From Problem to Product 🤔 : School Library Tracking System with Laravel v📚💻!

Solving the “Missing Books” Problem in School Libraries 📚💻

Libraries are supposed to be the most organized place in a school — but in reality, many are struggling with a surprisingly common problem: books go missing. Students forget to retur…


This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Kudzai Murimi

Solving the “Missing Books” Problem in School Libraries 📚💻

Libraries are supposed to be the most organized place in a school — but in reality, many are struggling with a surprisingly common problem: books go missing. Students forget to return them, and there’s no proper way to track anything.

A few weeks ago, I visited a school library and saw this firsthand. The librarian had no digital record, no borrowing history, and no clear way to know who had which book. Some books had been missing for months.

That moment made me think:

“What if I build a simple system that solves this real-world problem?”

So I started building a School Library Tracking System using Laravel, PHP, and MySQL — a clean, modern, and easy-to-use web app that helps schools keep every book accounted for.

Why I Built This 🎯

Visiting that library made the problem clear:

  • No system
  • No record of who borrowed which book
  • No return dates
  • No reminders
  • Books disappearing every term

Instead of complaining, I decided to turn this problem into a real project.

What the System Does 🧠

  1. Track all books
  • Title
  • Author
  • Category
  • Quantity
  1. Record who borrowed the book
  • Student name
  • Contact information

  • Borrowing & returning flow

  • Date borrowed

  • Due date

  • Status (Borrowed, Returned, Overdue)

  1. Automatic reminders

Scheduler flags overdue books:

“Kudzai did not return the book — The Black Owl”

  1. Reports

List of overdue books

Missing books

Borrow history

Tech Stack 🛠️

Backend: Laravel 11, PHP

Database: MySQL, Eloquent ORM

Frontend: Blade + Tailwind CSS

Scheduler: Cron Jobs for reminders

Database Overview đź“‚

Books Table: id, title, author, category, quantity
Borrowers Table: id, name, email
Borrow Records Table: borrower_id, book_id, date_borrowed, due_date, return_date, status

Current Progress 🏗️

Books Module âś…

Borrowers Module âś…

Borrow/Return System âś…

Overdue Flagging âś…

Reminder Messages âś…

Next steps:

  • Email alerts
  • Admin dashboard
  • QR code scanning
  • Mobile-friendly layout

Sneak Peek đź‘€

I’m building this publicly and would love your input.

What’s the most useful feature for a school library?

  • Email reminders?
  • SMS alerts?
  • QR code check-in?
  • Teacher borrowing limits?

Drop your ideas in the comments! 👇

This project is more than just code — it’s a solution schools actually need. I’ll continue sharing updates as I build.

If you want to follow the journey, leave a ❤️ or a 🦄 on this post!


This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Kudzai Murimi


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APA

Kudzai Murimi | Sciencx (2025-11-16T11:11:35+00:00) From Problem to Product 🤔 : School Library Tracking System with Laravel v📚💻!. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/11/16/from-problem-to-product-%f0%9f%a4%94-school-library-tracking-system-with-laravel-v%f0%9f%93%9a%f0%9f%92%bb/

MLA
" » From Problem to Product 🤔 : School Library Tracking System with Laravel vđź“šđź’»!." Kudzai Murimi | Sciencx - Sunday November 16, 2025, https://www.scien.cx/2025/11/16/from-problem-to-product-%f0%9f%a4%94-school-library-tracking-system-with-laravel-v%f0%9f%93%9a%f0%9f%92%bb/
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Kudzai Murimi | Sciencx Sunday November 16, 2025 » From Problem to Product 🤔 : School Library Tracking System with Laravel vđź“šđź’»!., viewed ,<https://www.scien.cx/2025/11/16/from-problem-to-product-%f0%9f%a4%94-school-library-tracking-system-with-laravel-v%f0%9f%93%9a%f0%9f%92%bb/>
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Kudzai Murimi | Sciencx - » From Problem to Product 🤔 : School Library Tracking System with Laravel vđź“šđź’»!. [Internet]. [Accessed ]. Available from: https://www.scien.cx/2025/11/16/from-problem-to-product-%f0%9f%a4%94-school-library-tracking-system-with-laravel-v%f0%9f%93%9a%f0%9f%92%bb/
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" » From Problem to Product 🤔 : School Library Tracking System with Laravel vđź“šđź’»!." Kudzai Murimi | Sciencx - Accessed . https://www.scien.cx/2025/11/16/from-problem-to-product-%f0%9f%a4%94-school-library-tracking-system-with-laravel-v%f0%9f%93%9a%f0%9f%92%bb/
IEEE
" » From Problem to Product 🤔 : School Library Tracking System with Laravel vđź“šđź’»!." Kudzai Murimi | Sciencx [Online]. Available: https://www.scien.cx/2025/11/16/from-problem-to-product-%f0%9f%a4%94-school-library-tracking-system-with-laravel-v%f0%9f%93%9a%f0%9f%92%bb/. [Accessed: ]
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» From Problem to Product 🤔 : School Library Tracking System with Laravel vđź“šđź’»! | Kudzai Murimi | Sciencx | https://www.scien.cx/2025/11/16/from-problem-to-product-%f0%9f%a4%94-school-library-tracking-system-with-laravel-v%f0%9f%93%9a%f0%9f%92%bb/ |

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