Q. Tech Lending Guidelines & Best Practices

Tech Lending ID Requirements:.

CatCards are preferred to check out equipment from the Tech Toolshed, but exceptions can now be made for all technology.

CatCards are the most efficient and reliable method for verifying both a patron’s identity and their affiliation with the University of Arizona, but if needed we can accept other forms of ID as an exception:

• We do not accept Student ID numbers
• We do accept valid forms of Government ID (similar to what we accept for PC reservations) as an exception.
  • This includes: Drivers License/permit, Passport, Military ID, State ID, and Tribal ID.

If an exception is made, please remind the patron that a CatCard will be required for future checkouts.

If a patron asks why they need their CatCard:

• Inform them this is our policy for lending technology.
• Inform them that library accounts are connected to their CatCard number, not their Student ID number. 

This exception is okay to be made by desk staff and student leads. Ops Student Employees should refer to a staff member for an exception.

In-person and Phone Renewals:

• Check the number of items to make sure we have enough to renew

• If we do, attempt to renew and If Alma allows it, go through with the renewal 

  • Double check the due date—it might not be a full 21-day renewal! 

• If Alma prevents it, let the patron know we can't renew the item 

• Do not confirm or offer a renewal until it Alma has allowed it to go through

• Availability numbers are no longer 100% accurate. Popular items may be available but will be fulfilling requests later. The best way to check availability is to attempt renewals 

• Not at any point offer or attempt to check the item in and back out to a patron 

• If an item is checked in, it could be associated with a Booking request. At that point, Alma will not allow the item to be checked out—there will not be an override option

Circulation best practices (particularly for high-demand items): 

• If we have an item on the normal circulation rack, bring it out to the desk 

• Let the patron know we’ll check to see if that item is available for check-out 

• Attempt to check out the item 

  •  If Alma allows it, give it to the patron 

    • Double check the due date—it might not be a full 21 day loan! 

  • If Alma does not allow it,

    • Let the patron know that there is a booking preventing the system from even offering a single day’s worth of loans 

Don’t at any point indicate that scanning the item in to Alma means that we are checking it out to the patron  AND Encourage patrons to place bookings on high-demand items, even if we are able to check one out to them right then 

Current renewal limits - staff should be aware of item renewals but patron does not have this info.  Even if we have enough, items may not renew due to bookings. 

• PCs-- 2 items 

• Portable Recording Studio -- not renewable 

• 3D Scanners -- not renewable 

• Everything else-- 2 items 

• Note, some items we only own 1-2 of, essentially making them non-renewable 

• VHS Player 

• MIDI piano keyboards 

• Camera Lenses 

Current High Demand Items: 

• Wifi Hotspot 

• Macbooks 

• Graphing Calculators 

• iPads 

• Surface Pro Tablet

Windows Activation:

When a patron with a Windows laptop approaches the desk with a laptop that says it needs to have windows reactivated on their loaner PCs, the simplest way to do so is to plug the laptop into our ethernet ports at the reimaging station and restart the computer.