Based on the feedback from literally hundreds of librarians, and using the list on the preceding page, our team began to develop a comprehensive approach to solving the REAL needs of libraries....with a little help from the Mouse. The word queue means "a file or line, esp. of people waiting their turn." Family funlovers often see the word queue at Six Flags or other amusement parks. Disney, however, avoids the use of the word because it has negative connotation and emphasizes the concept of WAIT. But, the Magic Kingdom has queues. Many say that the most successful crowd control company in the world is The Disney Company. One of EnvisionWare's founders worked for Disney, the other goes there more than once per year. People wait in lines (queues) for hours and, like libraries, there are signs that predict the wait time. The management at Disney is VERY accurate in their predictions, and you can bet that the wait time is at least as long as the sign indicates.
But Disney 'solved' the wait problem for one kind of park-goer, the one that really values his or her wait time and would prefer to do something else while waiting - the Fast Pass. Fast Pass permits sign up for one attraction at a time. You obtain a Fast Pass, and then explore the world of Disney burgers, Disney dogs, er Hot Dogs, and other consumables and artifacts. At the assigned time, you return to the front of the line (queue) and without wasting time, you enter the attraction and enjoy the ride. Sometimes, you get a Fast Pass for Space Mountain, and then use the wait time for the Tea Cups (becuase nobody waits in line for an hour to ride the Cups).
Together with the inspiration of the world's leading authority in queue management, and a list of requirements from hundreds of librarians, EnvisionWare developers set out to create the solution, the one that is more widely used than any other product, PC Reservation®.
- Idle borrowers must wait around in chairs or stand near the desk until a computer is ready
- PC Reservation will have NO IDLE WAITING, and nothing unpredictable. The product will serve the diversity of library users by providing a system that manages resources for people who highly value their wait time, and equally serving those that would prefer to wait around and get an earlier use. Users will be free to leave the library and return at or before the assigned time, and log in for their use without being affected by the random behavior of others
- While waiting, users tend to be noisy and often look over user's shoulders in an attempt to stay busy
- PC Reservation users will not need to wait, there will be no clock watching, and no display to track. Some libraries will use a receipt printer to help users remember their reservation details, allowing freedom to roam the collection and check out the latest Harry Potter Book.
- People continually come back to the desk to ask how long before their turn.
- Every time we estimate the wait time, and the next user goes outside to get a cup of coffee, the PC user ends his or her session early, and I must call the next person on the list because the REAL next person stepped away. Boy, do I hear grief when he or she returns, because I gave away his or her computer.
- Not every computer user that comes to our library wants to use a PC for 60 minutes. Some people just want to check email, but we can't possibly manage that kind of randomness.
- PC Reservation will provide options. Everyone will receive the option to use a computer for the designated Area interval (i.e. 60 minute Internet area). Thus if the library policy is 60 minute use, the system will allocate the FIRST AVAILABLE 60-minute computer. The system will automatically create other options of shorter intervals, based on the fact that people have random behavior and some will inevitably leave before the end of their turn. (Statistics from 5,000 libraries indicate that the average use of 60-minute computers is 47 minutes.)
- Options will be provided when users sign up at a Reservation Station, so that a user will always receive the option for a full session and may also receive an option for a more immediate turn of less than 60 minutes.
- Options will be provided so that users assigned a 60-minute turn, may utilize a system that is currenly idle and available, by permitting an automated swap when the user sits at the empty PC and logs in with the library card number. The options will vary depending on policy.
- Our computer utilization isn't as high as we would like, because there is a lot of wasted time associated with finding the next person, shuffling priorities, and helping people understand the erratic behavior of our manual system.
- PC Reservation will be predictable, it will MAXIMIZE the user of computers (1,000 libraries that have converted from other automated queue systems. Many report an increase in total utilization of computers with PC Reservation.)
- We will eliminate the need for staff involvment, so that staff will only deal with special exceptions, and may focus more on public services.
- Shuffling will not exist, because the inherent unfairness of the process and the hassle of explaing it should be non-existant and managed more effectively so that users and staff do not face these kinds of aggravations.
- Our staff spends most of the day managing computers instead of helping people explore our resources,
- The system will provide everything from a hands-off model to one that gives staff enough flexibility to manage special needs and offer exceptional services where warranted.
- We have fights frequently, as people argue about who is really next, or why someone used more than an hour when our policy is one hour, or why going to the bathroom should cause me to lose my turn and wait another 20 minutes for the next computer.
- Users will not lose their turn because the system will be predictable. The experience will be so intuitive that borrowrs will clearly understand the system and appreciate the value it brings to library services.
- This list goes on and on, but what you see here is not as much a limitation of a manual system, as it is the inherent flaws of a queue (which is what a manual system really is.)
There is one final component that is important to review. The concept of FAIRNESS is often cited as the compelling reason for using a queue. Is it fair to:
Make a user waste time watching a screen for a turn?
Permit loss of a turn because a user trusted the system prediction which failed as a result of early sign off by another user?
Shuffle the list of people so that the person that left is moved to the top of a list of people that patiently waited?
Treat all users as though their usage patterns must be identical?
PC Reservation is a product committed to the concept of fair and equitable access to computer resources in your library. It is not arbitrary, it is understanding of varying needs, it does not require waiting and watching and it serves those that wait by offering choices for earlier use without breaking the commitment to those that left during a wait interval. It offers choices and freedom. The system grants extra time to anyone and everyone when resources are not needed for others (based on your policy settings). The system does not depend on the top of the hour or the bottom, but considers every number on a clock dial as equal. PC Reservation is fair to borrowers and staff because it is easy to understand, and requires little attention.
4,000 libraries moved from a manual (queue) system to PC Reservation. 1,000 libraries moved from competitive queue-based systems to PC Reservation. Who better to ask than our users, all of whom are listed for your easy access by clicking on the Customers Tab at the top of this page.
Thank you for considering EnvisionWare.
