Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Public Library are partnering with Google Chicago to provide hands-on computer programming Finch Robots to Chicago Public Library patrons, helping to meet Mayor Emanuel’s goal of providing STEM education for Chicagoans of all ages. Thanks to Google’s donation of 500 Finch Robots, anyone with an adult Chicago Public Library card can now check out one of the state-of-the-art robots in order to learn the basics of computer coding.

The Chicago Public Library is the first library in the nation to be able to lend out Finch Robots. Carnegie Mellon University Create Lab invented the Finch Robot as a user-friendly introduction to computer science learning and the art of programming. Designed to present an engaging introduction to the art of programming, the Finch Robot supports more than a dozen of the most commonly used computer languages and environments, including several appropriate for students as young as eight years old. As students learn the basic concepts of coding, they are able to program the robot to do various functions, such as: move, make noises, light up, and even draw. Interested users can simply request the item to be delivered to the library location of their choice through the Library’s website chipublib.org. In 80 branches across the City of Chicago, the Chicago Public Library continues to promote innovation and creativity throughout Chicago’s neighborhoods. For more information, visit chicagopubliclibrary.org or call the Chicago Public Library at (312) 747-4050.