HI Kat

I used to be the Chief Librarian & Executive Director of Academic IT at Brooklyn College, City University of New York.  We developed software for laptop lending that actually could be expanded to lend all kinds of other materials, and was.  We set up a station to check things out at our New Media desk, and put a scanner right there.  To check out a laptop, tablet, or various other items, a student would go to that desk, off to the side, to the technology checkout person, and we would scan their student ID.  They signed a brief document (approved by our legal counsel) agreeing to take good care of the item, and that they would be liable for any damage.  We only had a couple of people either damage or lose a laptop, and we had discretion to waive as needed, e.g. we waived one charge when the student brought a police report saying she'd been robbed.  There are fairly steep fines for late returns, but also generous loan periods, which vary for undergrads, grads, and faculty.  Though many students have computers, the program was very popular.  Not all felt like schlepping laptops around all day, especially if they had long commutes on public transit.  Some didn't want to risk having their personal laptops stolen during a long subway commute or something, so they left their laptops at home and just used one of ours to take notes during the day.  We allowed students to take the equipment anywhere, as long as they returned it on time.  The software was linked to our library hours, so students couldn't be charged for fines on hours we were not open.  The program was also very popular when Hurricane Sandy hit, as many of our students lost their computers and whole bedrooms (my own basement was flooded with almost 8 feet of water, and many kids have their bedrooms in basements).  Our President asked what the college could do to help students hit by Sandy, and increasing loaner equipment was one of my suggestions; she gave us $15,000 to buy more equipment.  Every day, within an hour of opening, every Mac we had was checked out, and by noon, everything else was usually checked out too.  It was a big success.  I expect they are continuing the program, but I can't be sure, as I left there 2 1/2 years ago.

Stephanie 

Stephanie Walker
Dean of Libraries & Information Resources
University of North Dakota
Chester Fritz Library, Room 217C
3051 University Ave, Stop 9000
Grand Forks, ND  
58202-9000
Tel: (701) 777-2619
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-----Original Message-----
From: Code for Libraries <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Kathryn Greer
Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2018 10:40 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [CODE4LIB] Android Tablet Lending Advice

We have a couple of android tablets being offered to us. We would like to potentially start lending them but need a process to reset and wipe the devices in between checkouts. Would anyone like to share their process and the pros and cons of it?

I found this 2014 Code4Lib journal article<http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/9482> on customizing android tablets at Oregon State University, but it's a little outdated. I see that Oregon State is still lending android tablets, so perhaps someone from there could also reach out to me to talk about their current process.

Thanks,
-Kat

-----
Kathryn A. Greer, MLIS
Systems and Digital Content Librarian, Assistant Professor Georgia Gwinnett College Daniel J. Kaufman Library & Learning Center
1000 University Center Lane
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
678.407.5173
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