For students who are tired of lugging their laptops around campus but like using one, the Media Center at SDSU library has a solution. Students can now check out MacBook Pros from the Media Center for up to four days.
The MacBooks are free to rent, and students can check them out from the checkout counter at the Media Center. They have the Microsoft Office Suite installed, and there are plans to have the Adobe Creative Suite available on them soon.
Later this semester the Media Center will also be offering iPads, Nexus 7 tablets and PC laptops for students to check out.
“It ultimately is a program that supports our mission of supporting the student,” Media Center Supervisor Michael Lapins said. “Other schools have done it, and it had been talked about by us for a few years.”
Lapins said funding for the MacBooks and other devices came from student referendum fees.
Other features
The center provides technical support for students if their departments can’t provide help.
Lapins, who worked in the film industry, can especially help students when they need guidance in the use of editing software.
“We can show (students) how to use iMovie, or similar software if (they) need it,” Lapins said. “Give me 15 minutes with students and I can show them a lot on film and movie making.”
Besides film editing software, students can find help with other projects.
“We can walk you through simple things like making a PowerPoint presentation if need be,” Lapins said.
The Media Center has an immense collection of music and movies.
“We probably have one of the largest collection of Americana CDs and DVDs in the country,” Lapins said. “I’ve got everything nominated for an Academy Award. It’s not a fluff collection, we’ve got some great stuff in the education and entertainment categories.”
The center also has several private rooms that students can use for group work. The rooms have flat screen televisions, and the Media Center provides the cables needed to connect computers to them.
“It’s a great place to study and it is quieter here,” management information systems senior Drew Jasminksi said. “It’s nice down here also because you can reserve rooms ahead of time instead of first come, first serve.”
In addition to the collaborative rooms there are four “Macintosh Rooms” equipped with Apple computers. Two of those rooms have computers with Final Cut Pro, Apple’s video editing software, as well as a scanner and VCR.
Lapins stressed that the Media Center wants to help students any way it can.
“My job is to see students succeed; when they come in with a problem I do everything I can do to help them,” Lapins said. “In the film industry I learned to ‘make it happen’ and I try to bring that here and to our students.”
Not all students are aware of all the resources the Media Center offers.
“I didn’t know about the loaning out of MacBooks, but I can see myself using it in the future,” international business senior Rafael Bedolla said.
The Media Center is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays and 12 to 6 p.m. on Saturdays.
