Zak Schoff sits in the computer lab at the Rochester library. He is available throughout the week to help patrons with their tech questions. InkFreeNews photo by Keith Knepp.

By Keith Knepp
InkFreeNews

ROCHESTER — As most people know, the library has become a place for much more than books. People now use it as their video store, music store and computer lab. But did you know that you can  also use it for help with your smartphone, tablet, laptop or even home computer?

Throughout Fulton County, Zak Schoff has developed a well-deserved reputation as the library go-to guy when it comes to helping with tech problems. While his official title is admittedly unclear, he definitely can be considered the head computer guy in the Fulton County Public Library system. When he’s not at his desk at the Rochester branch or doing work at the Fulton or Aubbee branches, he can be found, where else, at the library, answering tech questions and working on computers, as on Mondays he works at the Kewanna library.

On Mondays, Zak Schoff spends his days at the Kewanna library. Every few months he offers a technology presentation, including one last month on artificial intelligence. InkFreeNews photo provided by Kewanna library.

“Originally, they just had me working there one day a week,” he said of his time in Kewanna, which began in 2012. “They had a lot going on and a lot of work they needed done. At some point I got it all done and Charlie (Rude, library director) was like, ‘what else can we do.’ At the same time they had a lot of people coming in saying ‘oh, you have a tech person now. I wonder if he knows anything about my phone.’”

He said it was tricky because he was only there one day a week. Rude decided to set up a “tech time” so people could come in and get help.

“In a small town like Kewanna, there’s not a whole lot of options,” Schoff said. “The library wants to make sure they offer as many things as they can to the town and help them in as many ways as possible.”

Originally the program was set up with a small time frame, from 10 a.m. until noon on Mondays, which allowed Schoff to do the other things he needed to do. That narrow window didn’t work for everyone, however, so Rude made Schoff available at any time during the day, but for no longer than 30 minutes to an hour.

Additionally, every few months Schoff gives a tech presentation at the Kewanna library.

“People show up and have some coffee and listen to me talk about some topic,” he said. “We did one last month about artificial intelligence, which had been in the news a lot and people had a lot of questions. I discussed that and what it involved and the concerns about it. The next one will be about car technology and how that’s changed.”

Schoff offers the same accessibility when he’s working his full-time job with FCPL, where he’s worked since 2010. FCPL has been more than willing to share him with Kewanna, which is a completely separate library system.

“People bring me anything you can imagine,” he said. “Sometimes the solution is as easy as ‘you just have to restart it, or you have to hold down the power button for a few seconds.’ Sometimes I have to dig in there and see what is causing the problem and really get involved in the device to know what is happening and what they need to do. Just this year alone, I’ve had people come to me who had been scammed online and I’ve had to help them with what they have to do. The problems go from very simple to very complex.”

He said many of the people who seek his help are of the older generations, since they often haven’t been around the technology as much as younger people who have grown up with a phone or computer in their hands.

Schoff noted you don’t necessarily have to be a library cardholder to utilize his services. His reputation has spread through word-of-mouth to people throughout the area, including people from Warsaw, Winamac and even someone from Indianapolis.

The Rochester library offers “Tech Time” at any time on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Schoff also is at the Fulton branch from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays. He’s also at the Aubbee branch from 3-5 p.m. on the first and third Fridays of every month.