📘 Guides › 💾 Using this library · 🆘 Emergency · 📇 Index A–Z

📱💻 Start the Library on Any Device

The library works on almost any computer, tablet or phone, with no internet. (No library drive yet? See Get the whole library.)

The best way: start the Library Assistant. It's one search box for everything on the drive, plus an offline AI that answers your question and links to the exact page.

No program will run? Open START-HERE.html or OPEN-IN-BROWSER.html in any web browser instead.

⚠️ Remember

The AI can be wrong. Check the pages it links to, especially for medicine, electricity or food.

Leave the black window (or Termux) open while you use it. Closing it stops the library.

🚀 Pick your device

Open the drive, then the OfflineLibrary folder if you see one.

Your device	What to do
Windows	Double-click START-Windows
Mac	Double-click START-Mac
Linux, Raspberry Pi or Chromebook	Run START-Linux.sh
Android tablet or phone	Set up the free Termux app once (below)
iPhone / iPad	Use a library shared over Wi-Fi from another device
A computer that won't run programs, or a very old one (Windows 7)	Open OPEN-IN-BROWSER.html

🪟 Windows

Double-click START-Windows.
If a blue box says Windows protected your PC, click More info, then Run anyway.
Your web browser opens. Type a question and click Ask.
When you're done, close the black window.

🍎 Mac

Double-click START-Mac. Your web browser opens.
The first time, the Mac may say it can't open it. Click Done, then go to Apple menu → System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway.

🐧 Linux, Raspberry Pi, Chromebook

Right-click START-Linux.sh → Run as a Program. Your web browser opens.
If it only opens as text: right-click an empty spot in the folder → Open in Terminal, type bash START-Linux.sh and press Enter.

Raspberry Pi: needs the 64-bit system; a Pi 5 works best. To run one with no screen, see the ARK Vault.
Chromebook: first turn on Linux (Settings, search for Linux). In the Files app, right-click the drive → Share with Linux. Open the Terminal app, click penguin, and type:
```
bash /mnt/chromeos/removable/*/OfflineLibrary/START-Linux.sh
```

🤖 Android tablet or phone

About 10 minutes, once. You'll use Termux, a free app where you type short commands.

First, copy the whole OfflineLibrary folder onto the tablet or its SD card.

Install Termux: in the Files app, open OfflineLibrary → Phone-Apps → Android-Termux and tap the Termux file. Allow it if asked, then tap Install.
Copy START-Android.sh (next to START-HERE.html) into the tablet's Download folder.
Open Termux, type termux-setup-storage, press Enter, and tap Allow.
Type this and press Enter. It takes a minute, then the library opens in your browser.
```
bash /sdcard/Download/START-Android.sh
```
From then on, just open Termux and type library.

Keep Termux open while you use it.

🍏 iPhone and iPad

iPhones can't run the Library Assistant, but you can:

Use a library shared over Wi-Fi from a laptop, tablet or ARK Vault. Everything works, including the AI. See below.
Load the iPhone itself, now, while you have internet: install the free Kiwix (encyclopedias) and OsmAnd (maps) apps, then copy files from the drive onto the iPhone. See Use the library on a phone.
Save the library website: open it in Safari, tap ⚙️ Offline → Save library & guides, then Share → Add to Home Screen.

🌐 No program? Use the library in your web browser

OPEN-IN-BROWSER.html works on almost any computer with nothing to install: a work computer, a Chromebook, or one you're borrowing.

Double-click OPEN-IN-BROWSER.html on the drive.
Click 📂 Open the library folder and pick the folder it's in. (The browser asks first. If it says "upload", don't worry: nothing leaves the computer.)
Search, read the e-books, or open Wikipedia by an article's title.

It can't run the AI or the maps.

One device runs the library, and every phone nearby uses it in its web browser, iPhones included. No internet needed.

On the device running the library:

Click ⚙️ Settings → Turn on sharing. If asked to allow network access, click Allow.
Write down the address it shows (like http://192.168.43.1:8096).

On each phone:

Join the same Wi-Fi.
Type the address into the browser. On an iPhone, use Safari.
For an icon, tap Share → Add to Home Screen (iPhone) or ⋮ → Add to Home screen (Android).

No Wi-Fi? Turn on an Android phone's hotspot (no phone plan needed) or use a small travel router. Put a password on it. A Raspberry Pi can make its own Wi-Fi; see the ARK Vault.

🗄️ Put old devices to work — set them up now

An old laptop or tablet in a drawer makes a great emergency computer:

Old device	What it can do
Windows laptop (Windows 10 or 11)	Runs the library, or shares it with the household
Mac (about 2017 or newer)	Runs the library
Android tablet or phone (Android 7 or newer), most Amazon Fire tablets	Runs the library with Termux
Raspberry Pi 4 or 5	Shares the library over its own Wi-Fi; see the ARK Vault
iPhone, iPad, any phone	Uses a library shared over Wi-Fi

Charge it, copy the library on, and try it once with the Wi-Fi off. Store spares in a metal can (see the EMP guide), about half charged.

🧠 Which AI will I get?

You don't need to choose. It picks the best AI the device can handle, and you can change it in ⚙️ Settings:

Setting	Good for	Answers
Automatic (recommended)	Any device	Picks for you
Off	Very old devices	Search only, instant
Quick	Phones, tablets, older laptops	Short answers, about 30–60 seconds
Standard	Most laptops	Good answers, about a minute
Smart	Computers with lots of memory (16 GB)	Better answers, slower
Graphics card	Gaming computers	Fast, good answers

Search is always instant, even with the AI off.

🔧 If something goes wrong

Problem	Fix
Windows: Windows protected your PC	Click More info, then Run anyway
Mac: can't be opened	System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway
The browser didn't open	Type the address shown in the black window into your browser
The AI is very slow or stopped	In ⚙️ Settings, pick Quick or Off
Raspberry Pi: ⚠️ Power too weak	Without enough power the Pi can slow right down. Use the official Raspberry Pi power supply and its own cable (a phone charger usually isn't enough). In the ammo can, see the ARK Vault guide
Android: Couldn't find the library	Copy the whole library folder to the tablet, then try again
Android: the page stops working	Keep Termux open; don't swipe it away
OPEN-IN-BROWSER asks you to open the folder	Click 📂 Open the library folder and pick the folder with `START-HERE.html` in it
A Mac or tablet won't open the drive	The drive needs to be exFAT. See Get the whole library

Copy it: copy the whole OfflineLibrary folder onto another USB drive. The copy works just like the original.
Or make a fresh one: run the installer (Get the whole library). Even a 16 GB stick holds all the guides, the Illinois Valley books, a small AI and maps of Oregon.
Hold a "library night": bring a laptop and blank USB sticks and help neighbors set it up.
Please don't sell it or post the books online. It's free to share with family and neighbors.

Get the whole library — putting it on a USB drive
Start Here (Illinois Valley) — the one-page local quick reference
Use the Library on a Phone — Kiwix and OsmAnd on phones and iPads
How to Run the Offline AI — more about the AI
EMP Guide — protecting a spare device