Chromebook Lending Library: Coming to a Campus Near You?
Want to try out a Chromebook? Google is letting thousands of college students test-drive its notebook.
Google is taking its latest Chromebook notebooks on a higher education tour this fall.
Twelve universities will get visits over the next month from the Chromebook Lending Library, a roving kiosk from which students can rent a lightweight notebook for a few days. Five universities have already participated.
Schools with Chromebook Lending Libraries:
- Auburn University (Oct. 13-16)
- Arizona State University (Sept. 29-Oct. 2)
- University of Central Florida (Oct. 6-9)
- George Washington University (Sept. 22-25)
- North Carolina State University (Sept. 29-Oct. 2)
- Pennsylvania State University (Sept. 8-11)
- Syracuse University (Sept. 15-18)
- Texas A&M University (Sept. 21-24)
- Texas State University (Sept. 15-18)
- University of California, Los Angeles (Oct. 7-10)
- University of California, Santa Barbara (Oct. 13-16)
- University of Colorado, Boulder (Sept. 7-10)
"The Lending Library is a bit like your traditional library, but instead of books, we're letting students borrow Chromebooks (no library card needed)," according to an official Google blog post release. "Students can use a Chromebook during the week for life on campus — whether it’s in class, during an all-nighter, or browsing the Internet in their dorm."
The initiative also has served as a giveaway for the devices. One student tweeted an image of himself holding a notebook he won in a drawing.
Chromebooks have proved popular among K–12 school district leaders seeking an affordable, one-to-one solution for their school networks. In 2013, the devices accounted for nearly a quarter of all notebook sales.
Google’s notebooks have yet to make similar waves in the higher education market, but the lending library could turn the tide.