A basic name-and-phone-number form is fine for a casual sign-up — but it doesn't protect you if a seat gets misused, a dispute comes up, or you simply need to confirm who's actually in your library. Verified identity information changes that.
Librify's custom registration forms (Mini/Pro) let you decide exactly what information every student must provide before joining.
What You Can Collect
- Aadhar number for identity verification
- Student photo upload, straight from the registration form
- Custom terms & conditions that students must accept
- Any additional field specific to how your library operates
Because this is still self-registration via QR code, students fill their own details — you're not doing extra manual work to collect richer, more trustworthy information. You just get a better-verified student base by default.
What to Collect, and Why
| Field | Why Owners Collect It |
|---|---|
| Aadhar Number | Confirms real identity, useful if a seat dispute or unpaid dues need to be traced back to a person |
| Student Photo | Lets staff visually confirm the person at a seat matches the registered member |
| Terms & Conditions Acceptance | Creates a documented agreement to library rules (timing, conduct, refund policy) at sign-up |
| Custom Fields | Owners collect whatever else is specific to their operation — emergency contact, preferred shift, referral source |
Who Needs Deeper Verification vs a Basic Form
Coaching Centers & Larger Libraries
Higher student turnover and more valuable equipment/lockers make ID verification worth the extra field.
Small, Community-Based Reading Rooms
A basic name-and-phone form is often sufficient when the owner already knows most students personally.
Is It Legal to Collect Aadhar Numbers From Students?
Collecting an Aadhar number for library membership is legal, but it counts as personal data under India's DPDP Act, 2023, and should be handled with the same data-minimization principle the Act expects: collect it only when there's a real reason (identity verification for a paid, unsupervised seat), tell the student why it's being collected, and don't make it public or share it beyond what the library itself needs. A library should never publish or print a full Aadhar number on visible ID cards or receipts — the last 4 digits are enough for staff to visually confirm identity.
Should Aadhar Be Optional or Mandatory?
In Librify's custom registration form builder, every field — including Aadhar — can be set to optional or mandatory per library, because the right answer depends on the library's own risk profile, not a one-size-fits-all rule:
| Setting | Best For |
|---|---|
| Mandatory Aadhar | Coaching centers, 24-hour libraries, and libraries issuing locker keys or valuable equipment where identity disputes have real consequences |
| Optional Aadhar | Small community reading rooms where the owner personally knows most students and a phone number plus photo is already enough trust signal |
ID Verification vs Fee Collection: Two Separate Jobs
Aadhar collection and fee collection solve two different problems and shouldn't be confused. ID verification (Aadhar + photo) answers "is this really the person who registered?" — useful for seat disputes, lost-item claims, or handing over a locker key. Fee collection, tracked separately in Librify's subscription and payment modules, answers "has this student paid for their current shift?" A library can run strict fee tracking with zero ID verification (common in small reading rooms), or the reverse is rarely useful alone — most coaching centers and larger libraries end up using both together for a complete, disputable-proof record per student.
How the Approval Step Fits In
A student filling in a custom registration form — Aadhar, photo, and any additional fields — doesn't automatically become a member the moment they submit it. The form goes into a pending queue on the owner or admin's dashboard, where the details (including the uploaded photo) can be checked before approval. This matters specifically because it closes a gap that pure self-service QR registration alone would leave open: a student could otherwise scan a code and claim a seat without anyone at the library actually verifying who they are. Requiring Aadhar plus a manual approval step means identity verification and seat allocation happen together, not as an afterthought after a dispute has already occurred.
This same approval workflow is what makes optional fields safe to leave optional: a library that doesn't require Aadhar can still rely on the owner personally reviewing each new registration's name, phone number, and photo before approving it, which is often sufficient verification for a small, community-based reading room. For a walkthrough of the underlying self-registration flow this builds on, see the guide on QR self-registration for libraries.
Set Up a Verified Registration Form
Collect exactly the fields your library needs — no extra paperwork.
Try Librify Free →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make Aadhar mandatory for registration?
Can students upload a photo during registration?
Is the basic registration form free?
Does every library need Aadhar verification?
Can I add fields beyond Aadhar and photo?
Related Guides
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