El Paso Public Library

Public Information Kiosk Available at City Hall

Photograph of Carol Brey-Casiano, Director of Libraries; Joyce Wilson, City Manager; John Cook, Mayor
From left to right:  Carol Brey-Casiano, Director of Libraries; Joyce Wilson, City Manager; John Cook, Mayor

 El Pasoans now have an additional resource when searching for information online. The El Paso Public Library has established an e- (electronic) Branch Library public information kiosk located at City Hall which gives citizens an opportunity to access important City services and resources online. The e- Branch Library kiosk provides online access to El Paso’s most important Web sites including the City of El Paso Web site, the State of Texas Web site, the El Paso Public Library site and many more. Citizens can use the Kiosk to find a particular City or County service, search public records, pay traffic citations, search for library books, search for jobs or for hundreds of other reasons.
The e-Branch kiosk is free and available during normal working hours in the lobby at City Hall. For more information call 543-5412.
Following the severe impact to much of Texas and the Gulf Coast by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Public Information Kiosk, Inc. of Maryland jumped in to assist, providing 25 e-Branch Libraries in the states of Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Alabama. El Paso Public Library received one of these unique information kiosks last year. City Hall was determined to be an ideal location, and following some planned renovations to the first floor of City Hall, the e-Branch Library is now situated right next to the café on the first floor.

The e-Branch is incredibly easy to use, equipped with a touch screen that provides direct access to El Paso Public Library resources, the City website, and--because the original intent of the kiosk was to assist hurricane victims--access to FEMA resources and housing assistance. Because few people in the El Paso area require hurricane assistance, the resources available will soon be modified to provide access to other local agencies and assistance. The kiosk is also equipped with a telephone that takes users directly to the Information Desk of the Main Library for personalized assistance.

"We are pleased to be able to provide this great resource for the people of El Paso," said Library Director Carol Brey-Casiano. "The new e-Branch Library provides fast access to current information that our community needs, as evidenced by the over 150 people who used it during the first week it was operational!"
 
May 2, 2007