Answers Part 4

Continuing from part 3

17-Any forms for checking out or using the technology in the library?

        No, there were in the past but not anymore.

18-Who can use the tech other than patrons and staff?

        Individuals can request temporary guest passes. Since the Aurora Public Library is not part of a consortium, people from other library districts can buy a pass to use the services on a more regular basis.

19-What's working for the library's technology? Are their any classes?

        Yes, the library offers classes in basic computer usage, Microsoft Word, and Excel. The classes are very popular and fill up quickly. The Polaris ILS system works really well. The branch library has 6 Chromebooks and they are very popular. Guests enjoy using them in the library to surf the web. This alleviates some of the demand on the patron computer stations. The stations are very popular and almost always have people using them. There are 10-15 hotspots available for checkout with 130 holds. Lots of demand for them. They can be checked out for one week with no renewal. Late fee is a $1 a day maxing out at $20. The hotspots offer unlimited data through T-Mobile. The makerspaces, 3D printing, and Oculus rift have been popular at the main library. 

20-What's not working? Any issues with vendors? Space issues? Computer repair/maintenance issues...

        The Nooks are not popular and hardly anyone ever checks them out. Aurora Public library uses a scheduling software for booking classes and reserving public rooms called Library Insight. It is difficult to navigate and doesn't actually work well. Patrons sign up for classes but they are not showing up on the class list. Room reservations sometimes get deleted. Staff have to manually sign people up but it doesn't always work and it has a difficult user interface. We have very fast internet but the computers are older and some are running Windows XP. We are getting an upgrade to Windows 10. Staff and patron computers do not have enough ram and this can slow down tasks. Multi-tasking can be a little challenging on the computers. There is too much seating and some of the furniture is too big. More computer stations could be put in if the library is given a space makeover. The library director and managers are planning on giving the branch library a makeover so there will be more room for technology and newer furniture. The APL is a large library system so the IT has to be large too. That can make it tricky to integrate technology and know who handles what. Some branches of the department might handle different parts of problem. Its like the heads of a hydra, you have to know who to call.