I want to create a database for a book lending library
The lengthy discussion here offers a lot of decent advise for creating a database for a writer to keep track of their works. This is not the same as a lending library, however you should be able to learn enough from the content in that thread to get you started. The lending / borrowing component will be the additional part you will need to subsequently determine.
@charlyrodian - The advice of @oweng is excellent!
Additionally I recommend to consider the workflow.
This means, think about which data you need to enter when the book goes out and which data you need to enter/change when the book returns
Also think about what you will want/need to do when a book does not return in a defined time. Do you want the DB to raise and automated alarm and list outstanding books in a certain list? Which data do you need and how you want to use the data and how you want to contact the lender? First reminder, second reminder etc.
The best would be to make a workflow model but in this case a flow chart should be good enough when you note for every activity the data you want/need to enter/retrieve and what the result of every activity is.
@charlyrodian - if you want, you can look for an OpenSource Expert System. There should be a very good drawing tool attached to develop all the things you need to consider.
In addition to the excellent advice of @oweng and @ROSt53 it looks to me like the sample database that accompanies the LibreOffice Base Handbook (previoulsy noted by @oweng in an earlier Base Q&A) is the “lending” part of the library business, but without the book details part.
I might be wrong here, since the Handbook itself doesn’t seem to describe what the sample actually does – unless I missed it – which is a wee shame. But worth checking both the Handbook and the sample db in any case, I expect.
This is very good advice. The example in the Base Handbook is a CD (media) catalog with lending capability. The main structure is given in Figure 2 on p.35 and the next few pages offer further details. You are right though in that this is not spelled out up front, but rather the example is used as an exploratory learning tool.