[Publib] computer workshops non-attendees

[Emilie Smart]

We also allow folks to sign up only one hour before the class starts.  At our
branches they take reservations a day or so ahead, but they haven't had a lot of
trouble with people not showing up.  If they start having a lot of no-shows then
they will do what we do at Main.

We have an 8-seat lab and most of our classes are full, although we don't get as
many people these days as we used to.  I think this is because we've trained most of
our senior patrons -- we've been providing classes for about 6 years now.

We also offer most of our classes in the morning rather than in the afternoons or
evening.  That way we are using the lab during the slowest times and if people don't
show up it's not such a problem justifying having the lab closed.  We offer a
Saturday morning class twice a month and it is almost never full.  But we've had a
lot of requests for weekend classes, so we keep doing them.  Interestingly, the
people who want the classes on the weekends are the ones we never see in the class!

Emilie

-- 
Emilie Smart
Head of Reference Services
East Baton Rouge Parish Library
7711 Goodwood Blvd.
Baton Rouge, LA  70806

Phone:  225-231-3735
Fax:    225-231-3736

> Here in Hillsborough County Florida, we have a policy of signing people up for our
> classes up to an hour beforehand.  We do not pre-register before the day of the
> class.  This eliminates no-shows and the time spent calling all those people.  Only
> those who truly want to attend actually show up.  In my particular branch, we also
> have a 12 seat lab and we usually fill it for all of our classes.
>
>>>> "Elliott, Lynn" <lelliott at nwrls.com> 07/24/2008 10:18 AM >>>
> A question for the list...  how do you handle computer workshop
> registrations?
>
> We have a computer lab with 12 computers we use for computer workshops.
>
> We require pre-registration for the workshops,
>
> but lately we have had a rash of non-attendance which leaves numerous
> empty computers during the workshops.
>
> It becomes difficult to justify closing the lab to "public use" with
> only 5 computers in use during the workshops.
>
>
>
> My question, how do other libraries handle this problem?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Lynn Elliott, MLS
>
> Webmaster / Information Services
>
> 898 West 11th Street
>
> Panama City, FL 32401
>
> (850) 522-2104
>
> lelliott at nwrls.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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