Vanderbilt Libraries have just added iPad2s to the list of items that the university’s current students, faculty and staff can check out.
“We are pleased to accommodate this request from a large number of our students,” said Connie Vinita Dowell, dean of libraries. “With the iPads, students will be able to read ebooks, work on assignments, watch video and easily share ideas.”
Associate Dean of Libraries Jody Combs anticipates that the iPad2s could be a very popular item for check out in the coming weeks. Therefore, the loan period is three days and iPads are checked out on a first come, first served basis for a loan period of three days.
“This is a big milestone for our libraries and our student government,” said Maryclaire Manard, president of Vanderbilt Student Government. “It shows the progressive direction our libraries are moving in by adapting new technologies to enhance student learning on campus. This is something that the partnership between VSG and the libraries has prioritized.”
Dowell noted that the tablet computers are just one example of non-traditional library items now in circulation at Vanderbilt Libraries.
All campus libraries have umbrellas ready to lend when rainstorms catch the campus community by surprise. Headphones and laptops have been circulating for several years, according to Bill Hook, associate dean of libraries.
Some items are available at only one or two of the campus libraries. Library users interested in leisure reading or catching up on classic films would be more likely to find these selections at the Central Library. The Peabody and Science libraries are the only ones to loan GPS units. Hook said the reason is that the Vanderbilt courses that focus on GPS services “tend to cluster in the education and science curriculums.”
“Libraries that offer group study rooms with projectors will offer cables and adapters for checkout to connect all the technology,” said Hook. “Some of our libraries also loan DVD/VHS players for the projectors.”
Visit http://researchguides.library.vanderbilt.edu/ipads for more information on iPad circulation at Vanderbilt Libraries.