A university library in Bavaria seizes the hour of digitization! With 'anny' it has introduced a booking management solution that not only makes it possible to open the premises during the pandemic, but also means long-term improvements. Hardly any other university library makes such use of digital info on occupancy rates and capacities as the one at the University of Passau.
The beginning of 2020 - the world is turning upside down and the postponed start of the semester only vaguely announces what the following months will bring for life at the university. The University Library of the University of Passau is one of the hubs of the university universe. The pandemic also forces the library to adopt new regulations and to break with its "open culture.
"As a university library, our mission and self-image is to make knowledge and information available to the public. This includes not only free access to books and media, but also the use of our five reading rooms as a learning space with as little hassle as possible." - Dr. Steffen Wawra, Senior Library Director
With the Corona pandemic, the library faces new challenges, as around 1,300 students visit the reading rooms at the same time during exam periods. These streams of visitors had to be reduced and channeled in terms of time and space, explains Michael Lemke (Head of Usage). In the face of adversity, Passau University Library recognized the opportunities offered by digitization and sought a stable, legally compliant and intuitive digital booking solution.
In order to accelerate the implementation and relieve the in-house data centers, an external solution was sought ˗ Outsourcing as the optimal cost-benefit balance. The foundation stone for the partnership between the Passau University Library and the booking management solution anny was laid.
Agile platform development through field testing
In addition to basic functions, the requirements for the booking system were GDPD-compliant data collection and deletion as well as secure authentication. For the first time, hand-held scanners are used for ticket checking and check-in. Initial difficulties were efficiently improved thanks to the practical tests in Passau. Agile platform development created a win-win situation between both partners.
Rapid response to changes in infection patterns
In the meantime, all five of the library's reading rooms were listed online. In those weeks when the library was open under restrictions, it counted about 600 booked seats per day. In the first two months, over 15,000 bookings were received, indicating the great acceptance among students and colleagues.
"Above all, the possibility of individual place selection is very well received by the students. We as employees did not have to adapt to any system; on the contrary, we were able to shape the system according to our needs. I personally found the operation intuitive and easy." - Bettina Himpsl, Usage
Moment? "Goods" listed? Strictly speaking, they still are, but the library is able to react quite quickly to changes in infection and currently only posts the "Circulation and Returns" on its anny-page live. With regard to future opening scenarios, however, a well-tested system will again be necessary, as another increase in workload can be expected, especially during exam periods.
Joint development instead of pure contract work
The common understanding that optimal solutions can only be achieved with input from both sides also makes the partnership for anny very valuable. Last but not least, the initial idea for the anny- dashboard and anonymization of data was seeded during a brainstorming meeting between the library and anny seeded.
On working with us, Dr. Thomas Nachreiner (project coordinator) says:
"Fast and uncomplicated said: Very uncomplicated and fast. Also: creative. With such comprehensive projects, with a multitude of new processes and under time pressure, obstacles arise and you always discover new requirements that you could not have anticipated in this way - for example, that the QR scanners used would collide with our virtualization environment or how inventive our users would be in tricking the email validation. For these and all other questions, the anny-team was always available and worked quickly to find tailored solutions."
Is the wave of digitization continuing or ebbing?
Now, one might think that all this is only relevant during a pandemic. Won't the "culture of origin" be restored after Corona? We from anny and also the Passau University Library think so: Anyone who believes that digitization will experience a stop or even a reset in the future is mistaken.
Experience has shown that active use has brought up scenarios that were not thought of before, and library operations may well be improved with a digital booking system such as anny can be improved.
Passau can therefore imagine continuing to offer the booking of learning space allotments or group study rooms even after the pandemic restrictions: After all, it has been shown that a flexible, user-friendly booking system does not harm the open library culture and that users even appreciate it as a comfort gain during their learning stays.
