Is it possible to manage 3-4 iPods from the same laptop? Each iPod owner needs their own iTunes account, correct?

Question

I've used an iPod for many years, and now that my kids are old enough to enjoy their own, with their own music, I want to to buy each one their own shuffle.  I just don't know if it's possible to manage all of these different music libraries from one computer.  Any advice is appreciated.  Thanks, Jim

Answer 1

Entirely possible.  If you create a different Windows login for each user, then everyone will have a distinct library by default, located in:
C:\Users\user1/Music\iTunes
C:\Users\user2/Music\iTunes
etc.
In this scenario it is a good idea to disable fast user switching in iTunes, so that you can't have multiple users logged in and running iTunes at the same time.  This is probably the best solution, especially as it provides the simplest upgrade path to the time when your children have their own computers.  The only real downside here is that it is a little more difficult (and not automatic) to share music between the libraries.
You can also have multiple iTunes libraries under a single Windows login, though this is a little more awkward to set up and use - everyone will need to hold down SHIFT while starting iTunes and select his/her library based on the location of the appropriate iTunes database file.
Last option would be to have one Windows login, one iTunes library, and just use different playlists associated with each user's iPod.