1. Home
  2. Support
  3. IT Services for Students
  4. On Campus Services
  5. Laptop Loans

Laptop Loans

72 Chromebook laptops are available for students to borrow within the UCC Boole Library and 24 are available for use within Brookfield Library. 

There are also 36 Chromebook laptops available in the Student Hub, on the first floor on the Global lounge.

Students can use the automated locker system and their student cards to borrow a laptop for 4 hours.  

For any queries or problems relating to the service students should go to either the Library & IT Desk on the ground floor of the Boole Library or the Brookfield Library Information Desk. 

Student IT contact information:

  • Student IT Centre, Boole Library Main Desk (Q) / Boole Basement, UCC.
    • Tel: (021) 490 2120

For issues with your library account contact:

Availability

Laptop Loans FAQs

Borrowing FAQs and Rules

  1. Where is the Lapsafe locker system located?
  2. Who can borrow laptops?
  3. What account is used to borrow a Laptop?
  4. How to borrow a laptop?
  5. How to return a laptop?
  6. What if I close the locker door without reconnecting the charger?
  7. Is a student card required to return the laptop?
  8. Responsibility of laptops while loaned out?
  9. How many laptops are available to borrow?
  10. What will happen if I try to borrow a laptop from outside my grouping?
  11. How long can laptops be borrowed for?
  12. At what stage in the charging process can a laptop be borrowed?
  13. Are there fines for returning a laptop late?
  14. Will lost or damaged laptops be charged for?
  15. How do I know how much time I have left on the laptop borrow?
  16. Can I borrow laptops for use outside of the Library?
  17. What happens if a laptop is taken out of the library?

Where is the Lapsafe locker system located?

Boole Library

  • the Lapsafe is located on the ground floor beyond the self-issue machines and opposite the main lifts

Brookfield Library

  •  the Lapsafe is located to the right after entering through the turnstiles

Who can borrow laptops?

UCC students of all levels with a valid student card and library record. The service is currently not available to UCC staff or External Readers.

What account is used to borrow a Laptop?

The laptop is checked out to a student’s library account. Similar to books, students will need resolve issues with their library account to allow borrowing. Information on clearing library fines is here http://libguides.ucc.ie/libraryessentials/payafine

How to borrow a laptop?

  1. Students must use their Student ID to borrow laptops.
  2. Touch screen to begin
  3. Select Borrow
  4. Swipe student card on pad under the touch screen
  5. Accept terms and conditions
  6. The next available laptop locker will flash
  7. Re-swipe student card at locker tower (this is to ensure that the student has not been distracted, and to ensure that we only unlock the door when they are standing in front of the locker).
  8. Door unlocked
  9. Student removes device
  10. Shut locker door

How to return a laptop?

  1. Ensure Laptop is shut down
  2. Select ‘Return’ - Scan Student Card
  3. Display locker to return the device to. Students are always sent back to the same locker bay from which they borrowed the device.
  4. Unlock the door (no need to re-ID as no device at risk in locker bay)
  5. Open door
  6. Plug in laptop to charger lead or laptop will not be removed from library account
  7. Shut the locker door or laptop will not be removed from library account
  8. A laptop should be returned 30 minutes before the close of the Library.

What if I close the locker door without reconnecting the charger?

The laptop will still be checked out to your Library account. To reopen the locker door, select 'Return’ on the Lapsafe touchscreen, then the locker door will be reopened and the charger can be connected to complete the return process.

Is a student card required to return the laptop?

Yes, a student can only return a laptop with the same student card that was used to borrow the laptop.

Responsibility of laptops while loaned out?

The student is responsible for the laptop during the loan period. The laptop shouldn’t be left unattended at any time or loaned to anyone else. If there is an issue with a laptop the student should notify a member of staff.

How many laptops are available to borrow?

Boole Library

  • 72 Chromebooks are available for general student use

Brookfield Library

  • 24 Chromebooks are available for general student use

Only one laptop can be issued per transaction, a student must return the previous loan before another can be issued.

What will happen if I try to borrow a laptop from outside my grouping?

You will only get part way through the process before being prevented from borrowing.

How long can laptops be borrowed for?

Laptops can be borrowed for 4 hours. After returning a laptop, a student can borrow another laptop if there is one available.

At what stage in the charging process can a laptop be borrowed?

A laptop can be borrowed once it is at least 80% charged.

Are there fines for returning a laptop late?

Fees of €1.00 per hour or part of an hour accrue for late returns.

Will lost or damaged laptops be charged for?

Yes, fees will be charged for stolen, lost or damaged laptops.

How do I know how much time I have left on the laptop borrow?

There is a receipt printer with optional printing on the Lapsafe terminal or a student can also check their library account.

Only select the ‘Print Receipt’ button once on the Lapsafe, otherwise multiple receipts will print.

Can I borrow laptops for use outside of the Library?

No, the laptops will be security tagged and cannot be taken out of the library.

What happens if a laptop is taken out of the library?

The security gates will alarm. Also, students will not be permitted to log on outside of the library and the student will be notified to bring the laptop back to the library. Laptops will be unusable if stolen.

Chromebook Laptop FAQs

Chromebook Laptop FAQs

  1. What is a Chromebook laptop?
  2. How do I log into a Laptop?
  3. How do the laptops connect to Wi-Fi?
  4. What happens when the lid is closed on the laptop?
  5. I borrowed a laptop but it is locked, what do I do?
  6. Is data stored on the Laptop?
  7. Printing from the laptops?
  8. Overview of Chromebook Accessibility Settings
  9. What applications are available on the Chromebooks?
  10. How do I use Google apps?
  11. How do I log into Office 365?
  12. Can I save work to USB?
  13. What connections are on the laptops?
  14. Connect Chromebooks to screens wirelessly in the Library Creative Zone using Mirroring 360

The use of the laptops must adhere to the UCC acceptable usage policy. https://www.ucc.ie/en/it-policies/policies/au-pol/

For Assistance using the Laptops or any technical issues with the laptops, students should go to or contact the Student IT desk on the ground floor of the Boole Library.

In Brookfield Library please phone the Student IT Helpdesk for any laptop related issues or if a laptop is faulty it can be handed in at the Brookfield Library Desk.

All Laptops should be shut-down before return

What is a Chromebook laptop?

It is a laptop running the Chrome Operating system.

All the laptops in the Lapsafe Locker System are 14-inch Acer Chromebooks.

These devices are designed to be used primarily while connected to the Internet, with most applications and data residing in "the cloud".

These laptops are not running the Windows Operating system.

How do I log into a Laptop?

Using your student email and credentials.

On log-on, services such as Google Apps, Umail and Canvas will be automatically logged in and won’t require a second log-on.

How do the laptops connect to Wi-Fi?

The laptops connect to Wi-Fi Automatically.

What happens when the lid is closed on the laptop?

The laptop locks. Unlock it by re-opening the lid and logging in with your credentials.

I borrowed a laptop but it is locked, what do I do?

If a locked laptop is returned, the next student can simply reboot the laptop using the power button and then log in.

Reboot should only take a few seconds.

Is data stored on the Laptop?

After log out any local data and settings are wiped from the laptop. The user’s Google Drive is automatically mounted on log-on which means any data stored on this cloud drive and can be accessed from any device, anywhere, using your UCC account. Work will be automatically saved if using Google drive or Google apps. Similarly, Office 365 has cloud based storage through OneDrive and Office 365 apps.

Printing from the laptops?

At the moment printing is available through uPrint which is the current wireless printing facility

Google print may become available in the near future.

Overview of Chromebook Accessibility Settings:

For ease of use it is recommended to switch any accessibility settings before log on.

Before logon select alt+shift+s or click in the bottom right hand corner.

To access Chromebook general accessibility settings after logon:

  1. Sign in to your Chromebook.
  2. Click the status area, where your account picture appears, or press Alt + Shift + s.
  3. Click Settings.
  4. Click Show advanced settings.
  5. In the "Accessibility" section, check or uncheck the box to turn on or off any of these options

For the shortcut to switch on or off Chromevox, select ctrl + alt + z.

To use Speakit just highlight the text and select ctrl+shift+s - the highlighted text will be played back.

The Speakit Chrome add-on app will be installed by default on the laptops taskbar from where the settings can be adjusted.

For further assistance, go to the SIT desk or the Assistive Technology Lab on the ground floor of the Boole Library.

Disability Support Service 

Email: dssinfo@ucc.ie

Tel: 353 (0)21 490 2985

Web: https://www.ucc.ie/en/dss/

General overview of Chromebook accessibility settings here https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/177893?hl=en

What applications are available on the Chromebooks?

The available applications are all cloud based such as Google Apps and Office 365 online.

How do I use Google apps?

Navigate to the bottom left and click the circle icon to display the list of Google apps available.

Some apps have shortcuts in the bottom left hand corner e.g. Google drive. For a general overview on how to use Google apps click here - https://apps.google.com/learning-center/

Google apps have similar functionality to Microsoft Office e.g. Google Docs has similar functionality to Microsoft Word.

How do I log into Office 365?

Students can log into their Office 365 account at http://www.ucc.ie/o365 to access the online versions of Microsoft Office apps such as Word, Powerpoint and Excel. The full versions of Microsoft Office are currently not available on or downloadable to the Chromebooks.

Can I save work to USB?

Use of cloud storage such as Google Drive (which is mounted on the user’s profile) is recommended on Chromebooks. Students will have the ability save to USB sticks but opening documents from a USB stick in Microsoft Word in Office 365 will need to be saved to Office 365 One drive first.

Cloud storage is the more reliable and convenient option as data saves automatically and is accessible from any device.

What connections are on the laptops?

The laptops have one HDMI, two USB connections and a mini-jack headphone port.

We do not supply HDMI cables or other peripherals.

Connect Chromebooks to screens wirelessly in the Library Creative Zone using Mirroring 360:

See the Mirroring 360 App already pre-installed on the chrome browsers on borrowable laptops. Click the icon and enter the number on the Mirroring Assist QR code on the screen. Further instructions on screen Mirroring 360 here (https://www.ucc.ie/en/avms/wirelessmirroring/).

Accessibility settings on the Chromebook won't currently duplicate wirelessly using Mirroring 360.

Student IT Services

Boole Basement, University College Cork, College Rd.

Choose areas of the website to search
Top