Digital Launchpad tablets now available at Sarasota County Public Libraries
Digital Launchpad tablets are now available at all 10 Sarasota County Public Libraries thanks to grants to the Library Foundation for Sarasota County from the Bladel Charitable Trust and the Koski Family Foundation.
Pre-loaded with educational and entertainment content for children, teens, and adults, Launchpads are mobile learning devices that circulate like books. Requiring no internet access, their curated collection of apps, videos, and games helps to reduce the digital divide, bringing technology to the nearly 50,000 Sarasota County households without high-speed internet.
“Launchpads are a terrific conduit for bridging the digital divide," said Renee Di Pilato, director of Sarasota Libraries and Historical Resources. "They are perfect for a broad audience – children, families, and even English language learners – seeking to sharpen their skills in an accessible manner.”
Launchpads are ad-free and portable. With 100 Launchpads in circulation, as many as 1,700 children and families are expected to benefit each year from this new technology.
Since its founding in 2011, the nonprofit Library Foundation for Sarasota County has raised more than $8 million in private funds for Sarasota County Public Libraries.
“We’re so grateful to the Bladel Charitable Trust and the Koski Family Foundation for helping our libraries to provide access to technology and digital learning for everyone in Sarasota County,” said Alisa Mitchell, executive director of the Library Foundation for Sarasota County.
Read Full Article Here.
