Your Library Ltd · Public PCs
Making hundreds of public PCs simpler to operate
A library-specific Windows application replaced costly, difficult-to-maintain PC freezing software with a simpler approach to deployment, security and daily operation.
The challenge
Protecting a public PC should not make it impossible to maintain.
Your Library Ltd, formerly Eastern Regional Libraries Corporation, managed hundreds of Windows computers across many branches. Existing PC booking and protection tools had become a source of operational pain rather than a solution to it.
Traditional freezing software attempted to return each computer to a known state by protecting the operating system from permanent change. In practice, that added another specialised layer to every device. Routine maintenance, security updates and software changes became more complicated, and recurring faults consumed staff and technical support time.
The licensing cost was only one part of the problem. The library also carried the cost of troubleshooting, coordinating updates across branches and managing the risk created when protective software delayed or complicated essential Windows maintenance.
The brief
The replacement needed to be secure enough for an anonymous public environment but simple enough to deploy and support at scale. It had to understand library bookings, reset the user experience between sessions, be customisable for the library and produce useful evidence when something went wrong.
The solution
Use Windows as the foundation, not something to work around.
The dedicated application combined booking control with established Windows and Active Directory capabilities, reducing dependence on complex freezing software.
- Prepare the device
The managed Windows PC receives the lightweight application and library configuration.
- Start a booking
The application presents a clear, library-specific session experience to the user.
- Apply session controls
Windows and Active Directory controls maintain the intended public environment.
- Reset for the next user
Appropriate session data is cleared and the device returns to a ready state.
How it worked
Less machinery on every PC, more visibility across the fleet.
The application was purpose-built for library branches rather than adapted from a generic workstation product.
Built-in platform controls
The solution used supported Windows and Active Directory capabilities to maintain the public session environment and clear appropriate user directories between uses. This removed the need to rely on a separate operating-system freezing layer for the core reset workflow.
Lightweight scripted deployment
A simple scripted process installed and updated the application across managed computers. That made rollout practical across hundreds of devices and reduced the amount of manual configuration required at individual branches.
Library-specific experience
The application could reflect library branding, booking rules and branch needs while remaining straightforward for a member or visitor approaching a public PC.
Operational logging
Detailed logging gave technical teams a clearer way to identify device, session and application issues. Instead of relying only on a report that “the PC is not working”, support staff could investigate useful operational evidence.
Maintenance without the freeze-and-thaw cycle
Removing the old freezing dependency simplified the path for Windows servicing and application updates. The library gained a more conventional, supportable fleet while retaining the session controls needed in a public environment.
The outcome
A large public PC fleet became easier to deploy, update and diagnose.
The platform reduced the operational complexity associated with freezing software while preserving a secure, repeatable public session. It was acquired by and is now provided by SOLUS, creating a path for the library-specific approach to be rolled out internationally.