Ipads in the library--A blessing or a curse?

I really got thinking this week about if I would truly want the responsibility of being in charge of the ipad/chromebook/kindle carts at our school. Currently the high school (7-12) has a one to one program where each student is given a chromebook for the year. They do occasionally need to come to the library and charge them if they forget at night, or use it a lot in a given day so the library is responsible for extra chargers, but it is the responsibility of the tech department if they are any other issues. The students do not expect that the librarian will fix any technology issues but they do occasionally ask for help in accessing certain library website features using their own device.

The high school library is also not responsible for the ipads and kindles that are kept in carts and loaned to teachers who sign them out. The technology department in the high school is responsible for this as well. In the elementary school it is a different story. Much like the TV/DVD player carts, the Ipad carts are housed in the library and the teachers sign them out with the librarians. They used to be kept in the computer lab, but space in there is limited and responsibility for these devices was handed over to the library a few years ago when more computers were added to the lab. The current system seems to be working, as there is a full time library aide who handles the devices (making sure they are plugged in, not left on, and stored properly). But without that aide available to check the devices I can see how this system could easily fall apart.

If Ipads are not charged when teachers need to use them it causes undue issues in the classroom. If apps are deleted or unavailable because of a student messing around with the app layouts there could be blame placed on the librarians. I do see how this can be an issue, but I think that we need to create a community in the school regarding these devices. If we are going to require their use, then everyone needs to be on board with keeping them maintained. Teachers need to be sure they are all back in the cart and plugged in properly before returning them, students need to be taught how to use them properly, and parents need to be aware that their child is using the devices so that they can talk to their child about respecting the schools property. It needs to be a community effort and not be placed squarely on the shoulders of one person to care for the devices.