Useful Apps to Add on Your Library Tablets

If your library has tablets but you are not sure what tablet apps to make available, you are not alone. Many librarians face the same question: how do you choose apps that serve diverse users, from children to seniors, while keeping the tablets safe and easy to manage? This guide gives you ideas on what to offer and how to manage them efficiently.

There are a few ways to think about how to logically split the tablets so that each device serves a particular user group or purpose.

1. Organise by User Age Groups 

Libraries serve everyone from toddlers to retirees. Splitting your library tablet apps by age makes it easier to meet expectations at each life stage. For example:

• Kids

Tip: To make it easy for people to find what they need, split the apps by category, then group each category into a folder or place them in separate rows with space between them on the tablet’s screen.

• Adults

Tip: You can make a website shortcut from Chrome or Edge browser on a tablet’s home screen.

• Elderly

Tip: Remember to increase the text size of the tablet for this user group

Besides the usual apps, like browsers (Chrome, Firefox, etc.), these useful apps ensure that every age group finds value in your shared tablets.

2. Organise by Occasions and Events

Rotating popular tablet apps for different times of year keeps the collection lively and relevant.

• Back to School

• Pride Month
  

• Your country’s specific holidays, for example, Christmas

With this approach, your library provides useful mobile apps for library users that reflect what’s happening now. It makes your service feel up-to-date.

3. Organise by Community Needs

Libraries also support users facing specific life situations. Setting up profiles with useful apps tailored to these needs can be powerful.

• Job Seekers

• New to the Country

Providing these useful apps and websites directly on library tablets supports inclusion and digital independence. Additionally, you can turn your tablet into digital guidelines for your makerspace by adding videos or writing instructions directly on the tablet’s home screen.

Things to Keep in Mind with Standard Tablets

Providing tablets as a digital tool is already a great step for your users. Standard tablets can work well, but it helps to be aware of a few common challenges:

• You may need to buy and reserve many devices for different groups or occasions.
• Users might install unsafe apps, forget to log out, or change settings.
• Prepare for theft prevention with locks, mounts, or other security measures.
• Staff often spend time updating each tablet manually.

These are all manageable, but over time they can take extra effort from your team.

Read: How to Use Tablets for Public Use

Smarter Profiles for Every User

Hublet Solution makes managing library tablet apps far simpler. Instead of buying different devices for each group, you can create profiles for children, students, job seekers, or seniors - all on the same tablets.

Even better, Hublet Solution comes with templates for these profiles, so you don’t need to manually set up the apps on tablets from scratch. You can simply copy and paste them on our cloud-based platform, Hublet Manager, making it quick to roll out useful apps on tablets remotely, without requiring extra staff work.

Key benefits:

• No need to reserve tablets for specific users. You can start with only 1 tablet that serves different users, then scale it up if needed.
• Automatic updates & wipes data after each use, and central management saves staff time.
• Tablet’s settings are blocked for end-users, preventing unsafe installations.
• Users can take tablets anywhere inside the library, but tablets stop working outside the library Wi-Fi to prevent theft.

Read: The ABCs of Hublet: Making Tablet Lending and Content Management Easy!

Thoughtful choices of useful apps help libraries serve people of all ages and situations. With Hublet, you can manage these apps efficiently, securely, and inclusively, without extra IT headaches.

By curating useful mobile apps for library users, you keep the library at the heart of learning, opportunity, and community connection.