[Access-ip] Laptops

[Penelope Myers]

Hi Cheryl

At Temple we have been loaning laptops to students for a 2 day loan period
for about 15 years. They sign a contract assuming full responsibility for
the machine and they are checked out on our circulation system. We have
about 50 dell laptops and have just started loaning netbooks as a pilot
project. It went well so we will be buying some more.

It is a very popular program with students - only students may borrow them -
we don't loan to staff or faculty. Our loss rate has been pretty minimal,
perhaps one a year. It is funded out of the technology fee that students pay
each semester.

However it is staff intensive. We normally have a support staff position
whose primary responsibility is to manage the program, but that position is
currently vacant as we have a hiring freeze, so we now have it run by a
just-graduated student who can work 35 hours a week. We re-image after each
loan, and there are always lots of questions from the students borrowing
them.

Please let me know if you need any more inforamtion.

Happy New Year to everyone.
Penelope
On Wed, Jan 13, 2010 at 10:38 AM, Cheryl McGrath <chermcg at gmail.com> wrote:

> Does anyone circulate laptops/netbooks outside of the building they were
> borrowed from?  We are trying to solve the problem that e-readers don't
> easily load PDF's and most content must come preloaded.  Netbooks can do
> this but we don't let them leave the building and want feedback from someone
> who does let them roam free and  . . . how's that working out for you?
>
> Happy New Year!
>
> --
> Cheryl McGrath
> Head of Access Services, Widener Library
> Harvard College Library
> Harvard University
> 617.495.2416
> cmcgrath at fas.harvard.edu
> _______________________________________________
> access-ip mailing list
> access-ip at lists.lib.uchicago.edu
> http://lists.lib.uchicago.edu/mailman/listinfo/access-ip
>
>


-- 

Penelope Myers    pmyers at temple.edu

215 204-0749      215 204-0769 (fax)

Head, Access Services
Paley Library - 01700
Temple University Libraries
Philadelphia, Pa 19122
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