EvolvePlus Blog

Public libraries offer a wealth of resources, and public access computers are a vital part of the mix. We are often asked whether we provide a Public PC Booking system for Spydus or a PC Booking Management system for SirsiDynix.

Our BookingsPlus PC Management & Resource Bookings solution integrates with Spydus, SirsiDynix, Aurora, OCLC, Libero, Koha, and other library management systems. 

The integration enables patrons to seamlessly authenticate their PC Booking session using their library card credentials. BookingsPlus authenticates the patron to the library system using Web Services or SIP2, depending on the capability of the LMS. 

We've recently introduced an enhancement within the BookingsPlus Resource Bookings module to set different rates when booking a facility.

For example: when booking a community facility a Council may charge a standard rate for commercial & standard customers/patrons and a different community rate for community groups and not-for-profit organisations.

In the latest version of BookingsPlus version 18, you can configure this for each resource or facility within the "Content Management" administration module.

The September 2021 release of the BookingsPlus PC & Resource Booking and Print Management solution has completed the initial beta testing and is now available for general release.

There are three key highlights for this release:

• Improve display for the PC Booking Schedule for staff to easily scroll across PCs (if there are a high number of PCs that can be booked at the branch)
• Automatic printing of booking slips
• Emails can be sent using the organisation's own SMTP server - so that the "sender" of the email can be the organisation's own email address

For more information on the cloud delivered BookingsPlus solution, you can visit the dedicated BookingsPlus website at bookingsplus.com.au or contact EvolvePlus to discuss how we can assist your library service.

For public libraries considering implementing a new PC Bookings solution with Print & Copy Management, we've published a new solution overview video. 

The video provides a brief introduction to the BookingsPlus cloud delivered solution and shows at a glance some of the features including PC reservations, PC session control, print and copy management, patron walk-up PC bookings, room bookings, event bookings and more.

There are several settings available within BookingsPlus to assist libraries to maintain social distancing for Patrons using Internet PC Bookings and Print Management.

These include:

Use the Out of Order feature to disable PC reservations and usage on specific PCs (e.g. every 2nd PC) to ensure Patrons  on every 2nd PC to ensure social distancing is maintained between each PC. 

The BookingsPlus PC Bookings client for Windows provides automated session control to ensure user sessions end on time, every time. Patrons login to their sessions using their library barcode and/or pin code, and once authenticated, patrons can view your acceptable use policy, which they must agree to comply with, before they can begin their sessions.

With BookingsPlus delivered as a Cloud PC Booking solution for libraries, you can customise the styling and branding of the PC Bookings client centrally without having to install any files individually on the library Public PCs.

Tip: display your logo on the login screen

To apply your library's logo to the welcome screen simply upload your logo via our EvolvePlus Support portal or email our helpdesk and we'll apply this to your BookingsPlus instance for you.

November 2019 is the inaugural exhibition of our Wireless People Counter solutions in New Zealand. EvolvePlus is delighted to support the ALGIM (Association of Local Government Information Management) at their annual conference being held from 4 to 6 November 2019 at TSB Arena Wellington.

EvolvePlus offers an extensive range of people traffic counting solutions that deliver unparalleled accuracy and reliability. Our people counting systems solve a variety of traffic monitoring challenges for all types of environments including council buildings, libraries, public toilets, footpaths and leisure centres, with models available for both indoor and outdoor use.

Whether you are trying to measure traffic to support project funding, optimise labour, determine usage, view occupancy or increase conversion ratios, the IMMOTION platform for Smart Cities offers a range of Internet of things (IoT) sensors to collect data and provides the ability to analyse the data to manage infrastructure and resources efficiently using data technologies such as NB-IoT, LoRaWAN, 3G/4G and Ethernet.

EvolvePlus is pleased to announce the launch of BookingsPlus version 16 - which features the seamless integration of the cloud delivered BookingsPlus PC Bookings module with Papercut Print & Copy Management

Highlights of this release include:

Seamless Integration with Papercut MF

EvolvePlus has released a new solution for Public Libraries in Australia - the HoneyLibrary integrated Print/Copy/Scan Management, PC Reservations and PC Control solution. 

 HoneyLibrary features the HoneyCube Print/Copy Management Column - a stylish print management column that controls local printers and multifunction devices (MFD) using an RFID or barcode scanner with integrated payment control and/or authentication. 

The HoneyCube will provide:

Using the BookingsPlus Online Payment Gateway you can offer your customers the convenience of paying their deposit or the full fee using Visa, MasterCard or American Express for Events, Room Bookings, Resource Bookings and Facility Bookings.

The Online Payment Gateway is available with BookingsPlus version 15 that is being released to customers over the coming months, and it provides a secure and easy way to accept payments. We’ve partnered with Stripe, one of the leading vendors for processing online payments, to enable online payments for Events, Room, Resource and Facility Bookings.

Another key highlight in BookingsPlus version 15 is the new booking price calculation setting, enabling you to configure the deposit, hourly rate and fixed rate. With this new setting, the price for bookings created by customers using the Self-Service Web Portal will be automated calculated and provide a link for online payment.

We are pleased to announce the availability of the Print Management and Self Service Kiosk capability for the BookingsPlus PC Booking solution for libraries.

Using BookingsPlus PC Bookings it’s easy for library members, guests and staff to easily reserve public access PCs and view availability. 

The new Print Management module and associated Self Service Kiosks makes it easy to manage printing and recover costs from members and guests printing from public workstations. It is designed to check and manage the usage of your print equipment, whether they are printers (network and local) or multifunction devices (MFD). 

We've been busy collaborating with our customers to develop new features and enhancements to BookingsPlus - our cloud based bookings platform for rooms, events, public access PCs, game consoles and more.

Some of the latest enhancements include:

Room Bookings - Recurrent Bookings in Public View

Glen Innes Severn Library is using Brushtail Library Web Application to manage the public pc’s bookings. Patron authentication is handled directly through the Libero LMS powerful Web services API eliminating the need to purchase expensive SIP2 licenses. The Brushtail/Libero API integration offers unparalleled speed when authenticating a patron ID compared to SIP2 and other authentication methods.

The low set-up/on-going cost of the Open-Source Brushtail Library Web Application enables smaller public libraries to have a PC booking system, event bookings, room bookings, reference query tracking for a much cheaper price than comparable proprietary products.

The Berri Library (SA) is now using Brushtail to manage their pc bookings. Patron authentication is handled directly through the One Card Network operated by SirsiDynix LMS Web services API. The Brushtail/SirsiDynix API integration offers unparalleled speed when authenticating a patron ID compared to SIP2 and other authentication methods.

The Brushtail Library Services Platform is a next-generation Open-Source application that allows your library to do more less:

- less hardware.
- less maintenance.
- less cost.

Brushtail is fully hosted and runs from your browser, so you can work from any computer with an Internet connection. The public PC's are connected and controlled by Brushtail via a unique ID & Password setting. The set-up costs are very minimal and the expert hosting, support and maintenance supplied by EvolvePlus is very low compared to other commercial pc management systems.

Click here for more information

The release of Brushtail Version 11 includes SIP2 integration providing an opportunity for Libraries and other organisations to only allow authenticated patrons/customers to make self-service Room, Event and PC Bookings.

The Booking Software front-end is easy and intuitive for your patrons/clients to use and book, and you still have all the functionality in the back-end to manage the bookings.

As our Booking Software can replace two or more systems typically used for event and resource bookings, it eliminates the need for staff to bounce between different platforms.

Elements of the suite include:

• Room/Area booking management and reporting
• Event listing, booking and management
• Public access PC booking management
• Console games listing, booking and management