Equipment Checkout Policies

Note that these policies apply to equipment checked out from library InfoLabs.

Service Eligibility

The following list constitutes the eligible groups for InfoLabs circulation services.

• All Current UW-Madison Employees
• All Enrolled UW-Students

Checking out

• To check out any piece of equipment you must present your current Wiscard. Without a physical card, staff will turn you away.
• Patrons are limited to one checkout of each item type (laptop, camera, tablet, video camera, etc.) at a time.
• At checkout, by accepting the equipment you agree to the policies on this page, that you have received all items included with the equipment, and that the included pieces are in working condition.
• Problems with, damage to, loss, or theft of the hardware loaned to you must be reported immediately. Failure to do so may result in repair and/or replacement fees. Any damage to, loss, or theft of loaned equipment during the loan period is the sole responsibility of the borrower as well as subsequent repair or replacement costs up to the original value of the item(s). Costs assessed to a patron must be paid before new equipment can be borrowed from any equipment circulation location. Please email technologycirculation@library.wisc.edu to report damage, loss, or theft of the hardware loaned to you.
• Users found to have damaged equipment will be blocked from borrowing more equipment until such time as the damage fees have been assessed and paid in full.
• Patrons are limited to one checkout of each item type (laptop, camera, tablet, video camera) at a time.
• Laptops are loaned for up to 7-days at a time. Patron may have up to 14 renewals are allowed a total quota of 105 days per semester. (For example, a patron could check out a 7-day laptop 15 times during a semester, or checkout a 7-day laptop once and then renew it 14 times.) Once the quota has been exceeded, the patron may not checkout or renew laptops for the remainder of the semester.
• Non-laptops are loaned for up to 7-days at a time and can be renewed up to 9 times for a total of 70 days.
• Renewals may not be available if there is not sufficient inventory, as such we do not guarantee all 9 renewals, or up to 14 renewals for laptops.
• Any damage to or loss of loaned equipment during the borrowing period is the sole responsibility of the borrower. Damage costs assessed to a patron must be paid before new equipment can be borrowed from any location. Users found to have damaged equipment will be blocked from borrowing more equipment until the damage fees have been assessed and paid in full.
• Borrowers should not check out equipment for use by any other student or individual. Doing so may result in permanent revocation of borrowing privileges.
• Eligible groups for InfoLabs circulation services are all current UW-Madison employees and all enrolled UW-Students.
• Link: WebCheckout Patron Portal

Returning

• Equipment must be returned to the same location from which it was checked out. Items dropped off at locations other than the original borrowing location are not considered returned and may accrue late consequences until they are retrieved by the borrower and returned to the correct location. It is the sole responsibility of the borrower to verify that the location is open when planning to return the item.
• All items must be returned at least one hour before closing on the day that the item is due. For locations that are open past midnight on the day an item is due, items must be returned before 11:00 p.m. A link to the checkout location hours is included in the e-mail receipt. Please verify that the location is open when planning to return the item.
• During a term a patron can receive up to 70 days with a non-laptop item(s) (nine renewals) and up to 105 days with a laptop (14 renewals). After that the item(s) must be returned, and items of the same type may not be checked out until the next semester.
• All items should be returned to the same location they were checked out at by the last day of the current term. Terms are Fall Semester, Winter Break, Spring Semester, and Summer Term.
• If an item cannot be renewed for any reason, it should be returned by the due date. 

Overdue Equipment

• Equipment should be returned on or before the due date. Some items can be renewed online, but renewals must be submitted prior to the due date. Please see this KnowledgeBase page for more information on renewals: WebCheckout – How To – Renew a Checkout (wisc.edu).
• Equipment that is overdue may result in restrictions on a person’s ability to check-out equipment or enroll in classes. See our full overdue policy for more information.
• Equipment that is severely overdue can result in lost fees being assigned to the patron record or, in extreme cases, more severe penalties including registration blocks or contacting the Office of the Dean of Students.
• Unpaid fines stay in the system indefinitely.
• Fines must be paid in-person and can only be paid with a credit card, debit card, or Wiscard, not with cash or check at the College Library InfoLab. No exceptions.

Procedural Notes

• The due date for items can be checked online or through the standard confirmation emails sent at time of borrow or renewal.
• Checkout location hours can be found online or in the the standard confirmation emails sent at time of borrow or renewal.
• Any and all questions regarding technology circulation, including policy, fines, or support requests can be directed to technologycirculation@library.wisc.edu.