[Web4lib] Laptop checkout security

[Maurice York]

As an old circulation and reserves hand, I've gotten wary of keeping
anything personal that belongs to students (keys, ids, sweaters, coffee
mugs, earrings, etc, etc...I once heard of a reserves desk that asked
students to leave $75 in cash in a sealed envelope in exchange for checking
out high-value items). The risks and headaches that there will be something
valuable stored on the card, that an emergency will happen and they won't
have their keys, that one student will put something in an odd drawer and
the next staff member won't be able to find it, etc, get a bit overwhelming
(in a former reserves life, I instituted a "trade-for-materials" policy and
learned all of this the hard way).

For straight circulation of laptops, in my book, nothing beats using the
goold old-fashioned ILS to check the stuff out and fine students the full
price of the laptop if it doesn't return (we charge a round $1500 here,
which also gets them their library privileges blocked as a bonus, and we
bursar the bill, so mom and dad get an unpleasant shock to boot). Students,
of course, need a university or photo ID in order to check out anything in
the first place, so ID verification is built in. As far as I know, we
haven't had a single lost or stolen laptop since we started the lending
program, nigh on these four or five years.

-Maurice

-- 
************************************
Maurice York
Team Leader, Circulation and E-Learning Services
Woodruff Library
Emory University
Atlanta, GA 30322
mcyork at emory.edu

On 2/8/07, Bret Parker <Bret.Parker at ci.stockton.ca.us> wrote:
>
> I know someone eluded to knowing the students personally. That works
> well in a small environment.
>
> Policies that work in a larger community would need to stretch beyond
> the keys to two or three points of verification.
>
> In a former life at a Public Library in California:
>   1. Take keys or photo ID (DL) at the reference desk in exchange for
> patron use of Mitchell's or Chilton's manuals.
>   2. Library closes.
>   3. Reference staff locks up. Oops!  Here is a set of unclaimed keys
> in the drawer (and once in a while a DL).
>   4. Next day:  confirmed the auto repair manual was not returned, it
> never does get returned.
>
> Lesson learned:
>    After a policy is in place, people who want to steal and see a low
> hurdle security system can and do steal. In this case, anonimity (which
> is much more possible in a larger community) presented a clear
> opportunity for getting away with theft.
>
> Better solution:
> Take the ID or car or room keys and provide pointers to staff to
> verify that these are not fakes (e.g. if all dorm keys look alike,
> provide a photo of this).  Write that into the procedure. But also
> record the transaction (either in the ILS, another computer systems, or
> a paper-based system -- whatever works).
>
> >>> "K.G. Schneider" <kgs at bluehighways.com> 2/7/2007 7:52:40 PM >>>
> >  Why not take their ID or even car/room keys?  If they want to use a
> > laptop they will comply wit the request.  We require students to
> leave
> > their ID card with us when they borrow course reserve materials.  If
> we
> > ever decide to have a formal program to loan out our laptops we would
> go
> > the same route.  Our laptops are now used mostly for instruction.
> > Clearly labeling them is a must.
> >
> > Bill Drew
> > drewwe at morrisville.edu
>
> Bill, you bring up an interesting point about consistency across
> policies.
> We'll look into that as well. Thanks!
>
> K.G. Schneider
> kgs at bluehighways.com
>
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