Public libraries are trusted spaces where every child can explore, learn, and grow. But as the world becomes more digital, libraries are rethinking how they support learning. Books will always matter but so will technology for children.
Whether you’re in a small-town branch or a busy city system, you can use technology to support early learning, reduce screen time stress, and encourage hands-on exploration.
Below are tools that make it easier to introduce technology for kids in library environments safely, affordably, and effectively.
Children are curious, but not always cautious. Many libraries now set up child-only computers with simplified interfaces and filtered internet access. This basic technology for children creates a safe space for digital learning.
📍 Silver City Public Library in the USA uses AWE Learning Stations touchscreen computers loaded with pre-approved educational games.
For libraries with smaller budgets, tools like Magic Desktop provide a safe shell on standard Windows PCs.
This is the simple first step to begin delivering library technology for children. However, PCs are usually less flexible, can have high license fees, and limited content updates.
More simple than PCs, some libraries are adding interactive touchscreen systems that don’t require reading or passwords. These encourage free exploration through reload games, songs, and visual storytelling.
📍 Myyrmäki Library in Finland has an interactive touchscreen on a table in their children’s zone that helps children learn how to sort recyclable trash.
This is one of the easiest ways to introduce technology for kids with minimal staff training and no device loans.
📍 Crewe Library in the UK uses Hublet Tablets to let children borrow secure tablets for in-library use. Content is pre-approved, time limits are set, and tablets are wiped clean after each use.
“We were delighted with the Hublet’s light touch implementation – it was much quicker and easier for us to set up compared with traditional PCs.”
- Tom Appleby, Crewe Library Manager & Digital Learning Manager
Shared tablet is a technology for kids in library spaces that ensures digital access without increasing staff workload.
Read: Most popular kids’s club in Crewe Library
Some of the best library technology for children doesn’t involve screens. Many libraries are returning to hands-on STEM kits to engage curiosity and early engineering skills.
📍 Reed Library launched a public LEGO table to encourage open-ended play.
📍 Ela Area Public Library provides Magnetic Tiles in its makerspace.
📍 Linwood Public Library offers Makey Makey kits for creative electronics.
When combined with the reload instructions on the tablet, these kits are perfect for weekend workshops or drop-in stations focused on technology for kids through play.
Even young children can start learning the basics of computer science using library-friendly tools. From drag-and-drop coding to light robotics, technology for kids in the library can spark early interest in digital learning.
📍 Okanagan Regional Library in Canada use Ozobot mini robots to help kids learn programming by drawing paths or using blocks.
This is one of the fastest-growing forms of technology that libraries can offer for children, delivering valuable digital literacy skills.
To keep storytime fresh, many libraries are using augmented reality (AR) and sound-responsive apps to engage children during read-alouds. This is where technology for children becomes magical and reinforces the library as a place for wonder.
Los Angeles Public Libraries in the USA introduced iPads loaded with AR app to encourage movement, reading aloud and exploration.
Some libraries embrace immersive technologies like virtual reality (VR) to bring educational and entertaining experiences under one roof. This technology allows kids to use it for field exploration, like virtual walking tours of Paris and climate visuals in tropical countries.
Since these headsets are usually expensive and available to only a limited number of people, some use funding such as grants or partnerships to develop this technology for kids in their libraries.
When done right, technology for kids becomes more than entertainment. It becomes a gateway to learning, literacy, and confidence.
Whether you're setting up a LEGO wall or launching a Hublet tablet station, your library can offer meaningful, accessible, and safe digital experiences that meet families where they are.
Because library technology for children isn’t about keeping up with trends, it’s about building future-ready communities.
Let your library be the place where kids don’t just read stories, they get to create them.