Good news! Coney Island and Gerritsen Beach libraries will reopen this fall after extensive renovations due to Hurricane Sandy. See our Hurricane Sandy Renovations page for updates.
Central Library
Public Technology at Central Library
Central Library offers free computer use as well as other technology services to the public. A library card or guest pass ($3 for all ages) is necessary to sign up for a computer session. If you bring your own computer or other device, you can connect to free unsecured wireless Internet access anywhere in the building.
Central Library Computer Center
Computers for general Internet use are located in the 50-seat Computer Center on the third floor. These computers use the Windows 7 operating system and feature Microsoft Office 2010 applications, learning tools such as Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing 16, and creative software such as Audacity and Windows Live Movie Maker.
Computers in the Divisions
Computers for research and job hunting are located in the following divisions: Languages & Literature, Society, Sciences & Technology, and the Shelby White and Leon Levy Information Commons. The following sites and services have been blocked: streaming video, social networks (with the exception of LinkedIn), chat, online games, and adult sites. You can use these computers to access Microsoft Office applications, job and career websites, email, BPL databases, and news and information sites.
The Tech Loft, a 36-seat computer center for children and teens up to age 16, is located in the Youth Wing.
A computer with access to the Rosetta Stone language-learning program is available in the Languages and Literature Division.
Four computers with free access to Ancestry Library Edition are available in the Brooklyn Collection reading room during the Brooklyn Collection's open hours.
The twelve computers in Society, Sciences & Technology feature access to the Foundation Center Online Database.
Multimedia and Design Resources
The Shelby White and Leon Levy Information Commons offers iMac workstations for audiovisual and design projects. There is also an amateur recording studio with a camera, microphones, and an iMac editing station. See a full list of public technology in the Info Commons.
Other Technology
Microfilm readers are located on the second floor balcony, in the Popular Library and the Brooklyn Collection.
Scanners are located in the Shelby White and Leon Levy Information Commons and the Popular Library. You can scan documents and email them as attachments or save them to your USB drive or Google Docs account. Available filetypes include PDF, TIF, and JPG.
A typewriter is located in the Popular Library.
Society, Sciences & Technology has a VideoEye magnifier. The VideoEye is out of order until further notice. We apologize for the inconvenience.
