Knowledge Base: Library Help

Video Overview

Watch this video for an overview of these topics. 

Accessing Envisionware for staff

Visit https://cloudnine.envisionware.ca and use the login credentials provided by your manager.

Along the left-hand column, you will see a box labelled "Staff", with three sections: "Guests", "Reservations", and "Analytics". You can generate guest passes in the "Guests" section, create reservations for library patrons with TRAC bar codes or patrons with guest passes in the "Reservations" section, and generate reports in the "Analytics" area. Managers can see a separate "Setup" area for configuring Envisionware. Note that a small white arrow at the top of this column makes it appear or disappear.

This article will cover the "Guests" and "Reservations" areas, as well as a few overall points about Envisionware. 

Key Points About Envisionware

Remind patrons to save their work before logging off, or before they get logged off by their time expiring or the library closing. 

• The computer will restart when a patron logs off. DeepFreeze is still on these computers, so this means that the computer will get wiped as it restarts. If patrons are working on files saved to the computer, please remind them to save their work to a thumb drive or to their emails before logging off, because otherwise they will lose their work! Once the computer has restarted, it is not possible to recover any files from their session. 
• Patrons have a set period of time on the computer when they log in - it may be 30 minutes or 1 hour, depending on the settings selected during set up. The time counter will always be present on the screen when they're logged in. They'll receive reminders when their time is almost up, with the option to extend time themselves. They can also approach staff to ask for more time, which you can provide through the Reservations area (see below for more details). The important point to communicate to patrons is to keep an eye on their time - because they will be logged out when the time expires, and the computer will reboot. 
• The computers will shut down when your library closes. Patrons will receive reminders about the library closing (e.g. when there is 10 minutes left). There is no way to extend their time past the end of your library's operating hours, and so they must save any work, etc, before that end time.

Generating Guest Passes

When you click on the "Guests" section, a second column will appear with your library's full name, and your library's code nested below it. For example, St. Paul staff would see "St. Paul Municipal Library" with "ASTP" below it. You may have to click on the full library name to see the library code. In order to generate guest passes, you'll have to click on the library code. 

You can select how many guest passes to generate at one time. Click "Generate" and a list will appear. You will see options for "Revoke", "Print", "Notes". Click on "Revoke" to delete the guest pass, and "Print" to get a printable guest pass. Note that, with the default settings, these passes are good for 1 day. 

Computer Reservations

Note that patrons can just walk up to a computer and login if it is available for use, so they don't have to come and book a reservation with you.

However, if the computers are busy and they want to book the next available slot, or if they want to book a time later in the day, or if they just feel like reserving one through you, this "Reservations" area is the place to go. You'll see 4 options: "New Reservation", "Block Reservation", "Group Status", and "Manage Existing Reservations". You can ignore "Block Reservation". "Group Status" gives you an overview of the status of the computers (e.g. if they're online, if they're reserved). 

The main areas to note are "New Reservation" and "Manage Existing Reservations". 

New Reservation

Clicking here takes you to the place to make a new reservation for a patron. Along the left-hand side of the screen, there is the "Make a Registration" tool. Along the right-hand side, you can see a list of existing reservations. Under the "Make a Registration" area, you can select either "Next Available", or "Calendar" at the top.

• "Next Available" will put the patron on the next available computer, based on parameters you put in (for example, you can enter a requested start time - if you leave this blank, they'll get immediately put on the next available computer).
• "Calendar" takes you to a view showing each of the public computers as a row, with the times throughout the day as columns. If the patron wants a specific computer, this is a good way to select it. Click on the desired time slot and computer to place the reservation. It is also a good way to see other reservations to see how long someone has been on a computer at a glance, and so forth. 

Both views work, so it is more a question of preference as well as what information you want to see. "Next Available" may be faster, but "Calendar" gives you more insight into the lay of the land. 

Manage Existing Reservations

This view shows a list of all reservations. At the right-hand side of each reservation, you'll see an "Actions" button. If the reservation is active, you can access actions such as logging the patron off the computer and sending them a message. You can also extend their time in this area. If the reservation is complete, you can access more details about the reservation here. Here are some more details about each possible action: 

• Extend Session: click here to extend the patron's time. Beside "Duration", put a number of minutes in the Adjust field to give them more time. 
• Edit: you probably won't use this option, it essentially provides the same screen as Extend Session
• Details: shows you all the information about the booking.
• Send Message: allows you to send a message that will appear on the patron's computer screen.
• Lock Session: will lock the patron's computer, displaying the message, "Locked by Staff". They'll need to speak with you to unlock it.
• Resume Session: unlocks the computer.
• End Session: click here to end the patron's session.

Questions?

Reach out to ask@nlls.ab.ca if you need any further support.