Great news! $1.4 million of the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act funding has been allocated to the Marriott Library to expand its successful student technology lending program. The Marriott Library, has procured 1,000 additional laptops for fall semester (650 PCs and 350 Macs) as well as 100 mobile hotspots.

While the library has been lending laptops to students for years now, the onset of the Coronavirus and the subsequent closing of campus in March, provided the library with the impetus to do more. Gathering computers and equipment from units across campus and working with the Student Union staff, the library’s computing staff quickly gathered and made available 257 laptops for students. Because of CARES funding, the library will be able to circulate well over 1,200 laptops and over 200 wifi devices to students during fall semester.

“We are so excited to be able to expand our laptop lending,” explains Harish Maringanti, Associate Dean for IT and Digital Library Services at the library. “With the CARES funding, we’ll be able to help even more students in need. This is the kind of service the library can and should be providing to students during this stressful time. And we are grateful for the opportunity.”

Various library departments including Purchasing, Facilities, Marketing and Student Computing Services are involved in this joint effort to support students’ needs.

The library is currently in the process of setting up the laptops with software and such. Students, who are enrolled in fall semester and who do not have a laptop or stable internet, can complete a request form now, and the library will contact them when the items become available.

A Few Bits About Laptop Borrowing

• Available only to U students enrolled in courses for fall semester.
• Borrowing period is semester long, as inventory allows.
• Request a laptop for self-service in-person pickup or home delivery.

Other technology items available to students for checkout include hotspot devices, charging cables, and calculators. Learn more about borrowing technology items here.

NOTE: In the past few months, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act has provided much-needed funding for education. Funding for the Marriott Library was provided from the state, local government, and tribal governments category of CARES. These funds were provided to help entities within Utah to respond to the public health emergency created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Utah State Legislature and Governor’s Office have assigned the Utah Education and Telehealth Network (UETN) the responsibility to administer a portion of these funds, which are being distributed to all of Utah’s higher education institutions, technical colleges and public education institutions.