[November 22, 2009] Main Library's PCs now in short supply: Some computer resources temporarily unavailable as planned new Job Help Center gets under way. Tweet Nov 22, 2009 (The Charlotte Observer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The Virtual Village public computer center at the Main Library uptown has closed while resources are shifted for the Jan. 21 opening of a new Job Help Center. Forty-seven computer work stations will be available to the public at the newly expanded second-floor reference lab -- far fewer than the 68 work stations that were available in Virtual Village. Some computer resources will be unavailable until December or January as the staff moves equipment to other locations while also setting up the 7,500-square-foot Job Help Center to better serve patrons. Services that will be unavailable temporarily include computer work stations for the disabled, Photoshop and Dreamweaver design software, scanners and CD burners. Flash drives and 3.50-inch floppy drives can be used to store data. The usual 20- to 30-minute wait to use a library computer is expected to become longer for those who visit the library without reserving a computer in advance. The wait can exceed an hour at peak demand around lunchtime. "We acknowledge that the temporarily reduced computer capacity at Main Library presents a challenge, but we are confident that the dedicated efforts of library staff will help our customers navigate the changes," said Cordelia Anderson, a spokesperson for the library. Use of the public library's computers in Mecklenburg County has jumped more than 12 percent this year. More than 501,000 patrons logged on at library computers between July and October this year, compared with 446,825 during the same period last year. The planned Job Help Center is a new library initiative designed to answer the community's request for more resources to help the growing number of job seekers and people in career transition. Computers will be available for three-hour sessions. The library also plans a systemwide emphasis on job-related training classes and a Web page with resources for job seekers and entrepreneurs. Virtual Village housed a majority of the Main Library's 70 or more public computer work stations. Some computers offered technologies for patrons with impaired vision and those who are unable to operate a computer using their hands. Those services and others that are temporarily unavailable will become available again in December or January. The library staff is deciding whether to continue offering a limited number of Macintosh computers and music-editing PCs. Eight computers designated for homework and research will remain in the second-floor reference area. Word processing is available on those units, but Internet services are limited to the library's Web site and some government sites. To see more of The Charlotte Observer, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.charlotteobserver.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Charlotte Observer, N.C. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]