How to book one classroom with a selection of teachers?

Question

I work in a college library and we offer training classes in one classroom. I want to book the one classroom and allow professors to choose which librarian they want to book.

My problem is that I can make services and staff, but the room itself keeps getting double booked. If a prof picks tomorrow at 12 with me, another can pick tomorrow at 12 with librarian#2.

How do I make it so that the profs can pick and the booking looks at the bookings.

Answer 1

i am waiting for my IT to add it.

Answer 2

Hi Lewis, 

Good day. Thank you for sharing the details of your situation. 

As a forum moderator, I genuinely wish I could directly access your account or review the backend systems to diagnose and resolve this issue for you. However, our role here is limited to providing general guidance by offering clear next steps, sharing applicable resources, and directing you to the appropriate support channels so you can work with the right team to investigate further. 

Based on your description, the issue is that Microsoft Bookings is currently checking each librarian’s availability separately, but it is not treating the classroom as a shared resource. For example, if a professor books tomorrow at 12:00 PM with Librarian 1, Bookings may still allow another professor to book tomorrow at 12:00 PM with Librarian 2 because Librarian 2 is still available. 

To prevent this, the classroom needs to be included in the booking logic as a common resource. In other words, professors can still choose which librarian they want, but each booking should also check the availability of the same classroom. Once the classroom is booked for a specific time slot, that time should no longer be available for other librarians. 

You may try the following setup: 

1. Create or use a dedicated account/resource for the classroom 

• For example, “Library Training Classroom” or “Classroom 1.” This should represent the physical room used for the training classes.  If the classroom resource does not already exist in Microsoft 365, your organization's IT admins may need to create the room/resource mailbox first. Once it is available, it can be added to the shared Bookings page and assigned to the relevant services. 

2. Add the classroom as a staff/resource item in Microsoft Bookings 

• Go to the shared Bookings page, open Staff, and add the classroom account/resource. If available, enable Events on Office calendar affect availability. 
• 

3. Assign the classroom resource to the relevant services 

• Go to Services, edit each training service that uses the classroom, and include the classroom resource along with the librarian options. The goal is for every booking to require the shared classroom resource in addition to the selected librarian. 

4. Review the service availability settings 

• Make sure the service is configured so that bookings are not available when the assigned staff/resource is busy. This helps ensure that if the classroom is already booked, the same time slot will not appear as available for another librarian. 

5. Test the setup 

• Create a test booking for a specific time with one librarian. Then try to book the same time with a different librarian. If configured correctly, that time slot should no longer be available because the classroom resource is already booked. 

Microsoft Bookings primarily checks staff availability. It does not automatically know that multiple librarians are using the same physical room unless the room is added as a shared resource across the services. Adding the classroom as a common resource is the key step to preventing the double-booking behavior you described. 

Let me know if you are using group bookings or a more complex setup, the behavior may vary, so we may need to review the specific service configuration as well. 

For your reference, you may find these Microsoft articles helpful: 

• How to configure different staff availability | Microsoft Learn 
• Set Bookings scheduling policies | Microsoft Learn 
• In case you do not know who is your IT admin, kindly refer to this article: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support  

Please understand that our initial reply may not always immediately resolve the issue. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.  

I hope this information is helpful. Should you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please feel free to share them in the comment below. I'm very happy to help.  

I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts. 

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