Know which loaner is where, and when it's coming back.
For the help desk that lends laptops, Chromebooks, chargers and hotspots while devices are repaired, to new starters, or to students who forgot theirs.
| Item | Location | Qty | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dell Latitude 5440 loaner IT-000403 | Help desk / Loaner shelf | 1 | Mira H. · due Thu |
| Chromebook Acer 314 IT-000412 | Help desk / Loaner shelf | 1 | Overdue · 9 days |
| USB-C charger 65 W IT-000430 | Help desk / Chargers and adapters | 7 pcs | In stock |
| Logitech H390 headset IT-000441 | Spares cupboard | 2 pcs | Low · min 5 |
Sound familiar?
Someone's laptop goes in for a screen repair, so they get a loaner "for a couple of days". Six weeks later it's still in their bag, the charger went home with someone else, and the loaner sheet in SharePoint says the shelf has four. Morning drop-in at the help desk turns into a hunt through Teams messages.
Lend, remind, reclaim, reset.
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Someone needs a loaner
Scan the loaner's asset tag (or its serial barcode) and the charger into the basket, pick the person, set the due date to the day the repair is promised. One receipt, one signature on the loan agreement.
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The reminder goes out for you
Two days before the due date, the borrower gets a reminder with Return and Extend. If the repair is late, they extend themselves, unless another loan is booked.
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Back at the desk
Scan it in. If the screen has a crack or the charger is missing, flag the problem on return. The note stays on that laptop's history and sits on Today until someone deals with it.
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Wipe and shelve
Move it to the reset shelf until it's re-imaged in your MDM, then back to the loaner shelf. The Out view and the shelf count agree.
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Leavers and audits
When someone leaves, their page lists everything on their name. Once a term, a possession check asks every holder to confirm what they still have.
Back at the desk: scan, Return.
Scan the loaner's label wherever it turns up and the sheet already knows who has it and since when. Return is the one big button, and Extend is there when the repair runs late.
With Petra S. since Mon 26 Oct. Due Sun
Signed on her phone · “client demo prep”
How it looks in ItemTally.
Folders are the real places it help desks in schools and offices keep things. Every take, return, count and move becomes a dated line with a name on it, and lines are never edited.
Your workspace
- Help desk
- Loaner shelfReady to lend
- Reset shelfWaiting for wipe
- Chargers and adapters
- Hotspots
- RepairsOut with the vendor
- Spares cupboardMice, keyboards, headsets
The loaner pool, done properly
A loaner program fails at the same three points: the loan isn’t recorded because the desk was busy, nobody chases the return, and the returned device goes back on the shelf unchecked. Each of these is a few seconds in ItemTally. The loan is a scan and a name. The chasing is automatic. The return goes to a reset shelf first, so “available” means ready to hand out.
Chargers deserve their own mention. Keep them as a quantity item (7 on the shelf, minimum 5) and give one out with the laptop. The logbook shows who got one, and the low-stock alert tells you when the drawer is running out.
What runs the loaner pool.
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Equipment checkout
Laptop and charger in one basket, a due date, one signature. The receipt is the borrower's return link.
How it works → -
Self-service and kiosk
A kiosk tablet at the help desk for after-hours loans, with PINs so nobody takes a laptop on someone else's name.
How it works → -
QR asset tracking
Keep your existing asset tags. Scan the serial barcode once and it opens the record from then on.
How it works → -
Reports
Custody by person for leaver checklists, and the full logbook as CSV for the audit.
See reports →
Not an MDM and not ITAM discovery. ItemTally doesn't wipe, lock, locate or inventory devices over the network, and it doesn't track software licences. Use Intune, Jamf or Google Admin for the device, and Snipe-IT or a full ITAM tool if you need the whole hardware lifecycle. Use ItemTally for who has the loaner and when it's due.
The questions help desks ask.
We already have Snipe-IT for asset management.
Keep it for the hardware lifecycle and licences. Teams use ItemTally beside it for the loaner pool and the spares cupboard, where quantities, a kiosk and borrowers without accounts matter.
Our users sign in with Microsoft or Google.
Staff accounts can use single sign-on (OIDC, e.g. Google, Microsoft Entra or Okta). Borrowers don't need an account at all; their My things link works without one.
How do I track loaner laptops?
Give each loaner its own record and label, check it out to a named person with a due date, and let reminders chase the return. The Out view shows every loaner that's out, overdue first.
Can I use our existing asset tags?
Yes. Scan the barcode on the asset tag or the manufacturer's serial sticker and attach it to the item. Keep the old asset number in a field if you search by it.
Can I attach a signed loan agreement?
Turn on signatures for the loaner shelf and every hand-over takes a thumb signature, stored on the ledger line. You can also attach a PDF document to the item.
What about Chromebook carts in classrooms?
Make each cart a folder and each Chromebook an item. Scope a teacher to their cart with a room key, so their view, counts and reminders end there.
What does it cost?
If the help desk hands over every loaner, borrowers never count, so one technician is free on Shelf and five are €19/mo on Stockroom. A kiosk where staff help themselves makes each of them a borrower; Warehouse at €49/mo is unlimited.
Can I import our current loaner spreadsheet?
Yes. Upload the CSV, match columns, check the preview, and import. Re-importing later updates matching items by code, serial or exact name instead of duplicating them.
Put the loaner shelf on it this afternoon.
Free forever for one editor and ten borrowers. No card.
Free for one editor and ten borrowers, with unlimited items. No card needed.