How do you control loaned out equipment?

[reggiep]

I am the first to put my hand up and say I am not a very organised person, but I'm trying to become one.

At the moment if somebody borrows a camera or a projector I will make a note of it 'somewhere' but not always in the same place. Now I want to keep it in the same place so I'm after suggestions?

Would a large book be best so the staff have to physically sign for the kit?

Or maybe use the library system?

 

How do you do it?

[sippo]

I put ours on the classroom booking form under resources.

[Hightower]

We don't do it like this, but if I had say I would run an ICT booking system, then create additional rooms for the equipment (such as ICT1 - ICT5 for the rooms and then CAMCORDER1, CAMCORDER2 etc etc).

 

Then just log it in there as and when it is loaned. You would then have a history (i.e. know who to chase for it back!) and also staff could login and see what is available when at a glance.

[solitaire89]

In Science it's my responsibility, and I have an exercise book with a table in it - columns as follows:

Returned (tick box at the beginning so it's easy to see what's outstanding)

Apparatus (description)

Number

Department (loaned to, and name of staff/student)

Date Out

Date In

 

in IT, the NM deals with it all - and he holds it all in his head! How he rememebers I'll never know, but things always get returned!

[sparkeh]

At all my schools a simple book is used.

After a lot of stuff went missing at one primary school the book was given to officious secretary with the key to the resources cupboard. Everything is returned as nobody wants her chasing you for anything.

[witch]

I keep the cameras in my room, and the battery charger, and there is a sheet they have to sign and date when they take out the kit, and sign and date it on return (within 3 days). They are also expected (and it is on the sheet) to take out the batteries and put them in the adjacent chargers, as well as deleting all pictures off the camera. I do the occasional spot check.

I'd rather not have the responsibility as then you get lumbered with the incessant 'got any batteries for my whatever 'but I got told, not asked!

[budgester]

Give it to the librarian

 

Then they can add it there system and just book it in and out like a normal resorce.

[powdarrmonkey]

I numbered all the equipment and wrote a simple database to keep track.

[p858snake]

Another vote for the librarian route. Those sweet little innocent librarians aren't quite so when its overdue equipment and books that you owe them.

[frosty]

We use our Library system too. All equipment is asseted with a barcode label and is added to the Library System as an item. All techincal staff have a reader and kit is issed to their account. (We use Access-IT Library)

[d-taylor]

We use the Eclipse.NET library system

[reggiep]

We use the Eclipse.NET library system

 

Ah we have Eclipse.NET. Do you just add cams etc as hardware?

[d-taylor]

We add laptops from the laptop trollies, camcorders and cameras, card reader, tripods, the little connecting boot for the tripod and even camera leads. Yes, we add them to the hardware category.

 

Just be carefull though, one of my colleauges dealt with an issue to do with model numbers or linked items- because they were the same it kept writting over the barcodes. They ended up leaving the model numbers blank I think. I'll try and get some more exact info on the issue.

[Sylv3r]

We use our classroom booking system here for hardware loans too.

 

It gives the opportunity for staff to book the kit themselves instead of e-mailing us as well as allowing us to track who last used the equipment.

[Stevenw]

We have had issues with things going missing only to turn up months later in some random draw.

 

So we put any new equipment on the library system the librarian issues the equipment and any issues we deal with.

[jdoyle]

we have Eclipse.Net for our library tool and the freebie Room Booking tool from Devizes School.

 

the Room Booking tool is great for booking ahead but not for telling you who has a resource right now.

 

Eclipse is great for who's got it now but not for booking ahead.

[networkingNut]

We add it as a section to our room booking system. (MRBS)