Computer Use with a Library Card
Using a computer at the Garden City Public Library is simple. If you have a Garden City Public Library card in good standing, or a card from another TLN (The Library Network) member library (likewise in good standing), you can get started at any computer by typing in the barcode number of your library card without any spaces, followed by your PIN. Then just agree to our terms of use and begin your one hour session. If you need more time, then just ask a library employee to extend your time, as long as no one is waiting.
Guest Passes
If you do not have a library card, simply ask for a guest pass. You will need to show a photo ID to verify that you do not have a library card, or that your card is not expired, blocked, or barred. Once we verified, you will be given a guest pass, which grants you one hour of computer use. If you need more time, then just ask a library employee to extend your time, as long as no one is waiting.
Privacy
We understand that you concerned about your privacy when using public computers at the Library. That is why our computers have special software to protect you. At the end of your session, the software seeks to automatically reboot, delete any files added to the computer, and clear search histories. Thus, your personal information should never stay on our computers and should not be available to any other users. However, no system is 100% perfect. If you suspect that your personal data has somehow been saved on our computers, alert a library employee immediately.
Note, since our computers do not save your personal data, you cannot save your unfinished work directly to our computers. We highly recommend that you save your work to a USB drive, or email a copy of it to yourself. Frequently saving your work is the best safeguard against lost data.
What’s Available on Library Computers?
We have lots to offer on our computers:
- Internet browsers: Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox
- Microsoft Office 2010: Word, Excel, Publisher, PowerPoint
- TLN Online Catalog: link to our catalog to search for books, movies, music and more
- Headphones for your listening enjoyment (when available)
- DVD/CD drives for listening, watching, or storing data
- USB Ports: Insert your USB/Flash drives to work with documents
- Research & Learning: available through MeL databases
