Bierce Library together with Technology Learning Support Services provides access to 150 wireless laptops for use by current UA students, faculty, and staff. The Laptop Circulation Desk is located in Bierce Library room 361.
The Science & Technology Library provides access to 30 IBM and 25 Dell laptops for use by current UA students, faculty, and staff. the Science Laptop Circulation checkout is adjacent to the Science Circulation Desk.
Use and Liability
- Laptops are available on a first-come, first-served basis and may not be reserved or held for individual or class use.
- Laptop use is limited to current UA students, faculty, and staff.
- Laptops are to remain in the library during the duration of the loan period.
- Borrowers must present a current Zip Card and a second picture ID in order to checkout a laptop. Your Zip Card will be held at the Laptop Circulation Desk until the laptop is returned. Bierce Library will not hold a driver's license for checkout.
- Borrowers may not attach their own hardware, install their own software, or change system settings.
- All borrowers must click accept on the electronic Bierce Library Laptop Loan Agreement, accepting responsibility for the repair or replacement of the laptop and/or accessories in the event of loss, theft, or damage.
- Never leave your laptop unattended. The library is not responsible if your laptop or laptop accessory is lost or stolen while checked-out on your account.
- A printable version of the Laptop Use and Liability Policy is available here.
Loan Periods
- Laptops may be borrowed for a period of four (4) hours or until thirty (30) minutes before library closing and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Laptops may be renewed in person only. S & T laptops can be renewed on-line. The laptops will not renew if they are overdue.
- Laptops stop circulating 30 minutes before library close and all laptops must be returned by that time. Library hours are available here.
Fines and Replacement/Damage Charges
- Overdue fines are $10 an hour, up to a $200 maximum.
- Overdue fines are non-refundable.
- Replacement cost of a lost, damaged, or stolen laptop computer will be no less than $2,000, plus the accrued overdue fine.
- Replacement cost of a lost, damaged, or stolen laptop accessory will be no more than $100 plus the accrued overdue fine.
Specifications
Battery Life and Performance
Laptop use determines the life of the battery. Wireless network activity and the use of accessories such as USB drives, as well as video streaming or playing CD-ROMs and DVDs will deplete the batteries at faster rate.
Check the power meter regularly to determine remaining battery power. To view the power meter, double click on the blue battery icon on the left side of the task bar running along the bottom of the screen. A pop-up window will display the current power status of the laptop battery.
If a Low Battery message displays at any time during use, plug the laptop into a power source using an AC adapter or exchange the laptop for a new one.
Laptop Accessories
- AC Adapter
- Lock-down cable
Hardware
- 10/100 Ethernet Combo
- 14 inch" XGA display
- 256 MB RAM
- 40 GB Hard Drive
- Cisco Wireless MPCI (built in)
- DVD/CDRW Combo
- IBM ThinkPad R40
- Pentium M 1.3GHz
Software
- Adobe Acobat
- ArcGIS
- Flash Player
- Math XL Plugin
- McAfee VirusScan
- MS Office 2003:
- Photo Editor
- Access
- Excel
- Frontpage
- InfoPath
- Powerpoint
- Word
- QuickTime
- Real Player
- SAS 9
- Shockwave
- SPSS: 13 & 14
- Windows XP
- Windows Media Player
Printing & Saving
Printing
- Printing costs $.07 per page.
- Prints may be retrieved at any of the print release stations located in the library. Two are located on the first floor of the library near the Reference Desk. Bierce Library has a third station located @ Laptop Circulation in Bierce room 361.
- The Express Print Station @ Laptop Circulation in Bierce room 361 is for quickly printing Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF documents from a floppy disk or USB drive.
- To print at either library you must have a Zip Card or courtesy print card. Courtesy print cards are available for purchase from the VTS machines located on the 1st floor near the Reference (Circulation for S & T) Desk or (for Bierce) on the ground floor near the photocopiers. Money may be added to your card in the Bierce Coffee Shop or at any VTS machine.
Saving
- Files may be e-mailed or saved to a floppy disk, USB drive, or ZipSpace.
- Floppy disks (USB drives for Bierce) are available for purchase at the Bierce Library Circulation Desk.
Support and Help
- Hardware and software assistance is available @ Laptop Repair Services, Bierce Library room 54C (on the ground floor near the photocopiers).
- For information on how to connect with your own laptop computer to The University of Akron's WLAN (wireless local area network), please call (330) 972-5308, e-mail compstore@uakron.edu, or visit Computer Solutions, located on the third floor of the Student Union.
Frequently Asked Questions
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