Public Computers
BPL card holders have free access to 25 computer desktop workstations. You must have a BPL library card or purchase a guest pass in order to use a computer. Computer use is first come, first served, and wait times vary throughout the day. Prefer to use your own laptop? We have seventy electrical outlets located in the public seating space.
10 iMac "design" stations (60-minute sessions)
Adobe Creative Cloud
Adobe After Effects CC 2017Adobe Animate CC 2017
Adobe Audition CC 2017
Adobe Dreamweaver CC 2017
Adobe Illustrator CC 2017
Adobe InDesign CC 2017
Adobe Lightroom
Adobe Photoshop CC 2017
Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2017
Adobe Acrobat Pro
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
Adobe Bridge CC 2017
Adobe Character Animator CC(Beta)
Adobe Creative Cloud
Adobe Edge Animate CC 2015
Adobe Edge Code CC
Adobe Edge Reflow CC
Adobe ExtendScript Toolkit CC
Adobe Extension Manager CC
Adobe Extension Manager CS6
Adobe Fireworks CS6
Adobe Flash Builder 4.7
Adobe Fuse CC (Preview)
Adobe InCopy CC 2017
Adobe Media Encoder CC 2017
Adobe Muse CC 2017
Adobe Prelude CC 2017
Adobe Scout CC
Adobe SpeedGrade CC 2015
GIMP 2
Microsoft Office 15:
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Word
OpenOffice 4
Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2017
Final Cut Pro X
iMovie 10
VLC Media Player 2
Any Video Converter
FLV Crunch
Handbrake 0.10
Mac OS X includes a number of accessibility options for people with vision, hearing, physical, and/or learning disabilities. Go to System Preferences and click on Universal Access.
13 Hewlett-Packard "research" stations (30-minute sessions)
Audacity
GIMP 2
Movie Maker
Windows DVD Maker
Acrobat Reader DC
Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing 16
Microsoft Office 2010
Microsoft AccessMicrosoft Excel
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Publisher
Microsoft Word
Windows Media Player
VLC Media Player
2 Hewlett-Packard "design" stations (60-minute sessions)
In addition to all of the software on the PC Research computers, the two PC design stations offer Adobe Creative Cloud programs:
Adobe Acrobat ProAdobe After Effects CC 2015
Adobe Animate CC 2015
Adobe Audition CC 2015
Adobe Bridge CC (64bit)
Adobe Character Animator (Preview)
Adobe DreamWeaver CC 2015
Adobe Edge Animate CC 2015
Adobe Edge Code CC Preview
Adobe Edge Reflow CC
Adobe Extension Manger CC
Adobe Extension Manager CS6
Adobe Fireworks CS6
Adobe Fuse CC (Preview)
Adobe Illustrator CC 2015
Adobe InCopy CC 2015
Adobe InDesign CC 2015
Adobe Lightroom
Adobe Media Encoder CC 2015
Adobe Muse CC 2015
Adobe Photoshop CC 2015
Adobe Preclude CC 2015
Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2015
Adobe Scout CC
Adobe SpeedGrade CC 2015
All PCs offer accessibility options, including a magnification tool and a narrator.
Info Commons computer workstations are dedicated to working, learning and research. You can use these computers to access productivity and design software, job and career websites, email, BPL databases, and news and information sites. The following sites and services have been blocked: streaming video, some social networks, chat, online games, and adult sites.
Recording Studio
The Info Commons has an amateur recording studio that is free to use with your BPL library card. Equipment includes a microphone, DSLR camera, and musical keyboard. Learn more.
Meeting Rooms
Each Info Commons meeting room has a dry erase easel and a digital display to facilitate instruction, webinars, and collaboration. The largest of the meeting rooms (Meeting Room 4) features a SMART interactive whiteboard. We have inkless markers and a GoWire cable that allows you to temporarily access the SMART Meeting Pro software on your own computer for full interactive functionality - just ask the staff for assistance, and please bring your ID to leave at the desk. Certain file types are playable or viewable on the flatscreens (although not on the SMART Board in Room 4) directly from USB flash drives: .3gp, .asf, .avi, .divx, .jpg, .m2ts, .mkv, .mp3, .mp4, .mpeg, .mpg, .mts, .tp, .trp, .ts, .vro, .webm, .wmv.
All displays include speakers and the appropriate cables to connect to your own device (the library does not provide laptops) for audio as well as video. Please note that computers running Windows XP and earlier will not be able to connect to the flatscreen. Central Library's wireless Internet access is available throughout the space, but there is also a data jack in each room. Ethernet cables; HDMI cables; and Mac-to-HDMI, Mac-to-VGA, Lightning-to-VGA, and DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapters can be borrowed to use in the meeting rooms, depending on availability. We also have dry erase markers for public use. To borrow items, you will need to leave your library card at the reference desk. Learn more.
Digital Conversion
The Info Commons has equipment that allows you to convert your analog media—VHS videocassettes, audiocassettes and vinyl records—to digital files. Reserve time with the equipment and bring your media, plus a laptop if possible, to the Info Commons at the scheduled time. Learn more.
Scanner
Our KIC BookEdge scanner is free to use and outputs to a choice of PDF, JPG, PNG, RTF, or MP3 (text to audio) files. There are different image quality settings, up to 600dpi. The scanner bed measures roughly 12" x 17".
Lab
The Info Commons lab has both Macbook Pro and Hewlett-Packard laptops that are available to the public during classes and workshops. They include multimedia and design applications in addition to productivity software, and they all have Internet access. The lab is also equipped with a projector and assistive listening technology.