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Systems Development Life Cycle in Practice:
From the Classroom to Mullen Library
Maria Koshute, Adam Day, Jennifer McDaniel, Sarah New and Bill Kules
Introduction
Implementing real-world experience in introductory and
upper level library and information science (LIS) courses
provides students with an opportunity to apply learned
concepts in a valuable way. For the past three semesters,
LIS students at the Catholic University of America have
applied a systems development life cycle to a real-life
information system by evaluating, proposing solutions,
and developing working web forms for the reference
statistics collection system at Catholic University's main
campus library.
Phase III: System design
Project Work:
• Created formative prototypes of web form in response to
client’s needs and usability testing results.
• Performed usability testing with prototypes
• Analyzed prototype using simulated eye tracking
• Incorporated both functionality and aesthetic
requirements into prototypes
Learning Objectives
 Employ systems analysis and human-computer
interaction frameworks to analyze the design and
operation of information systems in libraries or
information centers or on the web
 Create and debug dynamic web applications that accept
input from the user, extract data from a database, and
synthesize the results into dynamically generated HTML
pages
 Demonstrate basic skills in selected current technologies
(such as database management systems, HTML, wikis,
or blogs) to organize and disseminate information
Phase I: Problem definition and
investigation
Project work:
 Met with client to define problem and identify desired
capabilities
 Analyzed existing paper-based reference statistics
collection system
Phase IV: Implementation
Project work:
• Determined requirements for PHP-based dynamic web
form and corresponding MySQL database
• Created dynamic web form which stores information in
specially designed SQL database.
• Demonstrated working prototype to Mullen librarians and
class
Phase II: System analysis
Project Work:
 Determined initial system requirements
 Created an HTML web form prototype
 Evaluated response of reference librarians using the
form
Outcomes
• Library is preparing to implement system
• Students gained practical knowledge and experience with
Systems Development Life Cycle
• Refinements to project-based learning activities in LIS
technology courses