With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Now You'll Be Able To Check Out A Computer From Any LA Public Library
The Los Angeles Public Library is expanding its digital services with an extension of its Tech2go program, which means you'll be able to check out equipment at any location.
When the L.A. Public Library closed its doors during the pandemic, anyone who had a library card was still able to access online resources such as e-books, City Librarian John Szabo said.
“But at the end of the day, people without internet access were really disenfranchised from our services,” Szabo said. “And I think, as a society, we recognized during the pandemic that internet and access to broadband is like electricity and water.”
The library launched its Tech2go program earlier this year with funding from the Federal Communications Commission. It allowed the library to provide Chromebooks and hot spots to patrons — but only at some of its locations, Szabo said.
Now, with additional funding from the FCC, the library is making them available at all locations.
"It means a teenager can use it for homework — it means a parent can use it to apply for a job or take an online class. It means a grandparent can set up an email account and communicate with a grandchild on the other side of the country," Szabo said. “So all sorts of good things can from it when it goes to just one household.”
You can find out more about the library’s Tech2go program here.