[LIBRARYDIR] KUOW (NPR Seattle affiliate) radio story from last week - Need A Laptop? Colleges Boost Loaner Programs Amid Pandemic

[Lynn Deeken]

In the past EvCC has had a few hundred netbooks (and I don't think we had
even 50 available at that point in Winter quarter - they are always 100%
out) that were rentals ($20 a quarter).  Since we've been online it's been
a free loan.

We now have about 1000 Chromebooks, our existing 200ish netbooks (many of
which are too old) and we're looking at buying more netbooks.  Chromebooks
don't meet all needs in our experience.  I think we have about 200 hotspots.

Lynn

On Mon, Aug 17, 2020 at 9:20 AM Guidry, Wade via LIBRARYDIR <
librarydir at lists.ctc.edu> wrote:

> Just an general interest post…
>
>
>
> I mentioned this KUOW (Seattle NPR affiliate) story on Thursday’s Alma /
> Primo call last week.
>
>
>
> The story highlights the increased need and provisioning of laptops to
> students at Everett Community College and elsewhere in higher ed.
>
>
>
> (700 new laptops is a lot of inventory! And not a minor investment)
>
>
>
> Full Text:
>
>
> https://www.kuow.org/stories/need-a-laptop-colleges-boost-loaner-programs-amid-pandemic
>
>
>
> Full Audio:
>
>
> https://www.npr.org/2020/08/13/902073742/some-colleges-offering-free-laptops-for-students-as-courses-go-virtual
>
>
>
>
>
> I assume that ‘rentals’ in the pull quote below really means ‘loans’.
>
> *"A lot of people still felt laptops were a luxury as opposed to a
> must-have," says Tim Rager, who leads the Information Technology department
> at Everett Community College. "Now we're realizing it's really a must
> have."*
>
> *The northwest Washington community college, like many schools, had long
> had a laptop loaner program, where students could check out a computer for
> a few hours, like a library book. They had about 50 devices on hand.*
>
> *But when classes went virtual, they switched from short-term rentals to
> longer-term rentals. And they were inundated with requests.*
>
> *"So all of a sudden, 'OK, wait! We've got to expand this,' " remembers
> Rager. Fifty laptops was not enough. So he and his team purchased 400 more.
> Rager thought that was enough. He was wrong. "That initial four hundred
> were just gone. They were just gobbled up." So they ordered another 700.*
>
>
>
>
>
> Wade Guidry
>
> WACTCLC
>
> Library Consortium Services Manager
>
> wadeg at bigbend.edu
>
> http://www.wactclc.org
>
> 509.760.4474
>
>
>
> Pronouns: he/him/his
>
>
>
>
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