How South Calcutta Girls' College tracks library footfall using the scanix QR Attendance System

Client: South Calcutta Girls’ College
Location: Sarat Bose Road, Kolkata, West Bengal
Use case: Library attendance and footfall tracking
Solution: scanix QR Attendance System
Live since: Apr 2024

Students record their own library visits with a single scan at the entrance. There is no paper register, no queue and no staff needed at the door.

About the Client

South Calcutta Girls’ College was founded in 1932 and is one of the oldest colleges for women in West Bengal. It is affiliated to the University of Calcutta and accredited with an A grade by NAAC (2023). It is located on Sarat Bose Road in South Kolkata and offers undergraduate programs across the arts, sciences and commerce.

The college library is named in honour of educationist Sri Peary Mohan Chatterjee. It holds over 23,000 books along with journals, newspapers and competitive exam resources, and gives students access to thousands of e-journals and e-books through INFLIBNET N-LIST. Its catalogue and circulation run on KOHA, and a D-Space repository holds its digital archives.

The Challenge

The library had already modernised its catalogue and circulation, but recording who actually used the library was still done by hand.

A paper register at the door

Students signed a register when they entered. At busy hours this meant a queue at the entrance, entries that were rushed or hard to read, and a desk that had to be staffed just to watch the register.

No usable footfall data

Borrowing records only show the students who issue books. Most library use (reading, reference work, exam preparation, using e-resources) leaves no trace in a circulation system. Without accurate visit data, the library could not show how it was being used or plan staffing, seating and opening hours around real demand.

Documentation for accreditation

Library usage is part of the evidence colleges put together for NAAC and internal quality reviews. Counting footfall from handwritten registers for these reports was slow and hard to check.

The Solution

The college extended the scanix QR Attendance System to its library. A scanix QR code is displayed at the library entrance, and students mark their own visit by scanning it with the scanix app on their phones as they walk in. No staff are needed to record entries, and there are no turnstiles, readers or wiring to install.

How a library visit works

1. The student arrives at the library entrance, where the scanix QR code is displayed.
2. She scans it with the scanix app on her phone. It takes a second, and nobody at the door has to be involved.
3. The visit is checked and logged. scanix links the scan to the student’s verified account and records the date and time of entry.
4. The dashboard updates live. Each visit appears on the scanix dashboard straight away, tagged by student, department and year.

What the library gets

• A digital visitor log with the date and entry time of every visit.
• Footfall reports by day, week, month, department and year of study.
• Peak-hour patterns showing when the library is busiest, to plan staff and seating.
• A record for each student of how often she has visited over the term.
• One-click exports for NAAC documentation, IQAC reports and library committee reviews.

Works alongside the existing library systems

scanix does not replace KOHA or the library’s circulation setup. KOHA records the books that are borrowed, and scanix records who visits the library. Between them the library gets a complete picture of how it is used.

What changed

• No queue and no staff at the door. Students check themselves in within a second, and library staff are free for work that helps readers.
• Reliable, readable records. Every visit is time-stamped and linked to a verified student account, with no illegible or false entries.
• Library use can finally be measured. For the first time the library can see how many students use it and when, not only who borrows books.
• Accreditation reports are ready when needed. Footfall data for NAAC and IQAC can be exported in minutes instead of being counted from registers.
• Almost no setup. A QR code at the entrance and the app on students’ phones were all it took.

“[Testimonial from the Librarian / Principal / IQAC Coordinator at South Calcutta Girls’ College. Approved quote only.]”

— [Name], [Designation], South Calcutta Girls’ College

Beyond the Classroom

Attendance does not have to stop at the lecture hall. The South Calcutta Girls’ College deployment shows that the same scanix QR system can cover libraries, labs, reading rooms and other shared spaces. That gives colleges usage data that registers could never provide.

Want to Measure How Your Library Is Used?

See how scanix QR Attendance can replace your library register. Learn more or book a demo.