Problem Statement

Overview

Design a command-line-based Library Management System that simulates the basic operations of a library for both users and administrators. It should manage books, user accounts, borrowing/returning of books, and enforce library rules like book limits per member.

Goals

• Allow members to search, borrow, and return books.
• Allow admins to manage the library’s inventory.
• Track book availability.
• Prevent double borrowing of a book.

Actors

• Admin
• Member

Suggested Classes

• Book: ID, title, author, genre, is_available
• User: username, role, user_id
• Member(User): borrowed_books (max 3 at a time)
• Admin(User): can add/remove books
• Library: manages collections of books and users

Features

• Admin:
  • Add a book with metadata
  • Remove a book by ID or title
  • List all books
• Member:
  • Register or login
  • View available books
  • Borrow a book (limit 3)
  • Return a book
• Library:
  • Handles storage, availability, and user-book mappings

OOP Concepts

• Inheritance: Admin and Member inherit from User
• Encapsulation: Book’s availability status and member’s borrow list
• Polymorphism: Different view_dashboard() method for Admin vs Member

Optional Extensions

• Track borrowing history (borrow date, return date)
• Due dates and overdue penalties
• Persistent data storage (JSON or SQLite)