Memorial Library offers laptops for patron use

by Catherine Cox

This spring, as exam week approaches and library traffic increases, Memorial Library users who do not own a laptop computer have another alternative to waiting in line at the InfoLab--checkout a laptop and use a wireless connection.

The Memorial Library InfoLab recently acquired 10 wireless Dell Inspiron 8100 laptop computers equipped with a DVD-CD burner and 1 GHz CPU. The only to requirement to borrow a laptop is valid identification.

There are three access points in Memorial Library where patrons can use a wireless connection: in the west corridor and in study hall rooms 116 and 216. The laptops can access the Internet, all of the My UW-Madison resources, and any software applications that reside on the computer's hard drive.

Not only is a wireless connection convenient, it's fast. The campus wireless network is approximately 20 times faster than a 56-kbps modem connection.

Students, faculty, and staff can checkout and return the laptops from the Memorial Library InfoLab in room 140.

Laptops are also available at Helen C. White InfoLab and at Wendt Library. In addition, several other campus locations also offer wireless connections such as Steenbock Library, Wendt Library, Grainger Hall, Union South, and Memorial Union.

Those who wish to use their own laptop computers need a wireless network card and a NetID.