Welcome back to Tech Talk! If you are new to Tech Talk, my name is Laurel Buffaloe and I am the manager of the Media Design Lab, currently located on the bottom floor of the Library. These blogs are designed to inform you, dear reader, about all things tech-oriented and to learn about all the neat places you can find within the library!

If you’ve had a tour or a workshop with me in the Media Design Lab, the thing I stress every time is how Equipment Checkout is one of the greatest resources you can utilize on campus. 

Equipment checkout is located at the front circulation desk and this place has EVERYTHING. 

Run, don’t walk.

Let me explain.

Equipment checkout is where current faculty, staff, and students can check out items. This service is for both academic and creative; you can use these items (listed below) for a project in class or just on your own time! You can check out a screen and a projector to watch movies in your dorm or you can check out a camera for your photography class. 

It’s the range of items you can check out that gets me. It’s so much more than cameras and camcorders (which are the most popular items by far); there are things like VR sets, sewing machines, and keyboards that you can check out and use! It’s so nice to know that these items are here for you to use just by scanning your RockyCard.

They have so many items to check out including:

  • Laptop Computers
  • Projectors (including Bluetooth compatible ones!)
  • Bluetooth Speakers
  • Drawing Tablets
  • Green Screens
  • Projector Screens
  • Microphones
  • GoPros
  • Digital Cameras
  • Camcorders
  • Gimbal Cameras
  • Tripods
  • Halo Lights
  • SD Cards
  • Phone Camera Lens
  • Calculators
  • Oculus Quests VR Headsets
  • Teleprompter Kits
  • Sewing Machines
  • Keyboards
  • Optical Drives
  • Toolbox kit

And it’s ever flourishing!

They also have ‘Flex Kits.’ These kits include multiple items in a set within one checkout. For example, checking out a photography studio kit may include a camera, tripod, lights, and a reflector set.

The standard length to check out an item is three days and one renewal. Some items, mainly ‘Flex Kits,’ can be checked out for a week at a time including one renewal if needed.

See what you can create and use with Equipment Checkout!

Laurel Buffaloe, Media Design Lab Manager

For more information about Equipment Checkout and technology lending: https://library.unca.edu/usingthelibrary/techlending