Chromebooks now available for checkout at local library

The Canyon Lake Library, as a part of the Riverside County Library System, will be checking out a limited number of Chromebooks to its patrons, thanks to funding from the Southern California Library Cooperative and the California State Library.

The county system received 80 Chromebooks and has distributed them to its member libraries, of which Canyon Lake is a part.

On Tuesday, library patrons began using their library cards to check out the Chromebooks, just as they would books, DVDs, and hotspots, at participating Riverside County Library System branches.

With the availability of these new laptops, library card holders have the opportunity to increase their digital access and skills with access to online services, job seeking, schoolwork, online health portals, and so much more all within the comfort of their own home, or wherever they can connect to Wi-Fi.

The Chromebooks are also equipped with Google Docs, Google Sheets and Google Slides. These will help to bridge the digital divide in the community, bringing devices to those who need computer access outside of the library walls.

Chromebooks are available for checkout and can be borrowed for up to three weeks. Contact the Canyon Lake Library for availability. There is a limit of one Chromebook per household and the patron must be a minimum of 18 years of age.

“Privacy and security of our patrons is of utmost importance,” Khylia Chapin of the county library system said. “When Chromebooks are returned, all data and usage will be removed from the devices before making them available for the next user.”