The covid pandemic changed how and where we work, judging from the surge of remote workers across the country. Even though many offices have opened back up again, many people are still on a hybrid or fully flexible/remote schedule. However, distractions at home can make it hard to get any real work done (or have a quiet place to get on a Zoom or conference call) and coworking spaces can fill that need.
The Washoe County Library System has noticed this trend, and in 2022 it introduced a Zoom ROOM to its Incline Village branch. In the back corner of its library, the four-person box is soundproof and contains a table, bench seats, a powerbox for charging up devices, automatic lighting with a dimmer, and a hardwired data connection (although the library provides free WiFi for all visitors). There’s also a computer monitor and camera that provides a 180-degree wide field view.
“Folks have used it for doctor’s appointments, and library staff uses it as a recording booth for a show on KUNR. One guy had a job interview that was an hour-and-a-half long and said that it wouldn’t have been possible to do at home with his young kids around, so he was very grateful to have this available,” says Incline Village Library Managing Librarian John Crockett.
People reserve the Incline Village Library’s Zoom ROOM online or at the information desk for up to two hours at a time and can use it up to ten times per month.
The Zoom ROOM has been such a success at the Incline Village and North Valleys libraries that it recently added Zoom ROOMs to the Northwest Reno, Sierra View, and Sparks libraries. The four-person meeting room pods that provide private, connected workspace for online interviews, collaborative study, and virtual meetings were funded through grants and monies received from the Institute of Museum and Library Services via the Library Services and Technology Act administered by the Nevada State Library, Archives and Public Records.
The Downtown Reno, South Valleys, Spanish Springs, and Sparks libraries also have smaller Zoom ROOM phone booths ideal for individual users.
If you have an important virtual meeting coming up and need some peace and quiet to have it go well, make a Zoom ROOM reservation through the Washoe County Library System at washoelibrary.org/meetingrooms.
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