New technology available at the Mary Kintz Bevevino Library is allowing students, classmates and professors with new ways to stay connected.
The Mary Kintz Bevevino Library brought in four new Apple iPads, roughly 15 to 20 new laptops and all new computer units on the second floor, allowing students to use different forms of technology for their studies.
The library’s electronic reserve specialist, Jacob Garner, says they are trying to stay stay ahead of the technological curve.
“We are going where we think the technology is going,” Garner said. “If students want the iPad, then we will move towards the iPads.”
More professors are suggesting students use e-readers or iPads for classes now, and renting one from the library iPad can help students decide if the technology would be worth the large investment, since many tablets range in cost from $400 to $700.
“Many Speech Language Pathology classes demand students to have e-readers to access eBooks, while other computer classes that are building applications for Apple products find the iPads very useful,” he said.
Jacob notes that the sign-out process is quite simple and students should not be afraid to approach someone in the library to ask for help. To sign out a new product, students or faculty need to complete a release form stating that they understand the terms and conditions. They also need to agree to the late fee charge, which starts at $10 per day late.
Junior Cheyne Kulessa has already rented an iPad and thinks this was a great addition to the library. “It’s like renting a laptop from the library, except you can take it home for a week.”
Since this is such a new service to the library, many students are unaware that they are able to rent an iPad for an entire week. Kulessa learned about the new technology from a friend and said he didn’t see the services advertised. If he had, he said he would have rented an iPad much sooner.
Kulessa, a sports management/physical therapy major, hasn’t had much use for the iPad in an educational sense just yet, but has used the iPad for his own enjoyment, playing games like Angry Birds and using popular apps like Facebook and Twitter.
“I didn’t find much use for it in the classroom because of my major, but I know a lot of students in other majors might find use for the educational applications preloaded to the iPad.”
Kulessa encourages all students to rent some of the new technology from the library. He said it would be a waste if students don’t.
“I would absolutely rent one out again. With these services and everything else new on campus you can just see that Misericordia is taking huge positive steps into the future.”