Bass Media Equipment Checkout is an iniative run by the Student Technology Collaborative, and staffed and supported by Bass Library. We invite Yale students, faculty, and staff to borrow cameras, audio equipment, laptops, and more for use in curricular or personal projects at no cost. Equipment must be picked up or dropped off while the Bass Library Services Desk is open; hours can be found here.

Terms of Service

Basics

The Bass Media Equipment Checkout (BMEC) is a service provided to students 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.

Special Covid-19 Policies

By checking out BMEC equipment during the 2022-2023 academic year, clients agree to accept the health risks of using communal equipment during a pandemic. BMEC staff will follow all Health & Safety protocols to reduce the risk of transmission, but clients must agree to accept the non-zero risk of transmission resulting from use of the equipment.

When checking out or returning equipment, clients also agree to follow all Health & Safety directives given them by BMEC and/or Bass Library staff.

Clients acknowledge that equipment availability may be less than in prior years, and that academic use of the equipment will be given priority over personal use.

Eligibility

Any persons wishing to use BMEC services must possess two things. 1. An active NetID, and 2. A billable library account. BMEC is open only to individuals, not departments or groups. If a department or a group wishes to check out equipment, one person must provide their netID and billable account to be designated financially responsible. 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. Sponsored identities are not eligible for these BMEC 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, counting the day it is checked out. There are some exceptions, including Laptops, which have a maximum checkout period of one month, and laptop chargers which have a checkout period of only one 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.

Renewals

Clients may request a renewal by emailing bassmedia@yale.edu. Renewals may be granted depending on intended use and equipment availability.

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 four days of lead time have no guarantee of being filled. BMEC staff reserve the right to deny extended reservations or close the request form 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 void. 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.

During the duration of a reservation, which is from check-out on Reservations until we check the equipment back in, the client whose name is listed in that reservation is entirely 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; use of the book drop to return BMEC equipment is not allowed. The client must return every piece of equipment checked out to them or admit that a piece has been lost. This includes, but is not limited to: lens caps, memory storage, and accessories. All pieces of a kit must be present in order for a reservation to be checked in.

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

If these user responsibilities are not met, the user will face disciplinary consequences that will be as follows:

  • First Offense: User on the reservation is issued a warning -Second Offense: User on reservation is banned from BMEC for remainder of the current term -Third Offense: User on reservation is banned from BMEC for the remainder of their time here at Yale.

If deemed necessary, we have the right to ban a user at any time.

Financial Responsibility

While equipment is checked out to a user, that user is fully financially responsible for that equipment. 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 Reservations. If a client's late return results in another client being unable to pick up their reservation, an inconvenience fee of $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.

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 preservation of any data, including but not limited to: camera SD cards, laptop files, or internal memory.

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 10/11/22.