This has been a problem with public library accounts for years now,
unfortunately. It's based on Google requirements, which are trying to
determine whether an account might be spam or not, and Google thinks that
any place signing up a large number of accounts might be spam instead of
real users. There used to be a workaround where a landline was used, but
that was also limited by only allowing a limited number of accounts to be
verified by a single phone number (and I'm not sure if that's still an
option or not).

I found an article from 2013 on the PLA blog, "Barriers to Gmail for those
without mobile phones
<https://publiclibrariesonline.org/2013/12/barriers-to-gmail-for-those-without-mobile-phones/>,"
for those interested in info back when this problem started.

*Jessica D. Gilbert Redman, MLIS  *[image: A button with "Hear my name"
text for name playback in email signature]
<https://www.name-coach.com/jessica-gilbertredman>

she / her

Online Resources & Services Librarian


On Sat, Aug 3, 2024 at 10:31 PM charles meyer <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> Hi Elizabeth and Rian,
>
> I watched over him as he used a library laptop to proceed step by step
> on Gmail Create Account and each time it prompted him for a cell phone
> or else it wouldtn process.
>
> Perhaps,. you can share a specific link or the gmail sign you used
> which didn't prompt a cell phone?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Charles.
>