Laptop loans from your campus Library

So, you’ve rushed out of the door in (mostly) clean clothes and you’re on time for once. You’re feeling pretty good about your adulting skills when you remember: you have a 9am lecture and you said you’d meet some friends to work on a presentation this afternoon. In your bag, you have nothing but a Twix and some lip balm (essentials, obviously, but they’re not going help you take notes or access the files you need)... 

Don’t panic! You can borrow a laptop from the library! 

Your day is saved. 

You’re welcome. 

This may or may not be a familiar scenario, but you can borrow laptops from all three of our campus libraries. Read on to find out more:

What are laptop loans?

Laptop Loans are laptops you can borrow from your campus library. Laptops can be borrowed from all our campuses via a self-service kiosk.

Laptops can be borrowed for 3 or 6 hours at Colchester and Southend and for the day at Loughton during library opening hours.

Our laptop loans work anywhere on campus apart from in accommodation, meaning you can take them to lectures, use them in the library or in any study space around the university.

Have a meeting coming up? You can use a laptop loan in one of the library individual study pods/rooms.

Find out more about study spaces at our three campus libraries:

• Colchester study spaces
• Southend study spaces
• Loughton study spaces

How do I borrow a laptop?

To borrow a laptop, all you need is your student or staff card. The video below takes you through the process:

How do I return a laptop?

When returning a laptop, the key thing to remember is that you need to return your laptop on time and plug it in! If you do not plug in your laptop, the locker will not recognise the return and you may be fined.

What can I use laptop loans for?

Anything you would use any University PC for.

Laptops come equipped with webcams so you can conduct meetings and attend online sessions. You can also get access to all your One Drive files and the Microsoft Office suite.

You can print by selecting ‘Manage Print’ in the printer options- this will allow you to collect your printing from any printer on campus.

Media laptops

If you are an East 15 student, then you may require specific software to edit your show reel or make a poster for a show. You can do this through the Media Laptops which are based at our Loughton and Southend campus libraries.

We have introduced Media Laptops which come pre-installed with Adobe Creative Cloud giving you access to Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, InDesign and more.

Just select the ‘Media Laptop’ option on the laptop kiosk and follow the instructions provided on the laptop.

We do ask that you use your own external hard drive to save media files to keep our laptops running smoothly and ensure you are able to easily save your work.

Accessible Lockers

All our self-service kiosks have an accessible locker option. To access this, click on the symbol in the top right of the screen.

The kiosk will issue you a laptop in a middle locker making it easier to take the laptop and return it.

Does borrowing a laptop cost anything?

Borrowing a laptop is absolutely free!

Just make sure to return the laptop on time as late returns will be charged at a rate of £1 per hour.

Where can I find laptop loans?

Laptop Loans are available from all three campus libraries. You can find them in the following locations:

Colchester

• Outside the library learning room on the ground floor

Southend

• Opposite the InfoPoint in The Learning Hib on the second floor of the Forum (Turn right as you exit the lifts).

Loughton

• At the back of the Library and IT Centre, opposite the entrance.