DTU Cen: EZbooking ensures a more efficient use of our microscopes

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DTU Cen, the Centre for Electron Nanoscopy, is part of the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and is a self-contained facility that houses 7 electron microscopes which are available to researchers and students in Denmark and worldwide. In order to enable an efficient use of the microscopes they began their search for a simple to use booking system with powerful reporting systems and a flexible means of setting up the booking conditions for individuals and groups. They found that in EZbooking, which they deployed in 2010.

“Having over 200 registered users, it is important that DTU Cen’s facilities are not only accessible but the centre needs tools to monitor microscope usage in different ways”, says Andrew Burrows, director at DTU Cen. “On request, we are able to provide usage statistics at organisation and user level, which can be very important when research groups are budgeting for microscope time. The reports generated are also useful for monitoring microscope usage patterns. This information allows us, if necessary, to change booking guidelines to ensure more efficient use of our microscopes.”

EZbooking is a powerful booking tool and users can be given access to an unlimited amount of bookable objects. Its report function also allows you to create useful reports with, for example, invoice details.

“Invoicing tools are a strength of EZbooking as the system can generate very detailed cost breakdowns, says Andrew Burrows. “We make extensive use of the many options to tailor cost settings and reporting because we often encounter groups, or organisations, that don’t quite fit the general charging model. EZbooking is very good at dealing with exceptions!”

DTU-Cen is using EZbooking with the plug-ins EZ-Equip and EZ-TimeLog. Read more about EZbooking and its plug-ins here