See how the library’s dedicated staff and Sharp technology support everyday activity.
Challenges
Fort Lee Public Library has long been more than a place to borrow books. On a typical day, students and remote workers settle in with laptops, community groups gather for meetings, staff prepare rooms for programs, and patrons move through the building to learn, work, connect and participate. As the library prepared for renovations, its team wanted to build on that activity with spaces that could adapt to different needs throughout the day. The goal was not simply to add technology. It was to make it easier for staff to host programs, for groups to collaborate, and for patrons of all ages to feel comfortable using the library in the ways that mattered most to them.
Solutions
Fort Lee Public Library collaborated with Sharp to evaluate technology opportunities. Together, they identified ways to support collaboration, learning and day-to-day operations.
To support overall network operations, the library added Sharp Managed IT services, IT hardware, backup and disaster recovery and cybersecurity support.
Throughout the building, large-format displays in conference rooms give staff and community groups a practical way to share content, with easy connect HDMI and Wi-Fi capabilities.
The Learning Lab includes a Sharp AQUOS BOARD interactive display, allowing users to share content, write directly on the screen and work together in real time. The board supports staff training and library programs such as Canva workshops and introductory budgeting classes.
The community room was designed as a flexible gathering space with full AV integration, a projector and a drop-down screen. The space can support local government meetings, presentations, concerts, workshops and other community events.
Outside, a large Sharp dvLED display helps the library promote events and maintain a visible connection with the community beyond its walls. Laptops help support everyday work for staff, and are also loaned out to students and patrons for use during their visit.
Results
The updated environment is helping Fort Lee Public Library support the many ways people use the building each day. Students and remote workers have places to connect and work. Staff can prepare rooms, host trainings, and support a busy program schedule. Community groups have more flexible spaces for meetings and presentations.
The impact is especially visible in the ways patrons have embraced the technology. After the library opened a conference room to teens after school, students began using the interactive display as a collaborative study tool.
The community meeting room has become one of the library’s most flexible and well-loved spaces. It can host a local government meeting one day, a concert or workshop the next, and smaller gatherings such as a silent book club in between. A password-protected tablet mounted on the wall puts the room’s AV controls in one easy-to-use place. With a few taps, staff can lower the screen, power on the projector, choose what is displayed, switch between a participant’s phone and a connected computer and adjust the surround sound throughout the room. The ease of use makes the room more practical for the people who run the library’s busy calendar and more welcoming for the community members who use it.
Behind the scenes, managed IT services provide the cybersecurity, backup and disaster recovery and hardware support to help keep critical services available.
Outside, the dvLED display also helps the library communicate with patrons beyond its doors, giving staff a prominent way to highlight programs, announcements and upcoming events.
Fort Lee Public Library is showing how a modern library can remain grounded in its community mission while creating more ways for people to learn, participate and feel at home.
“The Learning Lab’s large AQUOS BOARD is tons of fun to use. It’s made staff trainings more efficient since we can present and record sessions directly from the board. We also appreciate that there are so many ways to connect and share content on the board depending on the presentation or activity.”