| 10. Hold Queue | Returned items that someone is waiting for are flagged, so they go to the hold shelf and not back to the stacks. |
| 11. Overdue Lists | Staff see which items are late and who holds them, which gives follow-up a clear starting point. |
| Library administrators | |
| 12. Catalog Management | Staff add new titles, correct records and withdraw old material from a single set of screens. |
| 13. Copy Tracking | Each physical copy has its own record, so three copies of a required text are tracked separately. |
| 14. Borrowing Rules | Loan periods and renewal limits can differ by patron type, such as undergraduates and faculty. |
| 15. User Roles | Patrons, desk staff and administrators each see only the functions their role calls for. |
| 16. Circulation Reports | Librarians can review borrowing activity and overdue items when planning purchases and staffing. |
How the platform is put together
Each layer has one job.
The result
The client's readers can check availability and manage their own loans from anywhere with a browser. Librarians work from one shared record of the collection.
| Area | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Checking availability | Readers had to visit or ask at the desk | Live status shown on every search result |
| Renewals | Handled by desk staff one request at a time | Patrons renew eligible loans from their account |
| Overdue items | Follow-up depended on manual checks | Reminders and staff lists generated from loan records |
| Catalog upkeep | Holdings changes tracked in scattered records | A shared record for titles and individual copies |
How we took it from idea to launch
Good software follows a process. Here are the six stages, and what happens in each one.
Discovery & Requirements
Goal: Define the product vision, target audience and core business requirements.
Key activities- Stakeholder interviews
- Market and competitor research
- Defining user personas
- Drafting technical specifications or a Product Requirements Document (PRD)
Design (UX / UI)
Goal: Create an intuitive user experience and visual interface.
Key activities- UX design: information architecture, user flows and wireframes
- UI design: high-fidelity mockups and interactive prototypes in Figma or similar tools
- Design system: colors, typography and component libraries
Development: Frontend & Backend
Goal: Build the functional application using agile sprints.
Key activities- Backend: set up databases, design APIs (REST, GraphQL), implement server logic, and configure authentication and authorization (OAuth, RBAC)
- Frontend: build responsive interfaces and connect components to backend APIs
- Version control: manage code through Git and GitHub
Security & Optimization
Goal: Harden the application against vulnerabilities and boost performance.
Key activities- Security: address the OWASP Top 10, including injection, XSS and CSRF, enforce encryption in transit and at rest, and implement rate limiting
- Optimization: code splitting and lazy loading, database indexing, API caching and load testing
- QA and testing: unit, integration and end-to-end tests
Beta Release
Goal: Deploy to a controlled group of real users to catch edge-case bugs and gather feedback.
Key activities- Set up staging and production CI/CD pipelines
- Launch a closed or open beta with real users
- Monitor errors through observability tools
Public Release (Launch)
Goal: Roll the software out to the general public.
Key activities- Final production deployment
- DNS configuration
- Marketing and onboarding rollout
- Post-launch performance and security monitoring
Business benefits
Students know a title is available before they cross campus.
Routine renewal and due date questions move to self-service.
Reminders and holds get popular texts to the next reader sooner.
Staff and readers both see the same record of each copy.
Conclusion
A university library serves people on tight deadlines, and a wrong shelf status can cost a student an afternoon. Hexagon gave the client an application where readers find and manage what they need, and where librarians keep the collection and its loans in order. Everyone works from the same records, whether at the desk or on a laptop in a dorm. If your school or campus library still relies on manual lookups and paper lists, we'd be glad to talk about what would help.
Talk to us about your projectRelated services: learning management systems · custom software development
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