RFID-Based Smart Library Book Tracking with Issue-Return Kiosk

An RFID-based smart library book tracking system with an issue-return kiosk replaces the handwritten register and the barcode queue at a library counter with a tap-and-go gate. The kiosk is a physical unit — an ESP32 controller, an MFRC522 RFID reader, a 16x2 LCD, a buzzer and a servo-driven barrier arm — at the library entrance, with a passive RFID tag inside each book and a member card per reader. In most college libraries, issue and return still depend on scanning one barcode at a time or writing entries by hand, so queues build up, entries get skipped, and nobody knows whether a copy is on the shelf or with a student. Books are also carried out unrecorded when the counter is unattended. This project demonstrates a hardware answer: every book and member carries a unique tag identity, the kiosk reads it at once, and the transaction is written to a cloud log the librarian can check from anywhere.

A student walks up to the kiosk with a book and a member card. The student first taps the member card on the MFRC522 reader, which energises the passive tag at 13.56 MHz and reads its 4-byte UID; the ESP32 checks that UID against the registered member list. The student then taps the tagged book, and the reader returns its UID the same way. The ESP32 looks the book up in the Firebase record: available means issue, already out to the same member means return. The servo then lifts the barrier arm, the LCD shows the book title and due date, the buzzer sounds once, and the transaction — member, book, timestamp and direction — is written to the cloud log. An unknown card or book, or a book out to someone else, is refused with a double beep and a message on the LCD, and the arm stays down.

1. A passive MIFARE Classic 1K tag is stuck inside each book and a member card is issued to every reader, each carrying a unique 4-byte UID.
2. The student taps the member card on the MFRC522 reader; the reader energises the tag at 13.56 MHz and returns its UID to the ESP32 over SPI.
3. The ESP32 checks the member UID against the registered member list in Firebase and shows the member name on the 16x2 LCD.
4. The student taps the book; the ESP32 looks up the book UID and decides issue or return from its current status in the cloud record.
5. On a valid transaction the SG90 servo lifts the barrier arm, the LCD shows the book title and due date, and the buzzer sounds once.
6. The transaction is written to the Firebase Realtime Database with member, book, timestamp and direction; an invalid tap is refused with a double beep and the arm stays down.

Tech stack:

• ESP32
• MFRC522 RFID reader module
• MIFARE Classic 1K tags
• Arduino IDE
• Firebase Realtime Database
• SG90 servo motor
• 16x2 LCD with I2C
• C++ · ESP32 firmware

The kiosk is built around four capabilities that work together at the library gate. Tap-to-issue and tap-to-return let a student complete a transaction by holding a member card and then a book against the reader, with no typing and no barcode aiming. A servo-driven barrier arm opens only for a valid, recorded transaction, so a book cannot leave unlogged. A 16x2 LCD and buzzer give instant feedback — book title, due date, and a short beep for success or a double beep for an error — so the student never has to guess whether the tap registered. Every transaction is also written to a Firebase cloud log with member, book, timestamp and direction, giving the librarian a live issue-return record. Member-card authentication, a 14-day due-date calculation and an offline transaction queue round out the build.

• [Tap-to-issue and tap-to-return] The student taps a member card and then a book on the MFRC522 reader; the ESP32 records an issue if the book is on the shelf, or a return if it is already out, with no typing or barcode aiming.
• [Servo gate control] A small SG90 servo lifts a barrier arm only after a valid transaction is recorded, so a book cannot be carried past the kiosk without being logged.
• [LCD and buzzer feedback] The 16x2 LCD shows the book title, member name and due date after each tap, with a single beep for success and a double beep for an unknown tag or an invalid transaction.
• [Firebase cloud transaction log] Every issue and return is pushed over Wi-Fi to a Firebase Realtime Database record with member, book, timestamp and direction, so the librarian can check live stock from any browser.
• [Member-card authentication] Only cards registered in the Firebase member list can issue books; an unregistered card is rejected on the LCD with an error beep.
• [Due-date calculation] Each issue stamps a due date 14 days ahead (configurable in firmware), shown on the LCD at issue time and stored in the cloud log.
• [Offline transaction queue] If Wi-Fi drops, the ESP32 stores transactions in local memory and syncs them to Firebase automatically when the connection returns.

• Working kiosk prototype (ESP32, MFRC522 reader, servo gate, LCD, buzzer, tagged sample books and member cards)
• Complete ESP32 firmware source code with comments
• Circuit and wiring documentation with pin mapping
• Component list with part numbers used in the build
• Firebase setup guide for the member, book and transaction records
• Project report PDF (background, RFID theory, methodology, results)
• PPT presentation for final review
• Viva Q&A preparation document (RFID coupling, UID lookup, servo control, cloud logging)