Over the last 18 months, the Enoch Pratt Free Library has stood up new services, Wi-Fi hotspots to virtual librarian booking. But with new tools, Baltimore City’s 22-location public library system hasn’t changed its approach.
“I feel like the mission of the library has never changed. The mission is always access,” said Meghan McCorkell, director of marketing and communications at the Enoch Pratt Free Library.
McCorkell was the guest on the latest episode of Technical.ly Baltimore’s The Look Ahead, a video interview series focused on digital equity and lessons from the pandemic year. McCorkell talked about how the library has pivoted to continue to serve the community and provide access, even when folks can’t physically be in the building. We chatted about new virtual resources, like Live Chat with a Librarian, where people can schedule Zoom calls with librarians to get one-on-one help with research. With its branches having long been digital access points, the library has also played a role in providing connectivity. It distributed Wi-Fi hotspots to the community, and the extented the Wi-Fi outside its branches to provide free internet to surrounding communities.
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