Laptop vending machines open in Cabell

India Jones
Contributing Writer

With the swipe of a VCU ID, students will now be able to check out  laptops at Cabell Library.

With more than 40,000 laptops loaned out to students last year, the need for access to laptops through a quicker checkout process is ever-growing, said VCU Libraries spokesperson Sue Robinson. In the first 24 hours the kiosks were open on Sep. 19, students checked out more than 200 laptops.

“It looks like it’s going to be a very popular and time-saving device for students,” Robinson said.

Cabell Library will be one of only a few libraries in the nation to have laptop kiosks. Other schools that offer the service include Drexel University, Brooklyn Public Library and University of California-Los Angeles.

“It promises to be more convenient for students, and if successful, has the potential to be reproduced in other locations on campus,” said Jimmy Ghaphery, director of digital technologies in Cabell.