Saratoga library introduces new technology

Located in the hub of the Saratoga Library Adult Section, users can find a vending machine-sized apparatus with long, secured slots and a touchscreen. The large machine is the library’s new laptop kiosk. It allows users to check out one of the library’s $1,400 HP laptops for a maximum of three hours.

The laptops are primarily used by the dozens of Redwood Middle School students who walk to the Saratoga library after school. Students use the laptops to access online textbooks and their Google Drive accounts.

“The laptops are really helpful after school,” community librarian and Saratoga library manager Mike Eitner said. “Students can use those in addition to the new computers for their homework.”

The Saratoga public library is piloting the laptop kiosk for the Santa Clara County Library District. After a few more months, the SCCLD will decide whether or not to supply all of their libraries with a laptop kiosk.

Ten months ago, the library also replaced its old computer monitors with modern ones. The new computers, as well as the laptops, boast programs like Adobe Photoshop to provide more options for users.

“There are some resources that I only have access to here, and if you're like me and need someone to pick you up later from the library, then it’s a good place to do your homework,” Redwood Middle School eighth grader Jeffrey Hu said.

Without the computers and laptops, Hu said, it would be difficult to do homework there because much of his assignments can only be done online.

Most recently, a peculiar-looking machine has appeared in the adult section of the library. The large, clear box holds a small robotic arm that clasps a simple pen above a stack of paper. Attached  to the box are a list of instructions and a camera. This machine is called the Robodraw.

Using the small camera, users can take a picture of themselves with a simple push of a button. It then takes 15 minutes for the Robodraw to create a portrait with ink and paper. All components of the Robodraw, including some special programming ordered by the library, cost about $10,000.

“The Robodraw is here because we wanted to draw attention to technology with simple and inexpensive programs,” Eitner said. “Creating your own robotic arm seems to be a trend in tech right now.”

The library even has a small charging station next to the Robodraw, complete with iPhone and iPad charging cords, power outlets and USB cables compatible with Android and Google phones.

Junior Angeli Huang comes to the library almost every day to do her homework. The new laptop and charging station has proved to be helpful for she uses it regularly.  

But there are users who find faults with some of the current library technology, including the current checkout machines.

“My pet peeve with the checkout machines is the touchscreen keypads,” junior Deyshna Pai said. “I’m all for higher technology, but I miss the physical keyboard. There’s a bit of a lag with the touch buttons and it wastes a lot of time.”

However, according to Eitner, the library will be replacing the checkout machines sometime in the distant future, possibly fixing the current flaws.

Children’s librarian Irish Atajar, who has been working at the Saratoga Library for about a year, said that although the number of people coming to the library has grown, she is not sure of whether the increase is related to the recent technological advancements.

“I think people are still realizing that we have this technology,” said Atajar, “and I know more people are coming for our children’s programs.”

The Saratoga library is constantly updating its technology, aiming to provide for a larger variety of users. The sole purpose of a public library is no longer just to provide books, but to provide the resources community members need to get their work done. As a result, SCCLD librarians are always coming up with ways to improve the library’s other programs.

“It’s a multilibrary process,” Eitner said. “Several community libraries staff members get together to talk about what tech is relevant and might be beneficial to the community.”