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In 2013, Queens Library received a donation from Google of 5,000 Nexus tablets to be circulated free to the community via library card. This donation was facilitated by Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York’s Department of State. With the tablets came the challenge of how to manage, safeguard, and distribute valuable electronic devices without adding significantly to the workload of the library’s staff members. It also presented the opportunity to shape the experience of new users with limited digital literacy..

Following its official launch in July, the free mobile app developed in house by the Queens Library (QL) has been installed on more than 5,400 Apple iOS devices and more than 3,300 Android devices. This initial success has led QL to consider adopting a library-as-developer role, selling customized versions of the app to other libraries to generate a revenue stream that would support this and other in-house development projects.

Queens Library in Flushing is now lending Google Tablets to lend their customers, free with a library card. Council Member Peter Koo, State Senator Toby Stavisky, Congress Woman Grace Meng and Queens Library’s Bridget Quinn-Carey were among those unveiling the new service.

The successful lending free Google Tablets has expanded to Queens Library in Forest Hills. Customers are able to borrow the Google tablets on their library cards. First time borrowers must show photo ID. Customers are able to borrow the tablet for up to four months.

Queens Library has expanded lending free Google tablets from the Rockaways to Forest Hills to Flushing. The program puts critical technology access into the hands of library customers, free.

In October 2013, Queens Library received 5,000 Nexus 7 tablets from Google, as part of a larger donation of 17,000 tablets to the New York State Community Action Association intended to help communities that were still on the mend. Queens Library viewed the tablets as a means to bring mobile technology opportunities to under-served audiences and bridge the digital divide. Queens Library opted to provide a guided experience, featuring pre-loaded content with a simple, customized “Discovery and Delivery” interface that would be easy for beginners to navigate.

Queens Library’s vice president Nick Buron accepted the ALA/Information Today, Inc. Library of the Future Award. Queens Library received a donation of 5,000 Google tablets to assist customers who were impacted by Superstorm Sandy, Staff members created a customized tablet interface that would be useful with or without Wi-Fi, make the tablets accessible for beginners, and provide library-curated content on topics of interest to the community.

The New York Library Association’s Public Libraries Section (PLS) has announced that Queens Library will receive the prestigious 2014 Best Practices Award for the development of its Mobile Discovery and Delivery Platform. The award is given every two years to a public library or public library system that has focused on the best use of technology to promote library services. This is the third major award given to the innovation this year.

Queens Library Named For 2014 Best Practices.

Google tablets were first accessible for loan to customers in the Rockaways. Now all Queens Library customers with a library card are able to borrow a tablet at the Central Library and soon at all Queens Library locations. Khadijah Rasheed of Far Rockaway said “borrowing the tablet helped her complete a degree from the College of New Rochelle.” This is the level of success the Queens Library hope to provide to all is patrons.

Queens Library now provides its customer with 5,000 new free tables that can be checked out just like a library book. The tablets are preloaded with information that is useful with or without wifi access.

Google tablets, once available only to library customers in neighborhoods damaged by Hurricane Sandy, will soon be featured in branches throughout the system. Anyone with a library card and identification can borrow the tablets, which provide Internet access with a Wi-Fi connection. But even without Internet service, the tablets are preloaded with information on education, health, citizenship and computer skills training. They can also hold ebooks and emagazines.

Queens Library will receive 5,000 donated new Google Nexus Tablets to provide to their customers. The tablets were donated by Google through the New York State Community Action Association. The donation is intended to help the communities which were badly affected by Superstorm Sandy recover. The tablets are useful with or without a wireless connection and will offer information on employment resources, library resources and much more.

“The Queens Library is the first public library system in New York to offer free digital copies of popular magazines,” Customers can download free magazines through Zinio on any internet connected laptop, tablet or smartphone. Hundreds of titles are available.