Borrow an iPad Using a Vending Machine, A New Service From Drexel University Libraries & Free Library of Philadelphia Partnership

From Drexel University:

Residents of Philadelphia’s Mantua and Powelton Village neighborhoods bordering Drexel’s campus will be able to use their Free Library of Philadelphia card to sign out an iPad and use it for a maximum of four hours. With a swipe of their Drexel ID, students will also be able to check out an iPad. Users won’t have to worry about personal data being stored on the iPad as all information entered will be removed once the iPad is returned to its slot in the kiosk.
“We see this partnership as building upon the success of the Free Library of Philadelphia Hot Spots and Neighborhood Library Computer Labs that bring computer access, classes and the Internet to neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia,” said Siobhan A. Reardon, president and director of the Free Library of Philadelphia. “The apps downloaded on the iPads have been specifically chosen to support the digital literacy needs for children, teens and adults.”
Librarians at the Free Library and Drexel selected the apps installed on the iPads to be part of a suite of tools, including Browzine, Hoopla digital, Mango Languages, Overdrive and Zinio. Other apps available on the iPads explore art, digital storytelling, early literacy, games, geography, music, news, photo editing, science, astronomy and video editing.

In early 2013 Drexel U. and the Free Library of Philadelphia began lending MacBooks to students also via a vending machine.
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