Case Story: Cambridge Judge Business School
Self-Service Makes for Better Business
“Our chosen supplier, 2CQR has delivered superb products and support to the school previously. They satisfied the tender requirement for the best budget and once again have provided a perfect solution. The desktop self-service unit suits our students’ way of working and the security gates are unobtrusive and stylish”
Andrew Alexander- Information and Library Services Deputy Manager
About the Library
Cambridge Judge Business School is the business school of the University of Cambridge. As a provider of management education, it is consistently ranked as one of the world’s top business schools.
With a belief in the business of transformation – of individuals, of organizations, and society, the school works with every student and organization to identify important problems and questions, challenging and coaching people to find answers, and creating new knowledge.
Their students are drawn from all parts of the world, some come from a business background while others aspire to enter the business world. With this background and remit, the school believes their approach demands an environment that replicates that found in the business world.
Improving Functionality
Meeting their design and business needs
When the existing self-service system for the Information Centre and Library needed upgrading the managers looked for a solution that fitted their ethos;
- It needed to be modern, with a look and feel that reflected the working environment students would experience in a work situation.
- The functionality needed to be fast and intuitive.
- It needed to be able to cope with 24-hour access for the 1500 Judge Faculty, staff, and students and 9-5 access for the 20,000 students across the rest of the university.
To meet their needs Ange Fitzpatrick, Information and Library Services Manager, and Andrew Alexander Information and Library Services Deputy Manager were keen to find a supplier with products, software, and background that would understand their aspirations.
The Solution
Working together
More than just the practical needs for the Information Centre the managers wanted the self-service solution to have the quality that fitted with the other services the School provided for students. Typically the school places high importance on the physical and mental wellbeing of staff and students and has an external user group tasked with upgrading and checking student needs.
Benefits
Delivering a holistic service
Andrew Alexander explained “It is often simple things that can help in delivering a holistic education “…for example, what do students carry in their bags? Some carry their life, others just that day’s essentials. The answers we receive help us understand the students…things change so fast, particularly with technology,…we have to be constantly alert to these changes”
The Results
To meet the wide mix of students‘ age, experience and culture the Information Centre now has work spaces that offer not only formal seating and bean bags, desking with height adjustment and spaces signed to direct those with different temperature sensitivities to comfortable areas.
The Reopening
The resulting effect is an Information Centre and Library, on two floors with a modern, stylish business look and feel. The RFID systems are easy to use, have total compatibility with the LMS and the staff and student’s needs.