The following policies and procedures are specific to the long-term loan of equipment from Digital Media Services lab locations. For reference, a complete list of policies and procedures for Digital Media Services can be reviewed by clicking here.

• Access to the Program
• Reservations
• Checking Out Equipment
• During Your Equipment Loan
      - Lost or Unreturned Items
      - Stolen Items
• Checking In Equipment
      - Equipment-Specific Policies
• After Your Equipment Loan
      - Fines from Overdue Equipment
      - Appealing Fines
      - Paying Fines

Access to the Program

To reserve, borrow and/or return equipment, clients must present a valid Loyola University Chicago (LUC) ID card and be currently enrolled in classes during the current academic term, quarter or semester, as a student. Currently employed faculty or staff may use the Equipment Loan Program (ELP) in order to support University business. LUC Alumni and community access members do not have access to the ELP.

Loss or damage of equipment while on loan and/or returning equipment late may result in being blocked from checking out equipment from DMS. Additional conditions for this policy are related to a client’s status at the University:

Students

• If equipment is returned late, the student will receive a warning, in addition to any associated fine.  
• On a second late return within a three month rolling window, the student will receive a final warning, in addition to any associated fine. 
• On the third late return of equipment within a three month rolling window, the student will be blocked from the ELP for a period of one month.

Faculty & Staff

• If equipment is returned late, the faculty/staff member will receive a warning, in addition to any associated fine. 
• On the second late return of equipment within a three month rolling window, the faculty/staff member will be blocked from the ELP for a period of one month.

Any client with fines or fees due to Digital Media Services (DMS), Instructional Technology and Research Support (ITRS) or Information Technology Services (ITS) will not be permitted to participate in any of the Equipment Loan Programs sponsored by Information Technology Services. Clients will be permitted to participate once their fines and/or fees are paid in full and/or any existing blocks or holds have expired.

Reservations

Clients using the Equipment Loan Program rely on equipment being available for on-time pick-up. When you make a reservation using our online system, you will establish an equipment pickup time - not your assigned due date and time. This does not account for clients who do not return equipment on time or unexpected damage. If available, you may be provided alternative equipment if the items you have reserved are not available. If you are unable to make your reservation pickup time, please contact the respective location, so that your reservation can be cancelled and other clients may check out the equipment. 

Online advance reservations must be made for all equipment. Reservations are not accepted over the telephone or via e-mail and cannot be transferred to another individual, nor do they renew equipment already on loan. Clients may not reserve equipment in their own name for pick-up by other clients, as the client reserving/checking-out the equipment (and signing the contract) will be held responsible for the equipment. Click here to review how to make a reservation using our online system. 

No more than two back-to-back reservations will be permitted in the same equipment item, without permission from a Digital Media Specialist. On the third reservation for the same equipment item, without prior approval, the reservation may be cancelled. Additionally, some categories of equipment may have limitations on the total number of items that are available for loan per person.

Some equipment may require training prior to picking up your equipment. Please review all notices during the reservation process to ensure a smooth and expeditious checkout experience.

Clients have a thirty (30) minute grace period to hold equipment that is reserved. If a client reserves equipment and is more than thirty (30) minutes late for pick-up, their reservation may be cancelled.

Checking Out Equipment

Equipment will not be circulated during the last thirty (30) minutes of a service location’s equipment circulating hours. Clients are advised to take this into consideration when planning their check-out and check-in.

Clients are responsible for verifying all items on their contract are accounted for in any equipment loan prior to signing an Equipment Loan Contract. This includes cables, power adapters, batteries and other components. Be sure to inspect all equipment prior to signing your contract as any damages that are not reported and/or identified during a checkout process will be the the responsibility of the client. 

If an item is not returned or is lost, replacement charges will be billed to the client as a fine for the full replacement costs at the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP). Purchase prices will be determined and are at the discretion of DMS staff.

Clients also are responsible for reviewing and accepting associated daily late fees and policies related to their loan. After signing an Equipment Loan Contract, a client is responsible for all items and terms listed on said contract. If you cannot return your equipment by the time specified on your contract/receipt, immediately address this concern with the staff member at the time of equipment checkout. Exceptions to this policy may only be made in writing or via email by a Digital Media Lab Specialist or the Manager of Digital Media Services prior to your equipment loan pick-up. Digital Media Advisors and Consultants may not provide exceptions or overrides to this policy.

E-mail notifications are a courtesy service to inform you of equipment that was loaned against your account. If you forward your University e-mail, please note that these messages may be delayed, or even blocked, depending on your service provider. If you do not receive a notification, be sure to check your “junk” folder to see if the notification is interpreted as SPAM. An easy way to avoid this is to mark digitalmediaservices@luc.edu as a trusted e-mail source.

During Your Equipment Loan

Clients will be held responsible for all damages to equipment while it is checked out to them. This includes, but is not limited to: theft, abuse/misuse of equipment (both unintentional and intentional), neglect, or carelessness. Damage, destruction or loss must be immediately reported to a DMS professional staff member by e-mailing digitalmediaservices@luc.edu or by contacting 773-508-8029. 

Renewal requests received through email or telephone will not be accepted. All equipment must be returned to the original checkout location by the assigned date and time on a client's signed contract. In order to renew equipment, a new reservation must be made and the equipment must be returned to the originating service location to verify the equipment and to sign a new contract. 

Lost or Unreturned Items

Equipment that is not returned on, or prior to, the due date and time impacts clients that have made a reservation and are depending on the equipment. If equipment on loan is not returned within five (5) days from the initial due date and time, it will be considered lost. Additional conditions for this policy are related to a client’s status at the University:

• Students: As of the fifth (5) day, and no response to any notifications from Digital Media Services, a three (3) month block will be placed against your account, the full cost to replace the item with the same or comparable model and 5% of the accrued five (5) day fine will be transferred to your account through the Bursars’ Office - which may impact class registration. Furthermore, any items considered stolen may result in a report to Campus Safety and/or the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution at the discretion of the Manager of Digital Media Services.
• Faculty & Staff:  As of the fifth (5) day, and no response to any notifications from Digital Media Services, a three (3) month block will be placed against your account, the full cost of a replacement and 5% of the accrued fine will be assessed on your Digital Media Services account. Any items considered lost or unreturned may result in a report to a client's academic department, unit or Campus Safety at the discretion of the Manager of Digital Media Services.

Stolen Items

If the equipment checked out to a client was stolen during their loan, the client will need to file a police report and a University Incident Report. If a client fails to return equipment and does not file a police report and a University Incident Report, as well as provide a copy of these reports to Digital Media Services, the equipment will be considered lost and unreturned. As a result, you will be held to the same policies as identified in the “Lost or Unreturned Equipment” section detailed above. In cases where a police report is filed for theft of University property and documentation is provided, blocks or holds will not be placed against a client's account.

Clients will be responsible for paying Digital Media Services to replace the stolen item with the same or a comparable model for the equipment and accessories that were stolen while on loan. After fifteen (15) days, if the account is unpaid, charges for students will be forwarded to the Bursar’s Office - which may impact registration. For faculty and staff, any items considered stolen may result in a report to a client's academic department, unit or Campus Safety at the discretion of the Manager of Digital Media Services. 

Checking In Equipment

All items must be returned to the specific DMS location indicated on the original contract during published business hours. This will ensure that items are checked in and reviewed by both the borrower and the DML staff member to avoid unknown fines. 

When closed, materials may not be left outside of a DMS service location or with other University Libraries and/or Information Technology Services staff. In such cases where the DML is closed, items will not be checked in until the next business day. Overdue fines may accrue against your account if the equipment is late as a result of returning equipment after the specified contract date/time and outside of operating hours.

Equipment will not be circulated during the last thirty (30) minutes of a service location’s operating hours. Clients are advised to take this into consideration when planning their check-in.

The DML staff will inspect equipment upon its return before checking in equipment loaned against the client's account. If damages are noted, a member of the Digital Media Services professional staff will contact the client in regards to assessed fines.

Clients should and are strongly encouraged to remain at the check-in desk until all items are reviewed in order to verify if any fines accrued or damages are present from their loan and that all equipment has been returned.

Clients that do not remain at the check-in desk to verify returned equipment, or allow others to return equipment on their behalf, assume responsibility for any/all charges, fines and/or fees to their account for equipment that is late, lost and/or damaged. Appeals will not be granted for any fines/fees for clients that do not remain at the check-in desk during their check-in process.

Items that are returned after their assigned time will result in the client receiving an overdue fine for the number of minutes the equipment is late. All fines - excluding those to which have been assumed, as above - after posting, may be appealed through MyITS within fifteen (15) days of receiving notification through the University e-mail system. Additional information regarding fines and fees, including how to appeal, is available in the “Loan Periods and Daily Fines” section below.

Equipment-Specific Policies

Gaming Systems (In-Lab Use Only)

• For game systems that are used in the Information Commons or Corboy Law Center, clients are expected to respect the noise policies of the respective location.
• All clients are expected to adhere to all local, state and federal laws in accordance with game ratings.
• All systems with permanent storage will be cleared upon return. As a result, all gaming systems are considered Bring Your Own Memory Card "BYOMC."
• Video games and system accessories may not be checked out separately from their respective systems.
  • For example, Hasbro's^© "Family Game Night" may not be checked out without the XBOX 360 system; however, you may check out additional games with your loan. Fines and fees will be assessed separately for games, game systems and accessories.
• Damaged equipment for gaming systems includes scratched discs, any connected hard drives, remote controls, accessories, cases or other items indicated on your contract.

External Storage and Data Devices

• All drives and media will be formatted upon return of equipment from loan. This ensures that your data will not be available to other ELP clients. We are not able to temporarily or permanently store any data from ELP drives after return to DMS, so ensure that you have a personal copy of all data.
• Clients are encouraged to verify the format of the hard drive they are borrowing. Previous users may have formatted a drive to their preferred format. Please note that Mac formatted drives may not appear when plugged into PC workstations. This does not indicate a failed drive, rather a drive that must be reformatted. Contact DMS for more information on reformatting external storage.

Laptops

• Clients checking out laptops may not install software to or copy software from DMS laptops. 

After Your Equipment Loan

Fines & Fees from Overdue Equipment

Items that are returned after their assigned time will result in the client receiving an overdue fine for the number of minutes the equipment is late. Please note that there are nomaximum fine amounts for overdue equipment. Listed below are the daily overdue fine amounts for individual equipment categories*:

Paying Fines and Fees

• Online Using A Credit Card (Students, Faculty and Staff) Using Loyola University Chicago's EPay system you can pay your fine/fee using your credit card from home. Visit http://www.luc.edu/digitalmedia/payments for more information and to pay your fine/fee.
• In-Person Using Rambler Bucks (Students, Faculty and Staff) The DML does not accept cash or credit cards as a form of payment for fines, fees or any other service. To add Rambler Bucks to your account, visit Campus Card at http://www.luc.edu/campuscard/bucks_add.shtml.

Fines and/or fees must be paid within 15 days of notice in the DML using one of the detailed methods above. After 15 days, any account balances of $25 or greater will be forwarded to the Bursar's Office for posting to your account. Account balances less than $25 will remain on your Digital Media Services account and prevent future loans of equipment until paid. A fee may not be paid using a University account code or internal transfer.

Due to billing restrictions, any fines received during the following range of dates will be subject to the following restrictions:

Prior to August 23rd, 2009, fines and/or fees must be paid within 30 days of notice in the DML using Rambler Bucks. Any unpaid fines will be assessed a minimum amount of $25 to be posted to your account - which may impact registration.This means that if your fine is below $25 and is not paid within 30 days, it will be increased to $25 prior to being submitted to the Bursars Office. All fines over $25 will remain at their current value and will be forwarded to the Bursars Office in the same process described above.

Appealing Fines and Fees

All fines - excluding those to which have been assumed - after posting, may be appealed to Digital Media Services only within fifteen (15) days of receiving notification. After the fifteen (15) day review period, appeal requests will not be granted. All fine appeals must be made online through MyITS by visiting: https://myits.luc.edu/fineappeal.

A complete appeal includes the following information:

• Date of equipment loan
• Detailed reason for the appeal of fine(s)/fee(s)
• Telephone number where you may be reached

You will be notified of the status of your appeal via e-mail; however, you may be contacted for additional information regarding your appeal. Most importantly, an appeal request does not guarantee that your appeal will be granted or denied, as all requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.