Implementing An Online Book Requisition System: A Best Practice For Qualitative Library Services In Academic Libraries

124 International Journal of Advance and Applied Research www.ijaar.co.in ISSN – 2347-7075 Impact Factor – 8.141 Peer Reviewed Bi-Monthly Vol. 6 No. 39 September - October - 2025 Implementing An Online Book Requisition System: A Best Practice For Qualitative Library Services In Academic Libraries Mrs. Swati Kekhalekar1 & Mr. Vishwas Hase2 1Kasegaon Education Society’s Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Sakharale Affiliated to Shivaji University, Kolhapur. 2Librarian,Kasegao Education Society’s Rajarambapu Institute of Technology, Sakharale. Affiliated to Shivaji University, Kolhapur. Corresponding Author – Mrs. Swati Kekhalekar DOI - 10.5281/zenodo.17267586 Abstract: As per the Harrod’s Librarians Glossary definition of Collection Development as “The process of planning a stock acquisition programme not simply to cater for immediate needs but to build a coherent and reliable collection over a number of years, to meet the objectives of the services. In short collection development is essential for a every academic library to align its resources with the evolving academic programs, meet the information needs of students and faculty, and make sure the collection remains relevant and up to date. Collection development refers selection, acquisition and evaluation of the library collection. Acquisition process plays important role in collection building or development in any academic library. For purchasing of book library have to collect requisitions from faculty and staff and students. Traditional method of collecting requisitions is paper based process. In the digital era all work shifted in computer based or digital in all fields. Thus if paper based requisition process shifted in online process will become more efficient, user-friendly and useful to all the users of library and also saves libraries work and time. This paper focuses on effectiveness of Online Book Requisition System than the traditional paper based system. By implementing Online Book Requisition System, the system reduces time, enhance transparency and promots efficient allocation of library funds and foster better collaboration between academic department and library management. Keyword: Academic Libraries; Best Practices, Book Requisition, Library Services, Online Book Requisition System. Introduction: Book requisition is the process through which faculty, researchers, and students formally request specific books or resources for the library to purchase. It is a most important component of collection development in academic libraries to ensure the collection remains relevant, current, and user-focused. 1. Traditional Method: 1.1 Requisition Form Submission: Faculty or staff filled out a requisition form with book details (title, author, edition, publisher, etc.), with their sign. 1.2 Departmental Approval: On the faculties form departmental approval is mandatory. So the form is usually submitted to the Head of Department (HoD) for review and approval before being forwarded to the library. 1.3 Library Processing: The approved form is then handed over to the library, after that library have to work on that requisitions ie. preparing department IJAAR Vol. 6 No. 39 ISSN – 2347-7075 Mrs. Swati Kekhalekar & Mr. Vishwas Hase 125 wise list, ensuring no of copies of given title already available in the library, duplication, relevance etc. The librarian reviewed the requests and budget feasibility and then library can prepare final list putting in front of Library Committee for final approval. 1.4 Library Committee Approval: The Library Committee reviews the request and budget availability and approved the list for purchase. 1.5 Vendor Communication: After receiving approval from the library committee, library can place order to book suppliers via phone, letter, or fax. 1.6 Acquisition & Cataloguing: Once the book will receive, it will manually have recorded, accessioned, catalogued, and shelved for circulation. Need of Modernization: Academic libraries need modernization to meet the information needs. That way it is need for modernization in book requisition system also. Online Book Requisition System is a digital platform that allows students, faculty, and staff to request books for purchase by the library. Implementing such a system can enhance the quality of library services. Modernization allows library to grow from traditional into dynamic information centres. Objective: 1. To explore the benefits and impact of implementing Online Book Requisition System. 2. To identify best practice and guideline for adopting Online Book Requisition System. 3. To identify the technical and operational challenges in implementing an online book requisition system in academic libraries. Need For an Online Book Requisition System:  Time delay and paper work issue with physical form.  Communication gap between faculty and library may cause mistakes.  Required for faster communication between faculty, staff, students and library staff.  Increasing demand of digital access.  Improving efficiency and speed of work-paper based system is slow than online.  Allows faculty, students submit, track and manage request without physical visit to library.  Online system offers real time status updates.  Educational institutions moving towards paperless automated process, libraries this system can tuning with institutional digitization goal.  Helps in avoiding duplication, wastage etc.  Prioritizes requests based on urgency and demand. Description of The Online Book Requisition System: Platform Used: Online Book Requisition System may be used by various platforms like Google Forms, Library Portal, Integrated library management software’s, google sheets, learning management software’s, ERP systems or using dedicated software also. IJAAR Vol. 6 No. 39 ISSN – 2347-7075 Mrs. Swati Kekhalekar & Mr. Vishwas Hase 126 We Can See How It Works In Erp System Step-By Step:  Faculty have to logs in by using his login then he can go to tap Book Requisition System then he has to fill the requisition form he have to submit the form.  After that this requisition goes in Head of Department’s login, HOD reviews the request and can approve or reject request. After approving or rejecting the request, status is updated as approved or rejected. Librarians or Libraries can check updated status.  Librarian or library process on received requisitions, checks duplication, budget availability and put forward to Library Committee for final approval. Library can check rejected requests also. Library can manage reports as per their requirement. After approval from Library Committee library can place orders to vendors. Features:  User Friendly request submission.  Auto confirmation.  User can track the status of the request.  Request history.  Automated email or notification for check the status.  Search and reporting tool, librarian can search, filter or prepare report as per their request.  Reminder for pending approvals, easy to follow-up.  Secure data transmission and storage.  Availability of customization as per our need.  Enhancing Accessibility and Convenience – It allows 24*7 access for book recommendation, no need to come and submit requisition physically in library.  Reduces errors and delays caused by manual system.  Transparent process. Benefits as a Best Practice: 1. Speed and Efficiency:  It reduces paper work, delay as well as cost of paper.  Timing saving method.  Faster communication between faculty, student and library staff.  Requests are processed faster.  Library staff can track and prioritize purchase.  Transparent process for auditing and reporting.  Reduces paper and storage space also hence it is environmental friendly. 2. Transparency and Accountability:  Good recording keeping system, every record is stored in system with requester name, date and time stamp.  Easy to track previous requisitions also.  Admin can view, filter and sort requisitions as per their need.  Faculty or students can get notification about approval or rejection of their request.  Access control securityonly authorised person can approve of reject the request.  Easy to generate reports for audits or budget approvals.  We can customize this system as per requirement. IJAAR Vol. 6 No. 39 ISSN – 2347-7075 Mrs. Swati Kekhalekar & Mr. Vishwas Hase 127 3. User Convenience:  Faculty can submit requisitions from anywhere, anytime.  Enhancing accessibility and convenience – It allows 24*7 access for book recommendation, no need to come and submit requisitions physically in library.  Online forms are quick and easy to fill out, speeding up the requisition compared to manual paper requests.  Users can monitor the status of their requests and get alerts when their books are prepared. 4. Using Requisition Data for Strategic Collection Development:  The system can show trends: most requested subjects, departments with higher demand, etc.  Helps in making informed purchasing decisions based on actual demand.  Users get automatic updates on the status of their requests via email or SMS.  Allows analysis of requisition data for better decision-making about acquiring new books or retiring less popular ones.  Helps libraries or organizations manage book inventories efficiently by monitoring demand patterns.  Useful for tracking in most frequently recommended book.  Useful to recognize trends in user preferences by category, author, or subject.  Helping in planning book purchases and stocking decisions.  Beneficial in collection development also ie. which books is most requested or which rear demanded etc. Implementation at Rajarambapu Institute Of Technology Central Library: Figure 1Workflow of RIT Library Online Book Requisition System IJAAR Vol. 6 No. 39 ISSN – 2347-7075 Mrs. Swati Kekhalekar & Mr. Vishwas Hase 128 RIT Library become digitized in many terms of libraries routine work. From last 4 years we are shifted on ―Online Book Requisition System.‖ RIT Library is using Online Book Requisition System via ERP system. In the institutes ERP system we are customized Online Book Requisition System as per our requirement. Any user can fill the requisition while log in their login. Only they have to fill Title, Author, Publisher, edition, book required for which class etc. After submitting the form by faculty it comes into HOD’s login. HOD can approve or reject the books. After that all the list with approval or rejection library can check. Then library downloads this list are preparing for final approval from Library Committee by taking into consideration available budget. List approves from Library Committee and then library preparing purchase orders for vendors. Every year all faculty and some students are using this Online Book Requisition form library processed all the requisitions. Faculty and students are very happy for this online book requisition system. They had given positive feedback for implementing this system. Feedback such as-  Easy to submit book requests without having to visit the library physically.  Saves time and streamlines the requisition process.  Useful for tracking the status of requested books.  Provides clear communication on book availability and delivery timelines.  Quick notifications on approval or book availability. Figure 2Screenshot Book Requisition System at RIT Challenges and Solutions: Even though the Online Book Requisition System at RIT Library worked well, it wasn't easy to set up. Most of these problems, nevertheless, may be solved with specific solutions, as shown below: 1. Not enough digital literacy: This problem can be lessened by setting up structured orientation programs and IJAAR Vol. 6 No. 39 ISSN – 2347-7075 Mrs. Swati Kekhalekar & Mr. Vishwas Hase 129 hands-on training sessions for students and instructors. 2. Resistance from traditional users: To get people to adopt the system, awareness campaigns and demonstration drives can be set up to show how it can help. 3. Technical problems: Regular IT support and periodic data backups can help keep services running smoothly and reduce interruptions. 4. Problems with compatibility with some browsers or devices—these can be fixed with technological improvements, crossplatform testing, and help from IT. 5. Handling requests for exceptional or rare books—A separate feature or request tool can be made to make sure these requests are not missed. 6. Keeping track of and organizing nonbook materials—this problem can be solved by adding a "Remarks" or "Special Requests" field to the request form. The Online Book Requisition System can work better and keep users happy in the long run by finding these problems ahead of time and coming up with workable solutions to them. Future Enhancement: This study proposed the following areas for future improvement There is still room for improvement even though the RIT Library's current online book request system has greatly increased user satisfaction and efficiency. The following recommendations for future improvements are made in light of user feedback and current developments in digital library services: 1. To allow users to quickly re-request frequently needed titles, a wish list or favourite books feature can be added. 2. To help teachers and students choose the best edition, book reviews and ratings may be included. 3. To provide users with immediate support, a chatbot driven by AI can be put into place. 4. Users would be able to view the status of their requisitions directly through integration with the library catalogue. 5. To ensure timely updates, automated notifications can be generated for approvals or rejections. 6. To enable faster and more convenient access, a specific mobile application might be created. 7. For better usability and quicker retrieval, advanced search filters can be added. 8. To help new users navigate the system, step-by-step tutorials or guidance can be provided. 9. To improve book usage planning, the system can show estimated delivery or pickup times. 10. For quicker and more dependable communication, detailed and automated email/SMS notifications about status changes can be sent. By implementing these improvements, the Online Book Requisition System will become more technologically sound, interactive, and user-friendly. In addition to increasing faculty and student accessibility and transparency, these advancements will boost the general effectiveness of library operations in the digital sphere. Conclusion: Collecting book requisition from faculty and students is a crucial mechanism that helps academic libraries build a relevant, responsive, and high-impact collection. It IJAAR Vol. 6 No. 39 ISSN – 2347-7075 Mrs. Swati Kekhalekar & Mr. Vishwas Hase 130 ensures that limited resources are used wisely and that users have access to the materials they truly need. Online Book Requisition system is cost effective system, user friendly. Implementing this system, we can demonstrate significant improvements in requisition turnaround time and resource allocation accuracy, promoting a more responsive and well-equipped college library. This is very effective system to improving operational transparency and responsiveness in library acquisitions. This is very helpful Best Practice for all academic libraries. Every academic library will adopt this Online Book Requisition System. It will help in reducing time, cost. Also beneficial in accuracy, transparency and many more things. This is very effective Best Practice that we can show our various committees. References: 1. Khan, M. A., & Shah, A. (2018). Online Book Requisition System: A UserCentric Approach. 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