The pilot was launched in the summer term of 2010, and makes laptop PCs and Netbooks available to University students and members of staff studying or carrying out academic research within the Medical Library. The Library currently has 19 laptops available for loan, increasing the number of PCs available to students in the Library from 61 to 80.

The service has been funded by e-learning funds from the Faculty of Medical and Veterinary Sciences and alumni funds from the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, with additional resources and support from IT Services.

Hilary Ollerenshaw, Medical Faculty Librarian and manager of the project, said: ‘The project has received very positive feedback from users. Laptops are extremely versatile; their portability means that they are particularly useful for group working, students can take a laptop to their preferred study area and the laptops are invaluable during busy periods when the fixed PCs are in use.’