The City of Edinburgh Council opens the doors of its libraries today for the first time since the December 2020 lock down.  The first 4 libraries will open today with the remainder opening at various times later this month.  All visitors to the libraries are required to book a slot in advance via an online booking form provided by Pentagull.  The booking form lets visitors choose a time that suits them with no risk of being turned away due to the libraries being too busy.

Libraries offer a range of services to residents including hearing aid battery replacement, issuing of travel cards as well as more traditional services like borrowing of books and use of personal computers. The flexibility of our booking system allows library staff to define the availability constraints for each service, ensuring that numbers of visitors are kept at safe levels throughout the day.  The flexibility of the system allows capacity to be easily modified as the service responds to constantly changing demands.

The booking system was first introduced last Autumn, and during its first 3 months of operation prior to the December lockdown it handled over 19,000 bookings.

In addition to the health and safety benefits of managing capacity, the system provides detailed usage information to library staff regarding the usage of their services, helping them to shape the future of their service provision to best match the needs of residents while at the same time maximising their available resources.

Pentagull’s online booking systems have handled more than 1.5 million bookings during the past year and provide unparalleled levels of flexibility and customisation while remaining cost-effective to implement and operate.

If you would like to speak to us about how our booking systems could help you, please e-mail hello@pentagull.co.uk.