Students Can't Find Available Study Rooms in Real-Time

Posted by Tom | Jan. 25, 2026, 10:30 a.m.

Industry

Education

Pain Level

6 / 10

Affected People

My company (20+)

Job Role

Library Administrator

Frequency

Daily

Status

Unsolved

Takes

Contact

None Shared

Problem Description

Our library has 20 study rooms that students can book, but the booking system is a mess. Students book rooms but don't show up, or they show up without booking. There's no way to see in real-time which rooms are actually occupied. Students waste 15-20 minutes walking floor to floor looking for an empty room, especially during exam periods. This creates frustration and confrontations when someone is in a 'booked' room.

Current Workaround

Library staff do walks every hour to check room occupancy and update a whiteboard, but it's outdated within minutes.

Takes:

David Feb. 19, 2026, 8:41 a.m.

Exam season is brutal for this. You can have a booking, but the room is actually empty because the person never showed up. Then you feel guilty taking it because it is 'booked', so you keep walking around wasting time.

Pain: 6/10 Daily My company (20+)

Andrew Dec. 16, 2025, 1:29 a.m.

We also see arguments starting because one group thinks they have the room booked and another group is already inside. Without a real-time view, it turns into awkward confrontations and staff have to mediate far too often.

Pain: 5/10 Daily My company (20+)