The arrival of 10 new Chromebooks is the final piece of the Connect CK initiative.
Eight of the data-enabled laptop computers are available to be loaned out through all 11 branches of the Chatham-Kent Public Library system. The other two Chromebooks are dedicated for those who book time in the library’s two quiet pods, located at the Chatham and Wallaceburg branches.
“It’s all part of our CK Connects program,” said Tania Sharpe, chief librarian and CEO. “If you need to work on a special project from home and you don’t have a Chromebook, you can use this.”
An added benefit, she said, is the Chromebooks are Wi-Fi enabled, “so if you do not have internet connectivity at home, there you go.”
Sharpe said the CK Connects program is a partnership with the Chatham-Kent Ontario Health Team and Chatham-Kent employment and social services. It began last year with people being able to access the internet from home by borrowing a Wi-Fi hotspot, she added. Then, the two quiet pods where purchased late last year that provide private meeting space.
“We’re bridging that digital divide that we still know exists out there,” Sharpe said. “We are grateful that not everybody has access to the internet.”
She said the new library additions will help people who perhaps want to have an online appointment with a medical specialist out of town. They can borrow a Chromebook to do that or meet with other people online, she added.
Library users who are 16 and older and in good standing may borrow a Chromebook for as long as 21 days.
To reserve a laptop, contact library staff by phone at 519-354-2940, by text message at 519-401-7174, by email at [email protected] or by sending a message to Chatham-Kent Public Library on Facebook messenger.
Community navigators through employment and social services can also help low-income youth or families and qualifying non-profit and charitable organizations with obtaining a refurbished computer at no cost.
That initiative is from a partnership between the municipality and Habitat for Humanity. The community navigators can be contacted at 519-355-1380 or [email protected].