The Laptop Loaner Program at Seminole State College is a collaborative project between the college’s IT department (referred to as CTS, for “Computing and Telecom Services) and the college libraries. It began with the identified need for students to have access to their own laptops that they could use for a full academic term, particularly as more classes moved online due to the COVID pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, the college libraries only had a few laptops available for short-term (4 hour) loans, and they were not intended to leave campus.
Realizing that the short-term laptop loan model would not meet the needs of many students who had one or more fully online classes, the CTS department used HEERF CARES funds to purchase 1,000 Dell laptops for distribution to students. About half of these Dell laptops have 13” screens and cellular data access, while the other half have larger 15” screens but have only wi-fi access. The Library and CTS departments collaborated to create a procedure for students to borrow laptops using both the college’s Seminole State App Portal (SSAP) and Alma, the library’s LSP (library services platform). At the time of need, students visit the college website and log into the SSAP to acknowledge that they have read the “Laptop Agreement Form.” Then the student approaches a service desk at any of the college’s campus libraries, and library staff verify that the form has been acknowledged. Library staff then check out via the Alma system the type of laptop the student chooses, a backpack to carry the laptop, and a charging cable. All three items are checked out individually so that if one of the three items is lost or damaged the student is only responsible for that particular item.
The CTS department has set up the laptops so that each student creates a unique login credential for that particular device, rather than using their college network account. This separate credential allows students to download any program they need for their schoolwork, such as remote test proctoring software. At the end of the academic term, when students return their laptops, they machines are checked in at the library and then sent to CTS to be reimaged and made usable for the next academic term.
This program has been aggressively marketed by the college, particularly at the beginning of each term, and to this point in time over 500 laptops have been circulated to students. Library staff have received positive feedback about the program from students who did not have access to a laptop or only had access to less powerful device.