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Escondido library previews new public calendar and room-reservation system; staff propose 2-hour pod limits
Summary
Library staff demonstrated a mobile-friendly calendar and reservation platform that supports pods, meeting rooms, paid rentable spaces and event registration. Reno said pods will default to two-hour reservations and rooms will require a library card in good standing.
Library staff demonstrated a new public calendar and room-reservation system that the Escondido Public Library plans to publish before promoting the grand opening.
Director Reno showed trustees the calendar's color-coded program views, mobile-friendly layout, event sharing (email, Google Calendar, iCal) and social-share buttons. The system displays recurring events, supports event registration forms, and includes a separate flow for room reservations and a paid "quarantine" (rentable) room. Literacy pods will be managed directly by the literacy team, Reno said.
On reservation rules, Reno proposed starting with a two-hour-per-day-per-library-card limit for study pods, a setting he described as common in other library systems. He said reservations will require a library card number and that accounts with more than $100 in lost-or-damaged-item fees may not be in good standing for some reservations. "The standard is to allow 2 hours per day per library card," Reno said.
Trustees asked about minors and teen use of pods and whether the library should impose different rules for underage patrons; Reno said staff may return to the board for guidance if the team decides to create separate access rules for minors or for meeting rooms that include TVs and other equipment.
Reno described cancellation and check-in mechanics: confirmation emails will include a cancel link and staff can cancel reservations by phone; he noted some check-in features can be unreliable in practice and may require ongoing adjustments.
Reno said the calendar is hidden in the current environment and the team will swap links on the library website and promote the public URL via the newsletter and social channels when ready. Trustees suggested expanding sharing options (Instagram) and adding QR codes at meeting spaces to make reservations accessible to patrons who come to the desk.
No formal action on reservation policy was taken at the meeting; staff presented the system for trustee feedback and said policies will be refined as the tool goes live.
