[OPLINTECH] Recycling/Reselling Old Equipment

[Matt Hoffman]

James,

Thanks so much for the info.  We do have companies and local agencies
that will take our old equipment, but I was mostly looking for how other
people are handling it.  I want to see if there are any options I hadn't
yet thought of.  Thanks for your answer!

        Matthew Hoffman, Network Administrator
Cleveland Heights - University Heights Public Library
   (voice) 216-932-3600 ext. 284 (fax) 216-932-0932
mhoffman at heightslibrary.org www.heightslibrary.org


-----Original Message-----
From: Mann, James H. [mailto:JMann at gcpl.lib.oh.us] 
Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2009 5:16 PM
To: Matt Hoffman; OPLINTECH at oplin.org
Subject: RE: Recycling/Reselling Old Equipment

Matt
Our policy is pretty simple and we focus on 4 or 5 year old units. I
also periodically make a junk run with things like HP printer power
bricks and other stuff that never seems to make it to the donation bin.
First priority is local United Way Agencies. We have about 10 agencies
that are on our cycle and they generally get upgrades. Don't care what
they do with their surplus.
Second priority is Goodwill/Easter Seals which runs a recycling program
for special ed classrooms. They prefer matching units and like several
at a time.
Third priority is a local recycler who has contracts with Goodwill
agencies. He will take anything, uses local MRDD students as recyclers
and doesn't ship to China.

No individual consumers and no public sales. I have found over the years
that selling to a patron somehow seems to imply support.
We do create a freeware image and send out the computers clean and
reformatted.  I did some circa 2000 computers with Ubuntu and they were
well received.

Every once in awhile I'll see a computer on Craig's that I'll swear was
one of mine but times are tough even for people getting free computers
from local agencies.

I can give you my contacts if you want. But you'll have to deliver/ship
unless the donation is large enough to warrant renting a truck.
________________________________________
From: oplintech-bounces at oplin.org [oplintech-bounces at oplin.org] On
Behalf Of Matt Hoffman [mhoffman at heightslibrary.org]
Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2009 3:43 PM
To: OPLINTECH at oplin.org
Subject: [OPLINTECH] Recycling/Reselling Old Equipment

Hello!

I'd like feedback from the OPLINTech list members on how their libraries
handle old, but still usable equipment.  For example, we have a number
of older PCs that might still work as a home Pc for someone who just
wants to go online, but aren't much good for anything else anymore.
What would you be doing with these PCs?

Thanks for any insight!

        Matthew Hoffman, Network Administrator
Cleveland Heights - University Heights Public Library
   (voice) 216-932-3600 ext. 284 (fax) 216-932-0932
mhoffman at heightslibrary.org www.heightslibrary.org