Carrel on Latchwork Systems

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Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Carrel and the usual setup

	Carrel	Typical reservation system	Cleanup tool (Deep Freeze, Reboot Restore Rx, CleanSlate)
Clears each user’s files and browsing	At every sign-out	Needs a separate tool	At restart or sign-out, depending on the tool
Restart needed between users	No	Depends on the cleanup tool	Usually
Software updates	Normal Windows updates	Normal Windows updates	Turn protection off, update, turn it back on
Library card or student ID sign-in	Yes, over SIP2	Yes	No
Time limits and extensions	Yes	Yes	No
Reservations and waitlists	Yes, from a phone	Usually	No
Move reservations to another PC	Yes, with warnings first	Varies	No
Guest pass receipts	Your logo, text and barcode format	Varies	No
Class and event bookings with a shared pass	Yes	Varies	No
Keeps running offline	Yes	Varies	Not applicable
Server to host	None	Often on-site	None
Computers it runs on	Windows today; Mac, ChromeOS and Linux coming	Varies	Varies

Based on public product pages and library mailing lists, October 2026. Products change, so check with each vendor.

Features

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Carrel runs on Windows PCs today. Agents for Mac, ChromeOS and Linux are coming next. Staff and the reservation portal work in any modern browser.

What sets Carrel apart

No Deep Freeze, Reboot Restore Rx or CleanSlate. When a session ends, Carrel deletes that person’s documents, downloads, browser history, cookies and saved passwords, empties the Recycle Bin and clears Windows’ recent files. Then it signs out, and the PC is ready for the next person without a restart. You choose what to keep, such as settings for software in a makerspace.
Clean even after a power cut. If a PC loses power or crashes mid-session, Carrel finishes the cleanup the next time it starts, before anyone can sign in. If it still can’t, staff are told.
Move reservations to another PC. When a PC breaks, transfer its current and upcoming reservations to a replacement. Before anything changes, Carrel lists what the move would do, such as ending someone’s session or breaking a time limit, and waits for you to confirm.
Guest passes designed by you. Add your logo and your own text, pick the barcode type and number format, and check a sample receipt before you print a real one. Print one pass, or a batch for a busy day or a class visit. See what you can change.
Class and event bookings. Reserve a whole lab, a section or a set of PCs for a class. One shared pass works on those PCs, only for that booking, and every session ends together.

People sign in with their library card or student ID and PIN, checked against your library system over SIP2.
Block sign-in when fines are over a threshold you set.
Names come live from your library system and are shown on screen. Carrel never stores them.
Guest passes work even when your library system is down.

Rules and limits

Set rules once for every location, then change only what’s different. Each layer inherits from the one above it, field by field.

Pricing

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Pilot program

We’re working with a small group of pilot sites before general release. Pilot sites get:

Help with setup, from installing the agent to connecting your library system.
A direct line to the people building Carrel.
Pilot pricing that carries over when Carrel is generally available.

Ask about the pilot

What’s included

Every plan includes the staff console, reservation portal, lock screen, cleanup between users, guest passes, offline sessions, reports and CSV export. There’s no server for you to host, and updates are included.

Carrel on Latchwork Systems

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Carrel and the usual setup

Features

What sets Carrel apart

Sign-in

Rules and limits

Pricing

Pilot program

What’s included