Xavier University Knew There Had to Be a Better Way

Xavier University is a private Roman Catholic university in New Orleans, Louisiana best known for being one of the Nation’s top HBCUs. Back in 1993, the University found themselves running out of room in their historic 1937 Gothic library, so they decided to erect a new 6-story library to house their growing collection of books and periodicals. This new library, dubbed the Xavier University of Louisiana Library Resource Center, became an extremely heavily-trafficked social hub for the University’s students. The library was consistently bustling with students, faculty, and the public studying, researching, or simply passing the time together.

The University was thrilled to see such a large amount of foot traffic in and out of the library at all hours of the day. That is, until the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, there was really no way to control who was allowed in the library, which became problematic when the University decided to stop allowing library access to the general public in an effort to minimize COVID-19 spread risks. Now, Xavier faculty would have to check every person’s credentials at the entrance of the library to ensure that only students and other faculty members were allowed entry. Officials at the University knew there had to be a better and more hygienic way to accomplish this task than manually swiping each and every student or faculty members XCard whenever they wanted to use the library.

IDN-Acme Knew Just What Xavier University Needed

Noticing the shortcomings at their library’s entrance, Xavier University officials reached out to a local company called IDN-Acmeto find a way to streamline their library credential checking process without sacrificing security or disrupting regular traffic flows in and out of the facility. IDN-Acme, a division ofIDN Global, Inc., is a distributor of security related products. They also provide security systems integration, access control solutions, turnstile and gate installation, and other related services to security professionals through their six regional locations around North America. Conveniently enough, one of IDN-Acme’s six locations is situated not too far from Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana, so they were the perfect fit to specify and install access control products at the University.

After speaking with the Xavier University team, IDN-Acme had a good idea of what was needed at the library. The University needed some way to physically enforce their new “faculty and students only” rule without hindering traffic flows too much or becoming too complicated for everyday use. With this knowledge, the IDN-Acme crew knew some sort of integrated access control system complete with turnstiles or ADA compliant gates would be a perfect fit for this situation because of their inherent ability to process credentials automatically and provide a physical barrier to entry against unauthorized entrants. Realizing this, IDN-Acme set out to find access control products that were both affordable and durable enough to handle the high levels of foot traffic incurred daily at the Xavier University library.

Hayward Turnstiles Knew the Perfect Product for Xavier University

IDN-Acme began shopping around for the right access control products to best capture Xavier University’s specific project needs. Eventually, they came across the Hayward Turnstiles website where they noticed our full line of turnstiles and handicap accessible ADA gates, so they decided to reach out. The IDN-Acme team was greeted by one of our Hayward Turnstiles access control specialists who was eager to help determine which of our products would be best for the project at hand. The team was also pleased to hear that Hayward offered a trade discount Partner Program for installers to help them save money on their project. After a few quick exchanges, our access control specialists determined that our MR100 ADA would be perfect for the Xavier University library because of its strong blend of security, handicap accessibility, and ease of use. Further, the MR100 ADA integrates with virtually all access control systems, so installation and integration with IDN-Acme’s chosen PERSONA proximity card reader system by Assa Abloy would be a breeze.

Along with the MR100 ADA, the IDN team determined that the access control system at Xavier would also benefit from a custom post and railing system to help direct traffic and prevent people from squeezing by and bypassing the system. Luckily, our team over at the Hayward Turnstiles factory is always open to constructing custom solutions. They took IDN’s provided floor plans and created a custom post and railing system to fill the gaps between the system perfectly. When it was all said and done, the IDN-Acme team took delivery of a fully customized access control system, complete with two MR100 ADA gates and a bespoke post and rail system.

IDN-Acme was then tasked with installing the gates on site and integrating them with their PERSONA software and proximity readers. These proximity readers would detect whether someone had their XCard on them without making that person fish around in their wallet or fumble around in their purse looking it. Without having to actually swipe or scan a card, traffic flows would not be impeded, so students could easily come and go as they pleased as long as they had their card somewhere on their person. Not to mention, this proximity detection provided a hands-free solution that no longer required a person to person interaction: a huge step toward Xavier University’s fight against COVID-19 spread.

A Tailored Solution to Capture Specific Needs

Through our collaborative effort with our partner installer IDN-Acme, we were proudly able to provide Xavier University with a custom access control solution to help them keep COVID-19 spread at bay. IDN-Acme worked swiftly to install the system according to the plan just in time for students to begin pouring back into the library at the start of the semester. Thanks to teamwork, planning, and superior customization capabilities, students and faculty can now enjoy the Xavier University library again and faculty can rest assured that only authorized individuals can gain entry. The Hayward Turnstiles team takes pride in knowing that we can help such a prestigious University overcome coronavirus complications and become safer overall.

This project is just a glimpse at the many custom projects we complete in collaboration with our partner installers regularly. We welcome these strategic partnerships because we always love providing end users with convenient and affordable turnkey solutions. Beyond this, we always pay close attention to the various expectations and limitations of each new project we accept to ensure that the right products get specified every time. After all, no two projects are the same, so why should their access control systems be?