How to run a laptop loaner program
Size the pool, write the rules, keep every loaner imaged and ready, hand them over with a due date and a signature, and wipe them on return. Use your device management tool for the device, and a lending record for who has it.
What you need
- A pool of laptops or tablets, enrolled in your device management tool
- Asset labels on each device and its charger
- A loan form or lending system (the IT equipment loan form to start)
- A shelf or locker that's only for ready-to-go loaners
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Size the pool from real demand
Count how many loaners were needed on the busiest day last term, and add a few for repairs. A pool that's always empty gets ignored; one that's always full is money on a shelf.
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Write the loan rules
Who can borrow (repairs, new starters, exams, travel), for how long, and what the borrower agrees to: work use only, files may be erased on return, report loss the same day. Put them on the loan form.
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Image, label and shelve every loaner
Every loaner is imaged, charged, labelled and on the ready shelf with its charger in the bag. Label the charger too: it's the thing most often missing.
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Hand over with a due date and a signature
Scan the device, pick the person, set the due date and get a signature. In ItemTally, ask for signatures on the loaner folder only, so quick loans elsewhere stay quick.
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Let people book ahead when they can
New starters and planned travel are known in advance. Reserve a loaner for those dates; ItemTally won't let two holds overlap and shows the next booking when you hand one over.
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Chase late loaners automatically
Borrowers get a reminder the day before and on the due date, with a link to extend if nobody has booked the device. You get a list of anything overdue the day after.
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Wipe and check every return
On return, check the charger and accessories, wipe or re-image the device, and only then put it back on the ready shelf. Report damage on return so it's fixed before the next loan.
The loaner lifecycle
Ready shelf → handed over → due back → returned and checked → wiped → ready shelf. Every loaner should be in exactly one of those states, and anyone at the desk should be able to tell which. A device that’s “somewhere in IT” is the one that ends up missing at the audit.
Students and staff without accounts
People who borrow from the desk don’t need an ItemTally account. The help desk hands the loaner over, and the borrower gets an email receipt with their My things link to check what they have and when it’s due. Those handovers are free on every plan.
Try it on your own stuff. Free for one editor and ten borrowers, with unlimited items. No card.
Start freeQuestions people ask
Should loaners be wiped after every loan?
Yes, for staff and student loaners alike. Tell borrowers in the loan terms that files may be erased, and give them somewhere else to save work.
Does this replace MDM or Snipe-IT?
No. Device management handles enrolment, security and software; IT asset tools handle licences and lifecycle. A lending record answers who has which loaner right now and when it's due back.
Can staff borrow a loaner when the help desk is closed?
Yes, with self-service. In ItemTally, a borrower scans and takes the device themselves, or uses a kiosk tablet at the desk. Every move is still logged, and folders can require approval first.
How do we know which loaners are free?
The Out view lists every loaner that's out, who has it and when it's due back. Anything not on it, and not reserved, is free.