Editor’s note: Today’s post is by Daniel Zeiger, Director of Information Technology for Georgia Public Library Service in Atlanta. Georgia Public Library Service provides consulting services and technical assistance to libraries, such as resource sharing, outreach support, and facilities planning for Georgia’s 407 public libraries, as well as scalable library technology and services, grant administration, and more to create equity in library experience for patrons, no matter where they live. Georgia Public Library Service uses ChromeOS devices as loaner devices for patrons, internet use stations within the library, and as a platform for digital signage and kiosks.
As patrons return to their local libraries across Georgia, we’re asking ourselves how best to serve them now and in the future. As we learned over the past couple of years, people really want and need more access to WiFi and devices so they can do research in the libraries and at home. Our libraries are also offering more in-person events, which means we need digital signage displays to keep patrons up-to-date on programming schedules.
At the same time, our agency has to consider how more technology-related services will impact library staff. While libraries in big cities have large IT teams, smaller ones might not have anyone to manage the tech. We don’t want to burden busy librarians and admins with technology troubleshooting at a time when serving patrons is paramount.
With ChromeOS devices in our libraries, we can meet patrons’ need for online access, and our desire to offer community events, without adding a long list of tech support tasks to staff’s to-do lists.
Georgia Public Library Service offers consulting and technical services to the state’s libraries. We’re not here to dictate the technology libraries have to use; we’re here to help them understand the options that are available within their budgets.
In early 2020 we offered ChromeOS devices to libraries for assistance with the U.S. Census so we already knew how easy ChromeOS was to manage. When schools had to switch to remote learning, the ChromeOS device program went into high gear because managing Chromebooks in the Admin console didn’t require a full IT staff. Libraries could loan out Chromebooks without worrying about keeping them updated with software, while also maintaining patrons’ privacy and security.
The ChromeOS devices also run about 120 digital signage displays at 49+ branches. In the Admin console, library staff can simply point Chromeboxes to a particular Google Slides file and share it with their coworkers. It takes all of the guesswork out of the process. As more people come back to libraries and more events are scheduled, the digital signage setups keep patrons informed about what’s coming. Digital signage is used in the library to show everything from hours and policy changes, to upcoming programming.
