The Wireless Library: An Assessment of a Library Laptop Program

Abstract

Approximately five years ago, the library at Emporia State University started a laptop checkout program to provide laptops for students and faculty members to checkout and use while they are in the library. The program has been highly successful with students often waiting in line to be able to check out a laptop. In 2009, the library purchased eight Netbooks to see how they would be received by the individuals using the laptop checkout program. With the beginning of the Fall 2010 semester, some modifications were made to the laptop checkout program including reducing the fines for late returns and extending the checkout period. Because the program has been in place for some time, the librarians at the Emporia State University Libraries would like to assess the program by surveying the individuals that check out laptops from the library. In this article, the authors will explore laptop programs in a variety of library settings, present details on the ESU Libraries Laptop Checkout program, discuss the survey results, present what the library faculty and staff have learned, and potential future modifications to the program

Leveraging quantitative data to improve a device‐lending program

“…Since the late 1990s, numerous articles have discussed the implementation of a library device‐lending program, including such issues as troubleshooting, budgeting, policy development, promotion, check‐out procedures, and hardware selection (Allmang, 2003; Buzzard and Teeter, 2011; Dodd and Drennan, 2007; Dugan, 2001; Duncan, 2003; Hahn, 2011; Lovgren, 2002; Munson and Malia, 2008; Power, 2008; Sharpe, 2009; Vaughan and Burnes, 2002). Various articles have also discussed qualitative assessment of program implementation or success, including pre‐program implementation assessment (Elwood et al , 2006; Changchit et al , 2006; Holden and Deng, 2005), surveys aimed at determining how patrons are using the devices (Atlas et al , 2007; Gutierrez and Summey, 2011), how laptop lending relates to space usage (Briden and Marshall, 2010), and post‐implementation patron satisfaction with the program (Clark, 2009; Dodd and Drennan, 2007; Feldman et al , 2008; Gutierrez and Summey, 2011; Hsieh and Holden, 2008). Still more articles have surveyed the general state of device lending in libraries or reviewed existing literature (Holden and Hsieh, 2007; Kwon and Soules, 2003; Tees, 2010; Zimerman, 2011).…”