BYOD, or bring your own device is a concept that is not just touching libraries, but is becoming popular in corporations and schools as well. The overall idea is that each person brings their own technology into the mix, whether it's a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or e-reader. The venue then provides access to the internet and charging stations for accessibility.
The benefits to this approach is that the venue or business saves money on providing and upgrading hardware. Computers and technology are extremely expensive and go out of date very fast. If the users or patrons are responsible for bringing their own devices, there is no great expense on the part of the venue. In the case of schools that provided one-to-one devices for students, there is no great increase in hardware expenses. In most cases, almost every classroom has a class set of computers for use during school hours. In this case, we are simply giving them to the students to take home instead of providing them for school use only. Another benefit is that if you're bringing your own technology, you should be familiar with how to use it already.
The problem with BYOD is that the infrastructure, access, and security usually has to be improved before implementing these programs. Schools. libraries, and companies that implement these systems have to upgrade wireless access and provide charging stations for people with these devices to use. Then there are the issues of compatibility, software, apps, and other items that can sometimes prevent access to content.
The high school that I work at is in the process of converting to a one-to-one school. They are upgrading their wireless connectivity and creating better spaces for laptop use. They have also delegated responsibility for the laptops to their teacher librarian, without upping the staff level in the library. This is an issues with all organizations that have BYOD programs, who is in charge of reporting lost and broken device, accessibility issues, security hazards, etc. In some cases, additional staff should be hired in order to deal with BYOD issues.
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