Deerfield Public Libraries are Bridging the Digital Divide
“People are getting used to the idea that libraries are more than just books,” says Ted Gray, multimedia librarian for Illinois’s Deerfield Public Library.
“Libraries are more like community centers at this point,” he adds.
In Deerfield, an affluent suburb of Chicago, Gray was inspired to launch an LoT when he learned of their growing popularity from professional peers. His strategy was one shared by fellow LoT curators: Start small, so you can work out the kinks before growing the collection.
Deerfield first lent Roku media players, bundled with Netflix and a few other streaming apps, and then added wireless hotspots. The latter are in high demand, and Deerfield now has about a dozen. From there, Gray expanded to LED projectors, virtual reality glasses, drones, GPS navigators, microscopes, telescopes and…
