Reserve a Computer

The Chicago Public Library (CPL) provides access to online information and services in its 79 library locations.

A valid Library Card (in good standing) from the Chicago Public Library is required to use computers in the Library. If you live in Chicago and do not have a valid Library Card (in good standing), apply at the Circulation Desk. Proper identification is required. Out of town guests may obtain a temporary “Guest” pass by presenting proper photo identification at the Circulation Desk.

Internet Access Computers
All 79 Chicago Public Library locations  offer computers with free Internet access. Reservations for a 1 hour session may be made using the Library’s online reservation system. Express Internet computers are also available in all libraries, for quick email or Internet searching. Use of Express Internet computers
is limited to 15 minutes and requires entering your library card number. Two sessions per day per library card number may be reserved - including any combination of one hour and 15 minute sessions.

All Internet sessions time out automatically at the end of a session. 

Reservations: To reserve time on a Chicago Public Library 1 hour Internet computer, patrons may sign up remotely online at http://www.chicagopubliclibrary.org/pcres/reserve.pl or visit any Chicago Public Library location and use the designated PC Reservation Station. Library Card rights and responsibilities are not transferrable. Reservations may be made for the same day and/or in advance for the following two days. Once you make your reservation, you will be given a receipt onscreen with the assigned computer number and the assigned time so you know which computer to use.

Sessions: To ensure access to as many users as possible, patrons are allowed a maximum of two sessions per person, per day. Sessions include 1 hour Internet computers, Express Internet computers and the Library’s word processing computers (located at Harold Washington Library Center, Woodson, and Sulzer Regional Libraries only).

Be on Time: Please be aware that the reservation system gives you only a ten-minute grace period for your assigned session. If you are more than ten minutes late, or do not show up at all, your reservation is cancelled and you will forfeit that reservation. If you are not able to keep your reservation, you should cancel it in the system so that you don’t lose one of your two sessions for the day.

Using a designated PC Reservation Station:
1. Press any key on the keyboard.
2. Select “Next Available PC” or “Future Reservation” by clicking the appropriate button.
3. Enter your Library Card Number (located below the bar code on your Library Card). Be sure to enter the capital “D” followed by the 9 numbers of your Library Card.
4. For all locations except the Harold Washington Library Center: elect either an Adult Computer (age 14 and older) or a Juvenile Computer (under age 14) and select by specific time or “Next Available.” In the Computer Commons at the Harold Washington Library Center, patrons may choose to reserve computers equipped with internet access or word processing capabilities.
5. You will receive a confirmation and a unique PIN number. Click either “Accept” or “Cancel.”
6. Note the time and PC number of your reservation (if making the reservation from a PC Reservation Station, you will receive a printed receipt with this information).
7. When it’s time for your reserved session, log in to your assigned PC at your reserved time, using your Library Card Number (see item #3). Be sure to look for the PC with the same number as your reservation.

Printing from Computers
The Chicago Public Library lets computer users print 10 pages, per day, free of charge. Computer users will be charged 15 cents per page for each additional page after the first 10 free pages. This applies to patrons using Find It @ CPL; the Library’s Internet computers; and the Library’s word processing computers (located at located at Harold Washington Library Center, Woodson, and Sulzer Regional Libraries only).

Alternatives to Printing
1. Take notes. It saves you money and conserves paper.
2. Email an article or website to yourself at your home, school or office computer.
3. At Harold Washington Library Center, Woodson, and Sulzer Regional Libraries only, you can save your word processing document on a disk or flash drive.

Printing
If you wish to print, select “Print” from the file menu. The Microsoft Windows print information window will appear, allowing you to choose the pages you would like to print. Select the pages you would like to print and click “OK.” A small window will appear to explain the number of pages being sent to the Print Release Station and the associated cost. If you do not want to incur the cost, simply click on “Cancel.” You can send as many documents as you would like to the Print Release Station but you will not be charged until you actually release a document to the printer at the station. For your convenience, all documents you send to the Print Release Station will remain there for up to 2 hours.

At the conclusion of your computer session, log off and go to the Print Release Station. Enter your valid Library Card number at the welcome screen marked “LPT:One.”

A list of the items you sent to print will appear. Select those items you wish to print and click “Print.” If you decide against printing something, click on “Delete” to remove the item from the screen. After you have selected all the documents you would like to print, click on “Done” and proceed to the nearby printer to pick up your documents. Refunds can not be given for unwanted or blank pages.

Researching beyond the Internet
Search the Library’s online catalog and online research resources via the CPL website. Every library has Find It! dedicated computers set aside for searching the online catalog and research resources. No reservations are needed. The online catalog tells you what materials the Library owns and how to locate them.

The Library also provides access to a variety of online research resources in English and Spanish, including encyclopedias, magazine and newspaper articles, medical and health information, business resources, photographs, and reference information on science, literature, math, the arts and education.

These online research resources contain information not available through search engines like Google or Yahoo. The information in the online research resources has been written and reviewed by professionals, editors and fact checkers before being published. Using the Library’s online research resources, you can access articles from newspapers, journals, reference tools and magazines for free. Online research resources provide a wealth of information on thousands of topics, for a variety of
age levels. Many online research resources are also available from home, office or school if you have a valid Library Card (in good standing) from the
Chicago Public Library and access to the web.

WiFi
All locations of the Chicago Public Library offer free wireless access to the Library’s WiFi network. Getting online is quick and simple. All you need is a wireless enabled laptop computer, tablet PC or PDA. The Library’s network is open to all visitors free of charge and without filters. No special encryption settings, user names or passwords are required. The SSID is CPLWIFI.

Pick up the handy WiFi information card at any library, or visit the WIFI FAQ, for troubleshooting and settings information.

Word Processing
Word Processing is only available at the Harold Washington Library Center, Woodson, and Sulzer Regional Libraries.

The Chicago Public Library is not responsible for personal computer equipment plugged into electrical outlets at our locations. Only computer equipment and software owned and previously installed by the Chicago Public Library may be used on Chicago Public Library computers. Adding, deleting or modifying the installed software is not permitted. No personal files will be saved on the hard drive.