Equipment and Keys
Equipment
Foley Library checks out equipment to patrons, including laptops, chargers, cameras, and microphones. Check these items out as you would check out any Foley-owned item, by scanning the item barcode. Make sure you check out each individual item (for example, both the cord and the wall mount have barcodes that need to be checked out individually).
Returning Equipment
When a patron returns a charger, be sure to check in the wall mount and the charging cable. These are checked out separately and if only one is checked back in, the patron will end up with a fine and a notice of an overdue item that they already returned. Also, the square wall mounts are small enough that the barcodes have to be wrapped around the edges and do not always scan easily. When you’re checking this kind in/out it might be easier to type in the bar code number rather than trying to get it to scan.
Waivers
You do not need for patrons to sign a waiver if they are checking out chargers or other small equipment such as calculators.
You DO need to have patrons sign a waiver if they are checking out any of the following: laptops, cameras, microphones, portable DVD players.
Anyone who checks out a computer or a larger electronic item from the wooden cabinet in the back (camera, DVD player) must sign a waiver form. These forms are in a binder by the circulation desk printer. Individuals must sign these waivers every single time they check out a device, not just one per year. Once the waiver is completed, it goes back in the binder as a record that the patron understands their liability for the device. Waivers are kept on file for 30 days and then shredded, provided the item has been returned by the patron at that time.
You can find the waiver binder on the shelf below the service desk station facing the front doors.
Have the patron fill out the waiver before checking out the item to them. Make sure you explain that they are reponsible for the replacement cost in the event that the item is lost or damaged.
Study Room Keys
Foley has 14 study rooms (11 on the second floor and 3 on the main floor). All keys are 3-hour checkouts, but the times are tied to the study room booking in LibCal (for example, if they only have the room booked for 1 hour, then the key would be due back after 1 hour instead of 3 hours).
Patrons use LibCal to make study room reservations. LibCal and Alma do not talk to each other, so you need to check both systems when checking someone in for a room. More on this later (see: LibCal & Study Rooms).
Department, Conference Room, and Lactation Room Keys
Foley also has keys for building departments, such as ILL, Scholarly Resources, and the Climate Center. Only authorized student employees are allowed to check out those keys. You can find an updated list of names posted on the wooden key cabinet in the circulation workroom. Make sure that you check that list to ensure that the patron is authorized to check out the key. Department keys are due back by the end of the day.
Foley also has a key to the CTA Conference Room (105A). Faculty are allowed to check out that key.
Lastly, Foley has a key to the Lactation Room (located in the 3rd floor staff lounge). Anyone who asks may check out that key, but it must be during normal business hours when the staff lounge is unlocked, or when a supervisor is available to let them in.