IPADS FOR SENIORS
Library to lend tablets
Seniors can now check out an ipad just like they would a book from the Windsor Public Library.
A new loan program begun Wednesday allows seniors 55 and over, as well as individuals with special needs, to take home a Generation 8 ipad with six gigabytes of data for up to three weeks.
Details were laid out Tuesday at a virtual meeting of the library's board.
A grant of $16,500 provided by the federal government and the United Way allowed the local library to purchase 15 ipads and data for a year.
“We want seniors to use this to connect with family and friends,” said Christine Rideout-arkell, manager of public services.
Seniors can download e-books and digital newspapers and there's even a few games provided on the device, Rideout-arkell said.
“We know it's going to be really popular and that we'll have a wait list,” said library CEO Kitty Pope. The day before the start of the program, 11 people had already signed up to take an ipad home.
The project sprang out of community concern over seniors feeling isolated and lonely during the COVID-19 pandemic that forced library branches to lock the doors.
With the Windsor-essex region currently in red lockdown, libraries are limited to curbside pickup and drop-off with limited public access to computers and photocopiers. All in-person browsing and programming is suspended.
The ipads are available for pickup at the Fontainebleau branch in east Windsor, but Rideout-arkell said if transportation is an issue, the device can be delivered to another Windsor branch.
The ipads will be available at the beginning of each month. Those interested in borrowing one must hold a Windsor library card and sign a terms-of-service agreement. Call Nicole at 519-255-6770 to make a reservation.
Pope wants seniors to know staff is available to help with questions about how to use the device.
“We've made it easy, it's just as simple as turning on a telephone.”
Rideout-arkell said the six gigabytes of data should last three weeks but it will shut off if a user goes over that amount.
The board also heard library staff are in the process of buying a digital book scanner for the Riverside branch with an $18,000 donation from the ward funds of city councillor Jo-anne Gignac. The scanner is part of a Riverside Memory Archive project in honour of Riverside's 100th anniversary on May 3.
The scanner will allow users to scan and share photo albums or recipe books for family or the community archive. Pope said it will be at least three to four months before the scanner is in place.
While the pandemic severely curtailed personal visits to library branches during 2020, it saw usage of online resources surge.
Website and social media visits were up 56 per cent in January compared to January last year.
The library system also developed and expanded the offerings of its digital branch to offer high-quality videos featuring craft demonstrations, author talks and more.