Storm-weary residents are about to get a special perk.
Queens Library branches in Rockaway and the surrounding areas will soon be offering patrons the opportunity to take home a Google tablet.
Customers will only need to show a Queens Library card and photo identification to borrow one of 5,000 tablets, which are loaded with library-specific features.
Customers can borrow the tablets for a month at a time, and have the opportunity to renew them twice in a row.
The program kicks off on Wednesday at the Far Rockaway branch, and in coming weeks will expand to Howard Beach, Broad Channel, Arverne, Rockaway Beach and Rockaway Park.
Google donated 17,000 tablets to the state to help areas that were hardest hit by Sandy.
“We hope that the residents of this borough will have access to the information and resources they need to strengthen their communities,” said William Floyd, head of external affairs for Google.
Staff at the Seaside branch, in Rockaway, are eager to offer the new tablets to patrons.
“The kids are really going to be excited,” said Sandra Lowenstein, the children’s librarian. “It’s a way for them to have something of their own and download the books they want.”
Tezra Caesar, a customer service specialist, said the tablets will be especially useful for people who don’t have computers or lost them to the storm.
The library currently rents Kindle e-readers from its Central branch in Jamaica.
The storm-socked Seaside facility — a haven for people who need to use computers — reopened only weeks ago. “One man told us he felt like he was coming home,” Caesar said. “He said everything looks the same, and he loves it.”
For information, visit www.queenslibrary.org.
