Room Booking Principles

1.  Purpose

To provide guidance on the appropriate use of university facilities, to enable the distributed management of facilities and to support the effective and efficient use of associated University resources. 

2.  Scope

This document applies to bookable resources, and covers the following:

• Teaching space
• Meeting Rooms
• Quiet/Study Spaces
• Workstations
• Event Spaces
• Recording Booth/Studios

3.  Definitions

• Bookable resources: all resources (refer point 2) and are available to book for non-teaching booking or for personal use in the case of a workstation.
• Property, Facilities and Development: the central office responsible for the management and maintenance of all the University’s assets both built and natural. 
• Calendar system: Microsoft Outlook is the system used for staff calendar / diary management. 
• Event Spaces: are defined as a physical location, such as a room, building, or outdoor area, where an event can take place and are designed to accommodate a specific number of people depending on the required layout. They may have certain features, such as audiovisual equipment or a stage, that are necessary for the event.
• Meeting rooms: rooms used primarily for formal and informal meetings of university staff for both academic and administrative purposes, and not normally used for teaching. 
• Non-teaching bookings: any booking of University space not intended for teaching activity, including: 
  • University meetings: of formal committees (e.g. Council, College boards, department, unit) 
  • Allied activities: bookings aligned with the University’s core roles of teaching and research (e.g. conferences / symposia; short courses and continuing education; meetings of learned societies; student meetings, activities and sporting events, alumni events, Open Day, student recruitment activities) 
  • External events: bookings comprising commercial hire of facilities for commercial or private purposes (e.g. commercial conferences, social functions) of hire of facilities for community activities (e.g. theatre productions, film screenings, sporting events and community education activities such as University of the Third Age) 
• Quiet Rooms: provide a space for staff and/or students to use for an activity that requires privacy and provide a place to concentrate away from other noises and distractions in the open planned offices/spaces.
• Recording Booths/Studios: are designated spaces for users to be able to record content to support teaching and learning activities.
• Specialised teaching space: space designed for specific teaching and learning purposes (e.g. science labs, clinical and professional training labs such as anatomy labs and moot courts, editing suites, observation facilities). 
• Teaching Activity: refers to taught or supervised classes associated to a topic (e.g. lectures, tutorials, placements, practicals). Teaching activities may also include replacement classes; self-study or peer-support learning; preparation for student class presentations; tests, examinations and practical assessments; small-group 'break-out' study groups. 
• Teaching space: any room or combination of rooms used to conduct teaching activities. 
• Resource Booker: the system for booking resources (see point 2) by staff and students. The system integrates with both the timetabling system and calendar system where a resource exists in both.
• Resource Scheduling Services: the central office responsible for the management of the University timetable. 
• Study Rooms: A room or area used by individuals and/or groups to study at their convenience, the space not being restricted to a particular subject or discipline by contained equipment.
• Timetabling system: Syllabus Plus is the system used for the timetabling of teaching activities and integrates with Resource Booker to allow users to make bookings for non-teaching activities in teaching spaces. 
• University space: all buildings and rooms managed by the University, whether owned, leased or shared with another organisation. [In the case of shared space, additional management principles may be applied by the sharing partner(s).] 
• Workstation: provides staff with access to a desk at a location that is not their normal place of work.

4.  Principles

The University owns and manages a variety of different spaces. The main purpose of university space is to support the delivery of high-quality teaching, to provide space for productive research and to create a campus that plays an active role in the community. 
 
The University, rather than any organisational unit or individual, is the owner of its physical assets. As a critical asset, space is to be shared and used in a flexible and co-operative way to achieve the best outcomes for the university community. 
 
The use of the University’s physical facilities by individuals, groups, or organisations external to the University must be compatible with the University’s mission and goals. The University may refuse, at its discretion, any request to hire space in a university venue. 

5.  Management responsibility

Property, Facilities and Development is responsible for ensuring the ongoing management and usage analysis of the University’s facilities. This includes responsibility for the ongoing management, planning and provision of teaching and meeting spaces. 
  
Property, Facilities and Development is responsible for classification of general and specialist teaching spaces, and for maintaining and disseminating complete, accurate and up- to-date information about all bookable resources. This will require the provision and coordination of information by other units (e.g. audio-visual equipment). 
 
Property, Facilities and Development is responsible for the naming conventions and related information (e.g. maximum capacity) for the resources, and the protocols for the maintenance and amendment of the rooms list. Resource data modification, and the removal or addition of rooms requires the prior approval of Property, Facilities and Development. 

Property, Facilities and Development have responsibility for managing the process for non-teaching bookings and bookable resources.  They are also responsible for determining any specific resources which require a restricted approval process and delegating the management of bookings for these specific rooms to the relevant College/Portfolio. 

6.  Bookable resource

Property, Facilities and Development, in consultation with Colleges and Portfolios, will identify bookable resources that are never used for timetabled classes, for listing on Resource Booker and added to the exchange room calendar list. Where a display panel is located outside the resource an exchange calendar will be required to enable the details of bookings to be displayed.

Property, Facilities and Development and Student Administration Services will identify those rooms used as teaching spaces which can be designated and listed on the timetabling system. These spaces will be also made available in Resource Booker for booking for non-teaching activities.

7.  Booking systems

Student Administration Service, Resources Scheduling Services team is responsible for the delivery of the timetabling system and the teaching spaces for inclusion in Resource Booker via the creation and management of location groups.

Information Technology Services is responsible for management of the exchange calendar systems with Property, Facilities and Development are responsible for the creation and management of calendars related to bookable resources.

8.  Booking rights

In rooms designed for teaching, teaching activities will be given priority over other types of room bookings. No adjustments will be made to the academic timetable to accommodate non-teaching bookings other than in exceptional circumstances (e.g. international conferences and symposia, significant University-wide events) which must be approved by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Students) or nominee. 

Marketing (DVC-S Portfolio) will be responsible the prioritisation and booking of events within university spaces subject to the Room Booking Principles outlined in this document. 

Once teaching activities for a year have been scheduled, non-teaching activities/bookings may be made on a ‘first-come, first served’ basis by any member of the University. 

 Any non-teaching booking of Teaching space must be done in accordance with the University Timetabling Policy. 

 Conflicts arising from the application of these priorities and related decisions will be initially dealt with via communication between the relevant booking parties and their managers. Where a satisfactory resolution cannot be found the matter will be referred to the Director, Property, Facilities and Development (or nominee) for a decision after appropriate consultation. 
 
Property, Facilities and Development has the right to refuse or revoke any non-teaching booking not in accordance with these Principles. 

9.  Conditions of room use

All persons booking University rooms, or, where applicable, the nominated person on whose behalf the booking is made, are required to ensure that their use of the room conforms to the following conditions: 

1. Rooms, equipment, and fittings may be used only for the purpose stated on the room booking, which must also be consistent with the purpose for which the space is designed. Equipment or furniture may not be moved except with the University’s permission. 
2. Rooms may be used only for activities conducted in a manner consistent with the University’s Health & Safety policies, in particular ensuring that the number of persons attending does not exceed the stated capacity of the room. 
3. Room users must familiarise themselves with emergency evacuation procedures detailed in the room and/or building. 
4. Noise levels must be kept at an appropriate level, and instructions from University security staff to reduce noise levels must be followed. 
5. Users should ensure that the space is left in a clean and safe condition, and that any safety concerns are clearly conveyed to responsible staff. 
6. External users must adhere to the University’s Facilities Hire Conditions (available as a separate document). 

If a room booking is made for a third party by a person who will not themselves be present at, and responsible for, the activity then full details (name, address, and contact details) of the responsible person must be provided at the time of booking.