Library customers who use meeting rooms can now request a Meeting Owl during their booking to allow for hybrid meetings with both in-person and virtual participants.
Each device features an intelligent 360° camera, mic and speaker to make any hybrid meeting experience fully immersive.
Meeting Owls are available to book at all locations except Discoveries: the Library at the Mall, Mountain Road, Glen Burnie and Riviera Beach.
Busch Annapolis, Crofton, Odenton and Severna Park Libraries also offer an optional expansion mic for larger in-person groups.
Meeting Owl FAQ
To request an Owl for your meeting room booking, select the date, time and room that you would like to book. If the Meeting Owl is available, a pop-up will appear asking if you'd like to reserve the Owl with your booking.
If the option to book the Meeting Owl did not pop-up, that means that that branch does not offer the Owl, or it is already in use at that time. Please select another time or branch location to reserve the Owl.
No, just like meeting room use, using the Owl is completely free.
No, due to limited availability, the Owls can only be used for meetings held in library branches.
Please contact the branch where you've booked the room. Staff can add the Owl to your booking, if available.
You will need a library card in good standing to check out the Owl.
- If the room you're booking has a SMART Board, you do not need any additional equipment.
- If the room you're booking offers a projector, you will just need to bring a laptop to host your meeting.
- If the room you're booking has neither a projector or a laptop, you will need to bring both of these items.
Cords to connect your Owl to a computer/SMART Board are included in your checkout.
The Meeting Owl is compatible with all major conferencing platforms, including Zoom, Teams, Webex, GoToMeeting, Slack and Google Meet.
Information on using the Meeting Owl with different conferencing software can be found here.
Just stop at the service desk to check in for your meeting and let staff know you've booked the Owl. Staff will check the Owl out to your library card for the duration of your meeting.
Staff members have basic knowledge of how to use the Owl and can assist with basic setup. They may not be able to troubleshoot complicated issues with the Owl or other technology needed to use it.
Please pack the Owl back into the box and return it directly to staff at the service desk. Please hand the Owl directly to staff so they can remove it from your library account. Do not leave the Owl behind on the counter.