Monday 16^th of March saw the launch of laptop loans services in the Main Library.  This incentive amounts to a tacit expansion of library study spaces, by allowing students to roam free with borrowed technology.  We can expect the British Museum, British Library and the other public locations in the Bloomsbury area – perhaps even a few coffee shops – to welcome those with essays to write and research. 

24 gleaming machines are housed in an imposing steel cabinet with just enough of 1970s Doctor Who about it (there are breathing holes) to be charming.  We anticipate the venture will be a great success, as it provides not just a computer for those that might not have one but also the possibility of escape from the building noise currently worrying the main library.

 Curfew for the laptops is 10.00pm.  They must be returned to the drawer from which they were taken and connected to a power supply for the return to be completed.  The same card is needed for issue and return, which should ensure that they are treated with care rather than being handed round like a bag of jelly beans.  As the machines are programmed to reset themselves after every use, to clear files and so forth, students will be advised to save work to memory sticks or make use of cloud services.

 Any members of library services who would like a demonstration should feel free to talk to the assistants at MID, who will be glad to give them a run through. 

Further details are available here:

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/laptop-loans