Colleagues,
Here is a breakdown of the responses I received to my enquiry about how
other libraries manage their mobile computing service:
1) How many laptops do you have?
- 20 (14+6)
- 100
2) How do you loan them?
- Loaned as other library material - initially 3 hours, library use only -
now a 3-day loan - slow takeup so far
- Loaned as other library material - 90 for 3-hour rolling loan within the
library & 10 for 24-hour loan
3) Where do you store them and in what kind of a unit?
- A purpose built trolley, with a shelf for each machine, which has points
to connect to refresh and update
- Lapsafes (30 to a safe) - a purpose built storage and recharge unit
4) How/when do you re-charge them?
- In the trolley
- In the lapsafe, although power cables now issued with all laptops
5) How is user support managed?
- If a user has a problem using a laptop they can go to the Undergraduate
Support Desk. This desk is physically part of the library but is part of
Computing Services and answers computing problems from undergraduates.
- Referred to the library Help Desk
6) Who gives the support - front-line staff or back-up technical staff?
- Back up technical staff support the technical issues to do with building
and updating the machines
- Initially front-line staff but if there is a continuing difficulty we
have technical staff who are normally able to help
Interestingly, one college which does not have a mobile computing service
is considering giving
each new student a laptop (their fees would cover the extra costs). They
consider that they would be out of date after 3 years anyway and this way
they would not have to go to the bother of setting up a loaning system.
Apparently, this seems to be the way things are going as most
colleges never have an adequate number of public access PC's and space can
be an issue.
Many thanks,
Elizabeth Murphy.
Elizabeth Murphy
Reader Services, The Library, NUIM
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Tel: 01-7083883; Fax: 01-6286008
URL: http://www.nuim.ie/library
The Library, NUI Maynooth, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
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