The questions at the library's technology desk are rarely about technology for its own sake. They are about an unemployment form that will not submit, a medical portal that locked an account, or a housing application that requires three documents in one file.

Staff members help people slow down and finish one task at a time. They do not make decisions for patrons, but they can explain what a form is asking and point to the right office when a problem is not digital.

The drop-in hours are busiest around the first of the month. Library staff say the demand is a reminder that internet access and the ability to use it are related, but not identical, needs.