Instead of having to stand for long periods of time at a docking station, University students can now check out phone chargers for iPhones and Android devices.
Elissa Plank, department head of circulation, feels this convenience will vastly improve upon the former docking method. Prior to these portable chargers, students would have to stand and wait at a charging station or even leave their belongings to study, Plank said.
Though the chargers can only be checked out for a couple hours, it is more efficient than the docking stations, Plank said. Oftentimes students would plug in their phones and have to leave the station to go study or find a computer if they did not want to wait around for their phones to charge, Plank said.
Also, there are only a few docking stations in Middleton, only one of which is in the reference section on the first floor, Plank said. This presents the possibility of there not being enough chargers for the many people in the reference section.
Student Government funded the purchase of the 30 new chargers, according to Plank. Students can check them out for up to two hours, but they are not allowed to take the charger out of the building.
Because there is no concrete way of preventing people from stealing the chargers, late and service fees will be charged to the student, according to Plank.
“[The fees] discourage students from not returning the chargers because it would be cheaper to just buy a charger rather than be charged with the fees,” Plank said.
The cost of replacing the item can be up to $30, according to library associate Chad Metz.
Each charger comes in a small bag that has a barcode on the back. This allows the circulation desk to keep track of how long the charger has been checked out and who is responsible for it in that time period.
Also included in the bag is a small instructional pamphlet that explains when the charger needs to be returned and how much the fees would be if it wasn’t returned.
“[The fees] discourage students from not returning the chargers because it would be cheaper to just buy a charger rather be charged with the fees.”

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Grace Steinhauser

Middleton Library is now supplying a variety of phone chargers that can be checked out and used by the LSU students.