New Laptops are Available at Nash Library
Nash Library has once again created more resources for student success on campus.
October 4, 2022
Since the pandemic, online and virtual learning has exploded, revealing a big need for students without technology. Nash Library recently announced the addition of 25 laptops to their library resources for students in need of technology to check out.
“During the height of the pandemic, professors were emailing us to ask if we had laptops for students to check out,” said Nicole McMonagle, director of Nash Library. “We had Google Chromebooks at the time, but they were old and not in the best shape.”
USAO was gifted a NASNTI grant amounting to $2.5 million that helped buy laptops for the campus and for students.
“NASNTI is a grant program that focuses on enhancing distance learning for Native American and Low-Income students,” said Autumn Dalman, the NASNTI grant program director.
USAO will use the $2.5 million over the next five years to bring necessary changes and additions to our campus. One addition that McGonagle would like to see is mobile hotspots for students without access to the internet.
Another one of these changes was the renovation of the amphitheater in Davis Hall 224. Instead of small plastic seats with built-in desks, the room now offers desk seating and chairs with adequate back support. Plug-ins for chargers were added underneath the desk and an observation area was added to the top of the amphitheater.
Currently, the laptops at Nash Library are set up for students to check out for six hours. McMonagle said that this gives students adequate time to attend virtual classes and work on homework while making sure there are enough laptops for all students who need them. However, if a student needs to check out a laptop for longer, they are allowed to do so. Currently, ten laptops have been checked out for the whole semester to students without access to the technology they need for their classes.
If a student needs to check out the laptop, they can visit the front desk at Nash Library and talk to a worker about the process.
Hannah Dudleson is a second-year English Education major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
