--- Forwarded Message from Mary Fetherston <[log in to unmask]> ---

>Date: Mon, 5 May 2003 12:45:52 -0500
>Subject: Re: #7142 Tracking software
>From: Mary Fetherston <[log in to unmask]>
>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum    <[log in to unmask]>
>In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>

------------------
Barbara,

Our IT Department has chosen WebCheckout to book and check out all 
classroom equipment.  The LLRC also uses it for videos and other places 
on campus use it to book specialty rooms.

WebCheckOut is great.  The student workers absolutely cannot 
double-book, patrons can't check out equipment if they have equipment 
overdue, and you can assign categories of patrons different privileges. 
  For example, undergrads can only book certain assets, grad students 
have more privileges, and per course/faculty have all privileges.  If 
your campus assesses fines for overdue media or equipment, this 
software can track payment. It also automatically generates an email to 
the client when equipment is reserved and will generate the usage slip 
for them to sign at pick-up.

But all this does not come cheap.  You would probably need to 
collaborate with another department (such as IT) to defray the annual 
bill and initial server.  But the price has included some terrific 
service and the touted ability to tie into PeopleSoft which we will do 
this summer. Our Providence Campus is tying it in with a bar code 
scanner this summer as well. I've heard other sites use it this way but 
we have not yet.

If anyone is interested in learning more about WebCheckOut, there is a 
little information on the web at:

http://www.onshored.com

Or I can send you the" how to" guide which is chock full of screen 
shots and explains how the system works.  We have really been quite 
happy.

Mary Fetherston
Supervisor, Language Learning Resource Center
University of Rhode Island
401-874-4719
[log in to unmask]

On Monday, May 5, 2003, at 12:15 PM, LLTI-Editor wrote:

> --- Forwarded Message from Barbara Sawhill 
> <[log in to unmask]> ---
>
>> Date: Fri, 02 May 2003 15:09:09 -0400
>> From: Barbara Sawhill <[log in to unmask]>
>> Sender: [log in to unmask]
>> To: LLTI-Editor <[log in to unmask]>
>> Subject: Tracking software
>> Originator-Info: login-id=psawhill; server=mail.oberlin.edu
>
> I agree 100% with Read's comments about a good tracking system being 
> good
> "ammunition" in these times of budget cuts and space disputes.  The 
> need
> for documentation of what we do and whom we help is critical to the
> survival of the language lab.
>
> Along the lines of tracking software: can anyone suggest a tool to help
> keep track of the equipment and to make sure we do not double book 
> items?
> Currently we use our scheduling software (Meeting maker) for reserving
> equipment, and we have gone the extra step of naming all of the pieces 
> of
> equipment after graduated lab assistants so as not to have confusion, 
> but
> what we need is something built in to the scheduling software  that 
> would
> tell us say, you only have three VCRS left or there are no more tripods
> available for checkout...  Does such a thing exist?
>
> Any suggestions would be welcome.
>
> Barbara Sawhill
> Director
> Cooper International Learning Center (The Language Lab)
> Oberlin College
>
> phone: 440-775-8595   fax: 440-775-6888
>
> The Language Lab website: http://www.oberlin.edu/ilc
>
> "The nice part about living in a small town is that when you don't 
> know what
> you're doing, someone else does."
>
>