FAQs: How do I book a meeting room?

In this scenario, Sunfish Lake Public Library permits adult patrons to book meeting rooms for up to five days. The library has decided that no fees should be charged for booking a meeting room, but the library reserves the right to charge a cleanup fee if the room is not left in a tidy condition. The library has one meeting room, which has a built-in screen and tables. The room can seat up to 15 people. An adult patron wants to book the meeting room from 1:00pm to 4:00pm on February 25, 2008 for 12 people. The patron does not need any audio-visual equipment for the meeting. Library staff take the following steps to create, charge, and complete the booking.

Collect item and user information.

The library requires users to complete a form to request a booking for a meeting room. The form requires the patron’s name, the dates and times needed, how much seating is required, and whether any audio-visual equipment is needed. In this scenario, a patron is booking a meeting room for 12 people, and does not need any audio-visual equipment.

Check room availability.

The library staff uses the Display Item Bookings wizard to check the booking calendar for the meeting room (Room 107) that seats 15 people. The requested time and date are from 1:00pm to 4:00pm on February 25. 2008. The staff member types the room’s item ID in the Item Search window, and accepts the default calendar display options. The calendar shows that on February 25th, the room is available for booking.

Create a booking for the meeting room.

The library staff uses the Create Bookings wizard to create a booking that links the patron and the desired items. The patron requested a meeting room and seating for 12 people. Whenever the meeting room is booked, a set number of chairs are recommended so the staff member can type the number of chairs needed at the time he or she creates the booking. The staff member creates a group booking so all of the items can be later charged with one command.

Review the booking timelines.

Based on the information in the policies and the booking, the booking timelines for the two item types (Meeting and Chair) included in the booking are as follows.

Meeting Room

Event Date and Time
Start Time 2/25/2008, 13:00
End Time 2/25/2008, 16:00
Preparation Time 30 minutes
Cleanup Time 30 minutes
Ship Date Not Applicable
Actual Start 2/25/2008, 12:30
Actual End 2/25/2008, 16:30

Chairs

Retrieve materials for the meeting.

The library staff members have scheduled the List Bookings report to run daily so that when they arrive in the morning, a list of items needed that day is ready. The report was set up to select bookings based on a Date Needed with a sliding date of zero days before and zero days after the report run date. On February 25th when the report runs, the following list is produced.

Booking List

Produced February 25, 2008 at 6:45 AM

USER NAME USER ID BOOKED NEEDED #DAY LOCATION

MTGROOM107 copy: 1
Meeting Room 107
Niceguy, Nigel XXXX1000348841 2/4/2002 2/25/2008 3H STACKS

CHAIR copy:1
Conference Room Chair
Niceguy, Nigel XXXX1000348841 2/4/2002 2/25/2008 3H STORAGE

[11 other chairs]

Staff members can begin retrieving the chairs.

Charge materials for the meeting to the adult patron.

When the patron arrives to use the room, the staff member uses the Charge Booking wizard to charge the booked items. All 13 of the booked items (room and 12 chairs) may be charged in at one time since the staff member created a group booking with the Create Bookings wizard.

Distribute materials for the meeting.

In this scenario, none of the booked materials need to be shipped. Library staff have already assembled the needed materials in the meeting room.

Discharge booked items after the meeting.

When the patron has finished with the meeting room, library staff retrieve the chairs and perform any post use-processing. The staff inspects the room, and if no cleaning is necessary, the staff uses the Discharge Booking wizard to discharge all of the booked items from the patron.