Sunset Park Library Now Stocked With Robotics Kits, Video Games, Sound Equipment and More

SUNSET PARK, BROOKLYN — Every branch in Brooklyn's library system is in the process of receiving a host of new technology courtesy of $3 million in state funding — and Roxana Benavides, the head librarian at the Sunset Park Library, is already busy putting it to use.

The funds came from the state's Economic Development Capital Program, and was locked down in the budget by Brooklyn's Assembly members, including Joe Lentol, James Brennan, Félix W. Ortiz and Annette Robinson.

It's been used for an equipment list designed to compliment library programming, according to the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), including (but not limited to) video came consoles, portable public address systems, iPad Airs, MacBook Pros, Windows laptops, flatscreen TVs, and littleBits robotics kits.

All of the new goodies will be delivered to their branches by the end of the year, according to the BPL.

But what does it mean in practice? On Thursday, Benavides explained how her staff will use the equipment they've received to better conduct current programs and start new ones.

The littleBits kits will allow students to build working circuits and robots, she said, while the new two new PA speakers will help library patrons enjoy programs and classes, such as salsa and meringue dances for seniors.

A new digital camera will be used to document the library's work and could make a photography class possible, Benavides said, while cell phone-mounted microphones could be applied to a podcasting workshop.

A new Wii U video game console is useful too, she said, and will be used in a tween and teen-friendly program space that also features literacy exercises. And when the branch's iPads arrive, Benavides said she hopes parents will be able to use them for story time with their kids.

The packed-to-the-brim Sunset Park Library is one of the busiest branches in Brooklyn, a central reason why Benavides is backing a plan to rebuild it inside a new affordable housing development (a proposal that remains controversial, but which is moving forward).

The library is routinely filled with immigrant families, many of whom are still learning English.

That's one of the reasons why library programming, and tech-oriented programs in particular, are so important at the branch, explained Benavides, who is herself an immigrant from El Salvador.

People who come to the library to use its wifi, computers, or other equipment "might not be able to afford it at home," or might not be able to effectively use it because of language gaps, she said. "That's where we step in."

Pictured at top: Sunset Park Library head librarian Roxana Benavides stands next to the library's new technology. Photo by John V. Santore