Basics

The Bass Media Equipment Checkout (BMEC) is a service provided to members of Yale University, housed in Bass Library. BMEC provides consumer-grade media equipment intended for short-term academic projects by eligible individuals. Reservations are made through reservations.yale.edu/bmec and are filled by Yale Library staff at the circulation desk in Bass Library. All aspects of BMEC, including reservations, fees, user permissions, and service, can be modified, deleted, or denied at the discretion of BMEC staff. To use the service, an eligible person (the client) must read and agree to all terms within this Terms of Service.

Eligibility

Any person wishing to use BMEC services must possess two things: 1. An active NetID, and 2. A billable library account. Sponsored identities and alumni are not eligible for these BMEC services, even if they otherwise have access to library services. If an eligible client has never used our online reservations system before, they can create an account at the Reservations website. An account is necessary to make equipment reservations. BMEC Staff reserve the right to ban users at their discretion.

BMEC is open only to individuals, not departments or groups. If a department or a group wishes to check out equipment, they must contact Bass Media at bassmedia@yale.edu. One person must provide their netID and billable account to be designated financially responsible, and that individual must have all reservations put under their account. The individual whose netID the reservation is under must be present to check out equipment. Student groups, organizations, or Yale departments who do not follow the above policy or other Bass Media policies may be banned from the use of Bass Media services.

Reservations

All equipment availabilities and reservations are handled through reservations.yale.edu/bmec (“Reservations”). Most equipment can be checked out for a period of four days, with day 1 being the day it is checked out. There are some exceptions, including Laptops, which have a maximum checkout period of one month, and chargers which are to be returned the same day. Only one of each model may be checked out under normal circumstances, and only a limited amount of any equipment category may be checked out at once.

“Equipment”, in this case, refers to the collection of individual pieces listed as part of that equipment model on Reservations. Equipment must be taken out in full; BMEC will not honor requests to only take one part of a set equipment kit. Patrons should not check out a kit without the intent of using its “main item”, in this case referring to the item listed on the catalog. Patrons found to be checking out a kit only for access to secondary items may be banned from Bass Media.

By accepting a checkout the patron confirms that all equipment is accounted for in the kit. If any piece of equipment is missing or damaged when the equipment is returned, the user is financially responsible for the replacement of damaged and/or missing items.

Renewals

Clients may request a renewal only by emailing bassmedia@yale.edu. Renewals may be granted depending on intended use and equipment availability, at the discretion of Bass Media.

Extended Reservations

If a project requires more equipment or a longer time period than what is allowed in a standard reservation, an extended reservation can be requested during the reservation process. Requests submitted with less than one week of lead time have no guarantee of being filled. BMEC staff reserve the right to deny extended reservations at our discretion.

User Responsibilities

Equipment must be picked up and returned to the Bass circulation desk during their hours of operation according to this site: Bass Hours Of Operation. Equipment must be picked up on the first day of the reservation, or the entire reservation will automatically be deleted. It is the user’s responsibility to be aware of both the circulation desk’s operating hours as well as the pickup and due dates of their reservation.

The client whose name is listed on a reservation is financially responsible for every piece of equipment checked out. This includes, but is not limited to: equipment damages incurred through use, accidental damage, or lost parts. Upon return, BMEC equipment is checked and replacement fines will be charged to the client for damages.

BMEC equipment must be returned on the due date indicated in reservations, during the Bass Library Circulation Desk’s open hours (See above). Equipment is to be returned in person at the counter, either by the client or by their designated proxy; use of the book drop to return BMEC equipment is not allowed, and may result in additional fines and a ban from our services. Every piece of equipment from the kit must be returned, or the piece(s) will be considered lost. This includes, but is not limited to: lens caps, memory storage, and accessories. If a reservation is checked in and all pieces of the kit are not present, the user responsible for the reservation will be charged replacement fees.

If unforeseen circumstances arise that prevent timely equipment return, BMEC staff must be notified more than 24 hours before the due date specified on Reservations.

For any BMEC reservations with a start date of 1/21/25 or later, BMEC equipment is no longer permitted to leave the state of Connecticut. Clients may request permission to travel with equipment within the contiguous United States at bassmedia@yale.edu. All such requests must be made at least one week ahead of the start date of the reservation(s) in question and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Written permission must be received from bassmedia@yale.edu and the client may be required to obtain traveler's insurance at the discretion of the BMEC staff. Travel outside of the contiguous United States with BMEC equipment is never permitted. Violation of any of these terms may result in suspension of the privilege of using BMEC's services and/or banning the client's account.

Equipment must be returned in the condition it was checked out in. Labeling, drawing on, or otherwise defacing items, even if removable, will result in fees being added to the user account. If a user checks out multiple items and returns them in the wrong kit(s), an additional processing fee of up to $10.00 per item may apply.

If these user responsibilities are not met, the user will face disciplinary consequences that may include any of the following: user is issued a warning, user is banned from Bass Media for a set period of time, or user is banned from Bass Media permanently. If deemed necessary, we have the right to ban a user at any time.

Various device chargers are provided for the convenience of our patrons, and charger wattage varies; users assume all risk & liability for damage for using non-BMEC devices in conjunction with chargers and other equipment borrowed from Bass Media.

Financial Responsibility

The user is fully financially responsible for the equipment they check out. If equipment is lost or damaged, a replacement fee will be charged to the client whose name is on the reservation. If an item is returned late, a charge will be accrued per day. In the case that an item is overdue and then reported lost or damaged, the user will be fined the combined amount of late fees and replacement fees. Late fees vary by item and can be found on the Reservations site. If a client's late return results in another client being unable to pick up their reservation, an inconvenience fee of up to $50 will also apply. An excessive amount of damages, at the discretion of BMEC staff, may result in being banned from using BMEC services.

Fines can be paid at the Sterling Library Services Desk within one week, at which point they will transfer to the client’s Bursar account.

If equipment is more than a month overdue, it will be deemed missing, and a replacement fee will be billed to the user's account.

Once a replacement fee is billed, we may not be able to process a return of the fee if we have already ordered a replacement.

Late fees and replacement fees that are contested more than 2 months after they were accrued will only be considered for a fee waiver in extreme circumstances.

Insurance

Please note again that the client, by using the checkout service, is agreeing to bear ALL damages incurred to equipment during the duration of checkout. Due to the potentially heavy financial responsibility, personal property insurance is highly recommended. The Yale Office Of Risk Management recommends the following: Insurance Information

Data

Clients must transfer all important data from BMEC equipment before returns. After a piece of equipment has been returned, BMEC does not guarantee the preservation of any data, including but not limited to: camera SD cards, laptop files, or internal memory.

Devices borrowed from Bass Media are not equipped with the necessary security measures to ensure the protection of sensitive data or compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). We strongly advise against storing or accessing sensitive information, including but not limited to personal, medical, or confidential data, on any devices provided by BMEC. By using our devices, patrons acknowledge and agree to take responsibility for safeguarding any sensitive information and understand the inherent limitations in data security provided by these devices.

When using any personal computing device, including BMEC's loaner laptops or iPads, BMEC recommends that all clients back up their data to OneDrive or a cloud storage option of their choosing. This will ensure the client's data is accessible from multiple devices if one should fail and the local copy of the data becomes inaccessible.

All data is wiped from BMEC loaner devices when they are returned to BMEC and will be unrecoverable at this point. It is the client's responsibility to back up and transfer any data prior to returning their device to BMEC.

Acceptable Use Policy

BMEC clients must also follow Yale’s general information technology appropriate use policy, found here: Acceptable Computing Policy

By taking out equipment from BMEC, you are agreeing to all of the terms outlined above, including all responsibilities and expectations. For questions related to any part of this terms of service or reservations, please email bassmedia@yale.edu

If you have any feedback, or equipment suggestions, please fill out our feedback form here: https://forms.gle/QKZ2UgNsGsosyF8M9.

This version of the Terms of Service was last edited 01/15/2025.