Thanks again to everyone who shared their experience and suggestions for
circulating digital cameras. Barcoding equipment and only checking it out
to teachers were both frequently mentioned. The replies are below:
If a student is using a camera during the school day, he/she needs
permission from a teacher, since use is school related. If a child wants to
take home equipment, I have their parents come in to sign a form accepting
responsibility for any damage or loss of equipment. I also give the parent
and student a crash course on using the equipment. When equipment is
returned, I do an inspection to make sure it is in working condition.
I have several digital video and still cameras and have barcoded them all
and they are in my circ system. I circulate them just like everything else
except only staff check them out. If students use them they use them under
the supervision of a staff person and use them on school grounds. Staff may
check them out for personal use but students may not. So far, the only
damage has been from staff but that has been minimal. I've done this for
years and highly recommend it. I also provide batteries, memory cards,
usb/firewire cables, etc. and keep them recharged. I look at it as part of
my AV equipment resources, like overheads and LCDs.
We bar code our digital and video cameras, and generally check them out to
faculty. If a student needs one for a project, I ask the student to bring a
note from the teacher approving the use. If a club or newspaper staff
member requires the camera, I check it out to the faculty advisor and make a
note in the record with the name of the student who borrowed it. (This
keeps the faculty member in the loop.) Check out is for as long as they
need it, but never more than one week. After that, they have to see me to
renew it. The student/faculty member loses or damages the camera through
carelessness, they are charged for the cost of the repair/camera.
I do not circulate any digital cameras directly to students. The teachers
can check it out on the student's behalf. This way there will be a
'responsible' adult.
We have 20 new camcorders and about 15 digital still cameras that we loan
out overnight. They are cataloged and barcoded. We also have an Equipment
Signout Agreement that the students and parents sign at the beginning of the
year stating the cost of replacement if lost or broken. We give the parent
the option of NOT allowing their son to check out this equipment. The fine
is $1.00/day for each. Please let me know if you would like more
information.
We have circulated cameras and camcorders for about 7 years [we used to loan
those floppy disk Mavicas]. We bought small cases for each one and attached
an ID tag, about the size of a business card, to each one and added a
barcode to the tag. Both the cameras and the camcorders circulate for 3
days with no renewals. If the item is damaged by accident then we don't
charge them. If it is obvious that the damage was the student's fault we
would charge them, though we have never had to. In the event that they lose
the item they would pay the replacement cost or they could purchase a
replacement, but that has only happened once and that was with a floppy disk
Mavica which we were phasing out at the time.
We have 500 student and 100 faculty. We have 20 cameras and 15 camcorders
and we have about 400 total camera/camcorder check outs per year. We could
get by with less of each but several history classes now do video projects
so we need this number to cover every one. Tapes are cheaper when bought in
bulk so we buy them and then sell them at cost to students. We have found
that DVD camcorders do not work as well for editing as the digital tapes do.
Hope this helps!
We have been circulating large numbers of cameras for years. All are
barcoded. All have a protective carrying case. Check-out lengths vary but in
general overnight has been the norm.(This limits the time it may be bounced
around.)We supply the batteries and make sure they are fully charged when
checked out. Damage and loss has been a fact of life. Sometimes it is just
wear and tear but if it looks like abuse we expect the student to pay for
the item pro-rated.
We have two digital cameras and two camcorders at our high school. We did
barcode them, and we check them out to teachers. If a student gets a note
from a teacher that says they have a project to work on, we will give the
camera to the student, but we still check it out to that teacher. This way
students only get cameras when there is an actual assignment.
So far it has worked out well. Ultimately in this system the teacher is
always responsible for the equipment, and it all stays at school. If things
break, we just have to get it repaired.
Hope this helps,
We require the student to fill out a financial responsibility statement*
which is also signed by their parents. When erveryone knows what the cost
will be, nobody is surprised.
Hello, I barcode all of our cameras, and make a note in the record of all of
the equipment that goes with that particular camera batteries, chargers,
disks/cards, cases, cords, etc).
We only let teachers check them out, and when the teacher checks them out I
make a note of exactly what they are borrowing.
If you were going to let kids check them out, you might want to say that
they have to remain in the classroom, due to cost.
I barcode my cameras. We are not allowed to charge for lost or broken video
cameras here. I have had one video camera stolen. Currently, when I loan out
the video cameras I do not include the cables which they are virtually
useless without. I am hoping this might deter theft
My school was lucky in that we wrote a grant and received $10,000 for
equipment. We purchased digital still cameras, digital video cameras,
computers for editing and more.
We circulated the cameras to teachers only. I didn't bother barcoding them
because it was too much trouble but we used Sharpie to mark each camera with
a number. I kept a clipboard with the cameras to write down the name of the
teacher and which camera was borrowed.
We included a checkout checklist with each camera that had a picture of each
part; cords, batteries, etc. When the teacher returned the camera, I
checked off what I received back. If anything was missing, they had a list
with pictures to help the identify the missing items.
We bought clear shoe boxes from a 'dollar store' to keep our cameras in. I
kept the boxes locked in a filing cabinet so that someone couldn't come in
and just borrow them without my knowing it. Copies of the key were with the
principal and the technology teacher in case I was absent.
There were three of us who formed a technology team in our school. We
devised the rules for camera checkout and the training. We used library and
technology class time to teach the students how to hold the cameras, how to
pass them from one another, and the reasons for being careful. This worded
extremely well as most of our teachers didn't pay attention during the
meetings where they were taught correct use. As a result, we had few to no
accidents with our cameras. Because of their training, our students were
more careful than their teachers!
Loss and damage - As an inner city school, our students couldn't afford to
pay for a broken camera. We had only one incident where a camera was
damaged. The parents were called in, the students were reprimanded. They
'paid' their debt by cleaning and dusting in the library and computer labs.
I really think the key is training ahead of time. The students learned that
they had to work in teams, that their ability to use the cameras again was
determined by their appropriate use. I'm not saying we have angels for
students, after all, this is inner city Columbus, Ohio. They just responded
well to being trusted with the equipment.
We have several digital and digital video cameras in circulation. Here is
our routine: 1. We barcode and catalog all equipment. Oddly, after
barcoding, checking out by hand in a notebook works best for us. The
notebook holds all equipment checkouts, and it is easy to see who has what
and if anything is on reserve. 2. Priority is given to faculty for classroom
use. (reservations are taken, if need be). Students may use equipment for
school projects. 3. Students and faculty sign an equipment checkout
agreement. In addition, we offer verbal instructions that if the camera is
not in use or in their hands, it is to be locked in their locker or car. If
in a car, it should be out of sight. (we have had 2 cameras "walk off"
school shelves, and one stolen from a car).
We have had no problems with damage, but a few losses and thefts. We use our
judgment on replacement. If it is clear that the student did everything
correctly, then we do not charge for replacement. (for instance, one car was
broken into and a backpack stolen. The camera was inside the backpack, not
visible from outside the car.) If the student did not have the camera locked
up, then we charge for it. We are very careful to spell out the consequences
when they sign the equipment form-- a video camera, cords, batteries,
charger, and bag can run to $500 or more.
Hope this helps.
I have two digital cameras. I fit a barcode on each of them. They circulate,
but only to teachers, for class projects. The video cameras are next on the
list...
We only circulate ours to teachers. Now the computer teacher handles it,
since he has to download a lot of the pics for teachers who aren't
comfortable with it. They always end up with him anyway. And with
rechargeale batteries, parts, downloading cables, etc., it's a pain no
matter what. But the results can be astounding.
Davinna Artibey
Teacher Librarian
Denver Center for International Studies
Davinna@comcast.net
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