[LIBRARYDIR] Circulating Chromebooks...

Fri Mar 17 16:35:12 PDT 2017

Hi Lynn,

We bought (with student tech fee money) the best computers we've had yet.  They are Dell Latitude 13 Education laptops (http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/latitude-3340-laptop/pd).  Here is the description:

Durable by Design
Take the hard knocks of school and keep on going with superior shock absorption provided by the rubberized LCD trim and an SSD with no spinning parts. The Latitude 13 Education Series can handle it all.

Work without worrying about spills. The fully sealed keyboard and touchpad provides ample protection against spills. For easy collaboration, students can use the 180-degree hinge to lay the screen completely flat without worrying about it breaking-it's been tested for student wear and tear.

Get outstanding scratch-resistant protection with the optional 13" touch screen13<http://www.dell.com/mc.ashx?id=technotes:latitude-touch-screen&c=us&l=en&s=bsd&modalwidth=400&modalHeight=150&ovropac=0&modalscroll=yes&modaltarget=div&modaltype=tooltip&position=bottom&title=Important%20Details%0D%0A&flip=false&eventType=rollover> designed for exceptional durability and vivid color.

I am really pleased with them.  We saw one at Building Bridges two years ago and the representative dropped it on the floor, held the screen by one corner and bent it, and slammed a pen inside when closing the lid.  He didn't demonstrate pouring a drink on it, but he said the keyboard was sealed against spills.  Spilled lattes and other drinks had been a problem for us.

We bought 67 last year and 43 this year.  We have not had any damaged so far.  They seem pretty indestructible.  Students love them.  We have a few that have not come back yet this quarter.  None are reported lost though.

We have students sign a Technology Agreement before checking out any equipment.  It states that they are responsible for the full replacement price of the computer.  I have attached our Technology Agreement and our policy.  We are hard-nosed about placing blocks on student accounts on SMS (unusual action screen) and pursuing payment through collections.

We have not always been successful with collecting.  Some students have hard luck stories and it becomes impossible.  We do the best we can.  Our computers go out for one week.

Our first experience with circulating technology was with netbooks.  Students broke the screens, spilled drinks, dropped them.  It was not a good experience.  Plus the keyboards and screens were really small.  They became so slow that students gave up on them.  My advice would be to buy the most rugged computers you can.

Mindy

Dr. Mindy Coslor, Ph.D.
Director of Library Services
Skagit Valley College
360.416.7761

From: LIBRARYDIR [mailto:librarydir-bounces at lists.ctc.edu] On Behalf Of Kanne, Lynn
Sent: Friday, March 17, 2017 2:30 PM
To: librarydir at lists.ctc.edu
Subject: [LIBRARYDIR] Circulating Chromebooks...

We recently began circulating Chromebooks for one week. Over one quarter, we've had two damaged, one lost, and one claims returned. (For the last one, we're establishing a receipt process.)

The damaged Chromebook still works, but can't be checked out. Can you send me anecdotes or policies that are working well for you for circulating expensive/fragile equipment? How have you handled damaged technology?

Thanks for your sharing your experiences.

Lynn

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Lynn Kanne
Interim Dean, Instructional Resources: Library<http://seattlecentral.edu/library> | e-Learning<http://www.seattlecentral.edu/distance/index.php> | Professional Development<http://www.seattlecentral.edu/employee/prof-dev.php>
Seattle Central College | e: Lynn.kanne at seattlecolleges.edu<mailto:Lynn.kanne at seattlecolleges.edu> p: 206-934-4072

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