GREENFIELD — When other libraries started laptop-lending programs, Greenfield Public Library realized there was a need in the community.
“We have people coming up to our door saying, ‘When are you going to be open so I can use your computers?’” said Assistant Library Director Lisa Prolman.
Through the new Laptops on the Lawn program, two laptops are available for the public to use in front of the library for 45-minute slots. The laptops, set up with internet and LibreOffice, must be reserved in advance. Printers are also available.
A tent is set up on the front lawn of the library with a table and chair for convenience, but Prolman said people are welcome to use the laptops anywhere on the lawn.
She said that although people may have access to the internet on a phone, tasks such as applying for jobs, uploading photos to a flash drive and printing are difficult to do without a computer.
“By using the laptops, people are able to walk away with hard copies of what they need,” she said.
The Laptops on the Lawn program is just one of the ways the library is trying to fill the gaps its initial scaling back left amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A new series of virtual programming is scheduled to begin in October, featuring book clubs, trivia nights and presentations.
When the library does reopen to the public, Prolman anticipates using a hybrid system with continued doorside pick-up and a computer station inside.
“We have no idea what the future is going to hold,” Prolman said.
Laptops can be reserved at bit.ly/3055KOQ for use on Mondays and Wednesdays between 2 and 6 p.m., and on Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.