LabArchives Scheduler members reserve Resources, which may include lab equipment—such as microscopes or spectrometers—as well as everyday items like projectors or conference rooms. Through the Resources page, resources are added to the Scheduler Organization along with settings that control it's reservation duration, capacity, permissions, and access. This includes allowing concurrent reservations and requiring check-in/check out of the reservation when booking the resource.
Before members can begin making reservations, Application Admins or Resource Admins will need to add Resources to the Scheduler Organization. Application Admins will access the Resources Page under the Application Management menu while Resource Admins will access the Resource page through the Responsibilities menu.
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Adding a New Resource
From the Resources page, select the triple-dot menu and Add Resource. If your Scheduler Organization is new, this page will be empty until you add new Resources. Once Resources are available, they will appear listed on this page where their settings can be adjusted at any time. See the section on Bulk Resource Updates to learn how to add and update multiple Resources at one time.
After selecting Add Resource, the Add New Resource page opens and is where you will add the first level details about the Resource. After this page is completed, you'll have the option to add additional settings.
Name: Required and is used to clearly identify the Resource for booking.
Schedule: Resources must be tied to a Schedule which determines when can be reserved. Any Schedules that have been created and are a part of the Organization can be selected. See Create and Manage Schedules to learn more.
Resource Permissions: Select whether or not Permission is automatically granted to book the Resource. If the option is chosen NOT to grant permission automatically, then Organization members cannot see the Resource and therefore cannot make a reservation.
Resource Administrator: Designate who will manage settings, reservations, and maintenance for that specific Resource. See Understanding Scheduler Roles and Permissions to learn more.
Image: Upload an image of the Resource to help users visually identify the Resource in the Scheduler.
Manage Resource Settings
Once you add or import Resources to an Organization, they will appear on the Resources page where they can be further configured. Each Resource has its own settings menu broken up into the following sections: Information, Duration, Capacity, Permissions, Access and Resource Groups.
Information
Click the pencil icon next to the Information heading to adjust any of the settings or select the feature directly. After adjusting your settings, click Update to save your changes or Cancel to close the window without making any updates.
Add Image: Upload an image of the Resource.
Resource Color: Apply a Resource color for the bookings calendar.
Status: View and adjust the current booking status (Available, Unavailable, Hidden). See the Resource Status section below to learn more.
Public: Under Public, click Make Public (iCalendar, Public URL) to turn the public view for the Resource on or off. Once a Resource is publicly available, the reservations for that resource can be added to other calendar applications like Google Calendar and Outlook. View Subscribing to Calendars to learn more.
Schedule: Assign the Resource to a Schedule to determine when it can be booked.
Resource Type: Assigned by the Application Admins or Resource Admins as a way to further organize resources by type (such as desks, conference rooms, iPads). See Organizing Resources by Groups and Types to learn more.
Sort Order: Controls where the Resource appears in the list from top to bottom.
Location: Specify where the Resource is physically located, such as the building, room number, or specific area. This helps users easily find the Resource when arriving for their reservation.
Contact: List the person or group responsible for the Resource. This may include a name, email address, or department users can reach out to for questions, maintenance issues, or assistance.
Description: Provide an overview of the Resource, including its purpose, key features, capabilities, or any important details users should know before reserving it.
Notes: Include any additional information or special instructions related to the Resource. Examples may include safety guidelines, usage rules, setup steps, or reminders specific to the equipment or space.
Resource Administrator: Assign an individual responsible for managing this Resource (optional, not required). View Understanding Scheduler Roles and Permissions to learn more.
Print QR Code: Generates a scannable code that allows users to quickly make reservations using a smartphone or tablet. As an example, you might print the code and place it next to the piece of equipment.
If any Custom Attributes have been applied to the Resource, they will display here. Additional details on creating Custom Attributes are available here.
Duration
Click the pencil icon next to Duration to control how long reservations can last, whether they can span multiple days, and whether time gaps are required between reservations. After adjusting your settings, click Update to save your changes or Cancel to close the window without making any updates.
There is no minimum reservation duration: When checked, users can create reservations of any length. If unchecked, you can set a minimum required duration. This is helpful when short bookings aren’t practical. The minimum requirement for a reservation is 30-minutes unless otherwise set by the Administrators.
There is no maximum reservation duration: When checked, there is no limit to how long a reservation can last. If unchecked, you can set a maximum allowed duration. This is helpful when you want to prevent very long bookings which may prohibit others from using the Resource.
There is no buffer between reservations: When checked, reservations can be made back-to-back.
If unchecked, you can require a buffer time between reservations. This is helpful when time is needed between reservations for cleaning, setup, or preparation, and to avoid someone using the Resource past their booking time.
Reservations can be made across days: When checked, reservations may span more than one day.
If unchecked, each reservation must start and end on the same day. This is helpful when overnight or multi-day use is not allowed for a Resource.
Capacity
Click the pencil icon next to Capacity to set participant limits. After adjusting your settings, click Update to save your changes or Cancel to close the window without making any updates.
This resource has unlimited capacity: Select this option if there is no limit to the number of participants who can be added to a reservation. When checked, the system will not enforce a maximum number of users.
This resource has a capacity of X people: If the Resource has a limit, enter the maximum number of people allowed. Any reservation that attempts to exceed this number will be automatically prevented from being submitted.
Permissions
Permissions can be controlled at the User or Group level by selecting the corresponding link.
Select Users to assign permissions to individual Organization members. Each user will be assigned:
None: Cannot see or reserve the Resource
View Only: Can see reservations but cannot create them
Full Access: Can view and create reservations
Select Groups to assign the same permission levels (None/View Only/Full Access) to all members of a Group. View the article on Using Groups to Manage Access to learn more how to create a Group.
Access
Click the pencil icon next to Access to set limits on making reservations, requiring approval for reservations and other settings such as requiring check in and check out. After adjusting your settings, click Update to save your changes or Cancel to close the window without making any updates.
Reservations can be made up until the current time: When checked a reservation can be made until the current time. By unchecking this box administrators can specify that Reservations must be made at least a certain amount of time (days, hours, minutes) prior to start time. This can be used to encourage users to plan their reservation ahead of time.
Reservations can be updated up until the current time: When checked, a reservation can be edited until the start time of the reservation. By unchecking this box administrators can specify that Reservations must be updated at least a certain amount of time (days, hours, minutes) prior to the reservation start time.
Reservations can be deleted up until the current time: When checked, a reservation can be edited until the reservation start time. By unchecking this box administrators can specify that Reservations must be deleted at least a certain amount of time (days, hours, minutes) prior to the reservation start time. This can be used to ensure that reservations are not cancelled at the last minute.
Reservations can end at any point in the future: When checked there is no limit to the end time for a reservation. Unchecking this box allows you to specify how soon a reservation for this resource must end relative to the current time. For example, if you set this time limit to three days, any reservation for this resource must end no later than 72 hours from the current time.
Reservations must be approved: When checked, any reservation to the resource must go through an approval process. To learn more about reservation approval, click here.
Permission is automatically granted: When checked, any new users added to the Organization will automatically receive Full Access permissions for the resource which makes it available for bookings. If unchecked, the Resource is not available for bookings. The Remove Existing Permissions option allows you to reset the permissions for any current users that may have been allowed to book the Resource (prior to deselecting and NOT allowing permission).
Requires check in/out: When checked, any reservation to this resource must go through the check in/check out process. By placing a number value in the “Automatically released…” box, the reservation will delete itself if it does not receive check in within the given number of minutes after reservation start time.
Allow concurrent reservations: When checked, enter a number to indicate how many concurrent reservations for the resource are allowed.
Resource Status
Resource Status allows administrators to temporarily hide a Resource or prevent users from reserving it. This is helpful when resources need maintenance, are unavailable for extended periods, or must be temporarily removed from visibility.
Covered earlier in the section on Manage Resource Settings, Administrators are able to adjust the Resource Status from the Resource Page. Additionally, Admins can apply a reason to for the status change.
Administrators can manage a resource’s status from two locations, depending on their role:
Application Management → Resources (Application Admin)
Responsibilities → Resources (Resource Admin)
On the Resources page, click the current status of the resource to open the status menu, then select from Available, Unavailable, or Hidden.
Available:
- The resource can be reserved by any user with the appropriate permissions.
Unavailable:
- The resource remains visible on the Bookings page but appears as Restricted to organization members.
- Users cannot create reservations for the resource and existing reservations are not cancelled.
Administrators can still create reservations for an Unavailable resource.
Typically used when the resource is temporarily unavailable due to maintenance or repairs.
Hidden:
The resource does not appear on the Bookings page for any users, including Administrators.
Deleting a resource permanently removes all historic reservations. Hiding a resource preserves all past reservations for reporting purposes.
Best used when the resource will be unavailable for an extended period.
Administrators can also add a Reason for the status to clearly communicate why the resource is unavailable or hidden (e.g., maintenance, repairs, seasonal closure). From the Resource page and triple-dot menu, select Resource Statuses.
In this area, administrators can define and maintain the list of Reasons associated with each status. These reasons provide helpful context for members and maintain clarity in system reporting. Multiple reasons for each status can be added and later edited or removed.
Importing and Exporting Multiple Resources at Once
To import or export multiple Resources at once, click the triple-dot icon in the upper-right corner of the Resources page and select Import Resources or Export Resources.
From the import window, you can upload a CSV file containing multiple Resources. You may create your own CSV file by following the requirements listed in blue, or you can download a ready-to-use, preformatted template by clicking Get template. Once you have completed the template, click Import and upload your file.
The Export Resources option can be useful if you need to move Resources from one Scheduler Organization to another, or if you need to create a backup of your current Resource list.
Bulk Resource Updates
To change the settings of multiple Resources at once, click the triple-dot icon in the upper-right corner of the Resources page and select Bulk Resource Update or Bulk Resource Delete.
The Bulk Resource Update window allows you to configure most Resource settings for multiple Resources at the same time. At the top of the form, select the checkboxes that determine which Resources to include in the update.
Bulk Resource Delete allows you to delete multiple resources from an Organization at one time. When deleting Resources, keep in mind that all reservations associated with those Resources—past, current, and future—will be permanently removed. If you want to keep reservation history but no longer want the Resource to be used, consider setting the Resource’s Status to Hidden instead of deleting it.