[Libs-Or] Charging stations

[Kirsten Brodbeck-Kenney]

We ended up going with a charging station because it can accommodate the largest variety of devices, and because it seemed easier for both staff and patrons -- no need to track down charges or have procedures in place to check them out, no need to deal with chargers going missing. We have had a handful of thefts, but we put the station in a seating area directly across from the front counter, and that seems to have helped both in terms of encouraging people to hang out near their device, and in terms of keeping an eye on things. We bought one from Chargetech and other than having to replace a couple cables, it's been going strong since 2014. We found it was a lot cheaper to buy it on Amazon than getting it from a library-specific source.

Kirsten Brodbeck-Kenney, MLIS
Library Director
Driftwood Public Library
801 SW Highway 101 #201
Lincoln City, OR 97367
Phone: 541-996-1251
kbrodbeck-kenney at lincolncity.org

From: Libs-Or [mailto:libs-or-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us] On Behalf Of Buzzy Nielsen
Sent: Thursday, December 21, 2017 9:29 AM
To: libs-or at listsmart.osl.state.or.us
Subject: [Libs-Or] Charging stations


We'd like to offer patrons options to charge their devices at the library when they forget their chargers, and we've been deliberating whether it makes more sense to get charging stations vs. letting people borrow chargers from the desk (no card required). Here are our observations so far.



  *   Based on the devices our patrons use, we likely only need Lightning, USB Type-C, and Micro-USB charging options.
  *   Charging stations are more expensive than buying several individual chargers.
  *   Checking out individual chargers is more work for staff and would require us to set up procedures.
  *   We'd have to find somewhere to store the chargers behind our service desk.
  *   Charging stations would limit people to a few locations whereas they could sit anywhere they want with individual chargers.
  *   People might be more inclined to use charging stations since they don't have to ask a staff member.
  *   Stationary charging stations may encourage people to leave their devices unattended, which has been an issue in our library and community.



We'd love to hear your thoughts. What have been your experiences?


Cheers!
Buzzy

*************************
Library Director
Crook County Library
175 NW Meadow Lakes Dr.
Prineville, OR 97754
bnielsen at crooklib.org<mailto:bnielsen at crooklib.org>
541-447-7978 x301

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