General Information About the UC IPM Kiosks

Borrowing a kiosk for your county

Kiosks are available statewide for UC programs to borrow for local UC-sponsored events or for placement in retail stores, libraries, etc. UC affiliates (MGs, UCCE staff, advisors, etc) are responsible for transporting the kiosk. UC IPM does not reimburse for mileage.

We recommend you reserve a kiosk at least 2 months before your planned use. The kiosk reservation calendar fills up quickly between March and September. See reservation steps below.

For other facts about borrowing and using the kiosk, see the frequently asked questions section below. Contact Elaine Lander if you have any additional questions.

Steps to reserving a kiosk

1. Determine a location in your county, such as a nursery or garden center, library, or specific Master Gardener event. The kiosks require electricity to run and are best viewed indoors or in areas with ample shade. Some events require you to submit a liability waiver form. Read this to find out more.
2. Assign someone who will be responsible for the kiosk (including transport, communication with UC IPM, communication with placement site contact).
3. Determine the dates you would like the kiosk. For garden centers, libraries, etc., placement of at least a month is recommended.
4. We encourage you to use the kiosk for multiple back-to-back events or locations. For example, if you plan to use a kiosk for a week at your county fair in July, see if a local retail nursery or library would like use it for a month either before or after the fair.

For Northern CA (counties north of Merced and Mariposa including Bay Area)

• Submit the Kiosk Use Request online form. We will get back to you within 5 business days to discuss the details of your request.
• Currently, northern California counties must pick up the kiosk at the UC ANR building in Davis or a nearby county. Please contact Elaine Lander if you require alternate arrangements.

For Southern CA coastal counties

• San Diego and Los Angeles counties: Contact Scott Parker
• Orange County: Contact Tammy Majcherek

Regionally shared kiosks are available for Central Coast, and Imperial Valley counties:

• Riverside, San Bernardino, Imperial: Contact Dona Jenkins
• San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura: Contact Maria Murrietta

Forms and documents

• Using the UCIPM Touch-Screen Kiosk (DOC)
• Liability waiver form (to be printed on your county’s letterhead) (DOC)
• Liability waiver instructions (DOC)
• News release template (DOC)
• Operating instructions for 15-inch screen kiosks (PDF)
• Operating instructions for larger kiosks (PDF)
• Pest and topic lists: English (PDF) Spanish (PDF)
• Promotional flyer (PDF)

Frequently asked questions about the kiosk

What are the dimensions and how much does the kiosk weigh?

• The unit measures about 2 x 2 x 2 ft (including the printer) and is designed to be a tabletop display. It is roughly the size of a desktop computer.
• Weight is approximately 30 pounds without the carrying case.
• The kiosk and its components are transported in a very large plastic bin that fits in the back seat of most standard size vehicles, or the back or trucks and SUVs.

What is needed to run and display the kiosk?

• Electricity is needed.
• We provide a 4-outlet, 50-ft extension cord, printer paper, and an attractive sign.
• The user will need to provide a table or other suitable platform to display the kiosk.

Who can borrow a kiosk? How do we get one? Who is responsible for transporting it?

• UCCE county offices and UC Master Gardeners can borrow a kiosk for events, fairs, shows, or for placement in local retail business, libraries, museums, etc.
• See "Borrowing a kiosk" above to request one for your county.
• After a reservation is made, the county requesting to use the kiosk is responsible for transporting it to and from its current location.
• If a non-UC entity wants to use a kiosk, the local UCCE staff or MG volunteers still need to deliver and pick up the kiosk for liability reasons.

Does the kiosk need to be staffed at all times by a Master Gardener?

• No. The kiosk was designed to be a stand-alone resource to help answer questions when no one is around.
• The kiosk is a great tool to supplement MG outreach activities. MG programs often use the kiosk and its photos and content to help diagnose pest problems or to verify a pest.

Do you gather any data from the kiosk?

• Yes. The kiosk records user statistics such as number of times each pest screen was viewed, print-outs, zip codes of users, surveys entered, etc. We download use reports at the end of a placement period or event and will send the user a summary report upon request. Contact Karey if you would like a report following your kiosk use.

Who is liable for the kiosk?

• UC IPM provides a Liability Waiver Form to be used when the kiosk is placed at a non-university supervised facility or function. The waiver releases the collaborator (e.g. retail nursery, community center, library) from all liability related to the kiosk while it is at their facility and/or function. (There are also instructions for the form.)
• If the kiosk is used at a UCCE or Master Gardener function where volunteers or staff will be present (e.g. County fairs, plant sales, other outreach events), the liability waiver form does not need to be submitted.

What other things should I consider when finding a location for the kiosk?

• The kiosk must be placed in locations where it will not get wet and where it can be locked up at night.
• Indoor or shady locations are best; glare from direct sunlight makes viewing the screen difficult to impossible.
• To ensure maximum use, place the kiosk in high-traffic locations where the public can see it and are free to walk up and start touching it.
• When using the kiosk at MG-sponsored events or at retail stores, make sure all volunteers and store employees are familiar with how the kiosk works and are comfortable using it. The more comfortable users are with the kiosk, the more likely they will be to use it, making your effort to borrow and transport the kiosk worthwhile.

Can we purchase our own kiosk and how much does one cost?

• Kiosks are currently not available for purchase.
• If you are interested in more details about the creation of the IPM kiosks, please contact Karey Windbiel-Rojas or Scott Parker.

Kiosk use questionnaires

We'd love to know what you think about the kiosk and how it helped your outreach and educational efforts. Please complete our quick questionnaire following kiosk use at an event or location in your county. You'll find three different questionnaires for kiosks used at Master Gardener events, retail garden centers, and libraries. Please be sure the person most closely involved with the kiosk at each event or location fills out the appropriate form. If you send the questionnaire link to a non-UC affiliated person (e.g. retail employee or librarian) simply click on the survey below,copy the URL, and email it to the appropriate person. (Don't send them to this Kiosk Info web page—the pages you are currently reading are specifically for UC Master Gardener volunteers and coordinators.)

• Library Kiosk Questionnaire
• Master Gardener Event Kiosk Questionnaire
• Retail Kiosk Questionnaire