Laptop Loans are available to all students across all 3 campuses. You can borrow up to one laptop at a time and you will need your Essex student card to borrow and return. 

Colchester: Can be borrowed from ground floor Library Reading Room for use in the library or elsewhere on campus. Loans are up to 3 hours for free. If you do not return the laptop after 3 hours you will be charged £1 per hour or part of an hour, until it is returned.

Southend: Can be borrowed from the Information Hub for up to 3 hours for free. If you do not return the laptop after 3 hours you will be charged £1 per hour or part of an hour, until it is returned.

Loughton: Can be borrowed from the main library for use in the library or elsewhere on campus until library closing time (Loughton laptops come with a laptop charger to keep you going). If you do not return the laptop by library closing you will be charged £1 per hour or part of an hour, until it is returned.

Our Laptop Loans service has recently updated to improve the way you borrow and return your laptops. We have also introduced the ability to reserve a laptop for one hour before collection. We are interested in your feedback in this service so please do tell us what you think.

You can reserve a laptop at any of our three libraries by following the link below. 

Enter your university email address, click on 'Reserve' and choose your location. You will be allocated a Laptop and this will be reserved for you for one hour. 

When collecting your laptop, follow the usual borrowing procedure and your allocated laptop will be issued to you.  

Please note that to reserve a laptop you will need to have already used our Laptop Loans service previously. Once you have borrowed and returned a laptop from one of our devices, this feature will be available to you.  

1. Go to the laptop kiosk and scan your Essex student card on the card reader.

2. Read and accept the terms and conditions

3. Select which equipment to borrow.

4. Tap your card on the flashing column

5. Open the flashing cabinet and unplug the power and data cables.

6. Close the door.

You now have the laptop for 3 hours (Colchester and Southend) or until Library closing time (Loughton). 

When taking out a laptop, you can use the Accessible Locker button.

Taking out a laptop is done in the same way, except you choose Accessible Locker on the touch screen.

The kiosk will then give you a laptop from the middle lockers, making it easier to take the laptop out and return it.

For more information, please talk to the helpdesk.

1. Go to the laptop kiosk and scan your Essex student card on the card reader.

2. Read and accept the terms and conditions

3. Select return.

4. Open the flashing door.

5. Plug the charging cable and data cable into the laptop.

6. Close the locker door.

You've now returned the laptop

Note: If you don't plug the laptop back in, it will not be taken off of your account and you may be charged if you don't return it properly. If you accidentally close the locker without plugging it in, you can do this process again to open the locker door and return the laptop.

1. Go to the laptop kiosk and choose Print Return Receipt using the touch screen.

2. Scan your student card on the reader below.

It will then print the details of the last laptop you have returned.

This service is only available at Colchester. At all our campuses you automatically recieve an email reciept to your essex.ac.uk email address whenever you borrow or return a laptop.