Municipalities, Town Halls, Libraries & Senior Centers
Zip Captions for Public Sector and Senior Centers
Make municipal council meetings, public forums, libraries, and senior center events accessible with free browser-based live captions and instant SRT/TXT transcript exports.
Practical Use Cases
Why Towns, Libraries, and Senior Centers Use Zip Captions
Equitable civic participation with zero procurement barriers.
Makes Public Forums and Town Halls Easier to Follow
Acoustics in town halls, gymnasiums, and community rooms can be challenging for residents with hearing loss. Open captions on a front TV or projector let everyone follow public business.
Designed for Older Adults with Zero App Downloads
Seniors can read large, high-contrast captions on a front television screen or on an iPad or phone without needing to install apps or remember passwords.
Instant Transcripts for Municipal Clerks (.TXT & .SRT)
At the end of a council meeting or public hearing, staff can download a plain text (.txt) file to assist with drafting minutes, plus time-coded .srt or .vtt files for video archives.
Works with Public-Access TV and Municipal Streams
Community media teams can feed live captions directly into OBS Studio or vMix for local cable channels and municipal YouTube broadcasts.
No Software Procurement Hurdles
Standard browser captioning is 100% free and runs on existing town laptops and library computers.
Local Browser Privacy for Civic Sessions
Transcripts are held locally in browser memory during the meeting and are not stored on external third-party servers.
Simple Workflow
How Municipal & Senior Center Setup Works
Simple setup for town clerks, librarians, and community media teams.
Connect a Laptop to the Room TV or Projector
Plug a standard laptop into your meeting room television or projector and connect the room PA mixer output (or a wireless microphone).
Display High-Contrast Large Text & Share the Room Code
Open zipcaptions.app in full-screen high-contrast mode, and hand out our extra-large-print guide for residents who prefer reading on a tablet.
Export TXT and SRT Files Before Closing
When the public meeting adjourns, click Export to save your plain text notes and SRT video subtitles.
Free Printable Resources
Posters, Signs, Cards, and Checklists
Download ready-to-print PDF files (with a built-in QR code for zipcaptions.app) or use the customizer below to add your own room name and broadcast code before printing.
Public Meeting Accessibility Notice Poster
Post at the entrance to town halls, council chambers, and library meeting rooms to let residents know live captions are active on screen and on mobile devices.
Extra-Large-Print Senior Center Handout
A clear, uncluttered handout written specifically for older adults with 3 simple steps for reading captions on an iPad, tablet, or phone.
Town Clerk & Community Media Export Guide
Instructions for municipal clerks and public-access media staff on connecting PA mixers and exporting .txt, .srt, and .vtt files at the end of a public session.
Zip Captions Available Here Sign
A clean 1-page sign for any door, reception counter, or bulletin board showing that live captions are available on screen and on personal mobile devices.
Customize a Poster with Your Organization Name and Broadcast Code
Pick a sign template, type in your room or organization name and your Zip Captions broadcast room code, and click Print Custom Sign.
Town Hall Council Chambers
Public Meeting Accessibility: Live Captions Provided
Follow today’s civic meeting on our front screen or on your own phone or tablet.
How to Follow Live Captions:
- 1Read open live captions on the main display monitor at the front of the room.
- 2Or scan the QR code above / visit https://zipcaptions.app to read on your phone.
- 3Enter the Public Meeting Broadcast Code above and adjust the letter size for your comfort.
YouTube Video Guides
See Zip Captions in Action
Short step-by-step demonstrations from the official Zip Captions YouTube channel.
Broadcast Captions to Residents in the Room
See how residents can follow public meetings on their own tablets or phones alongside the main room display.
Export SRT, VTT, and TXT Meeting Transcripts
How to save plain text transcripts and time-coded video subtitles at the end of a town hall or library event.
Civic Inclusion in Action
"Hadley Media was at the Senior Center today for Coffee with a Cop with Lt. Mitch Kuc to provide captioning for residents who are hearing impaired. Using a free app called Zip Captions, we are able to provide another way for residents to participate in events going on in town. Everyone deserves equitable access no matter who you are."
Hadley Media & Hadley Senior Center
Municipal Public Forum, Hadley, Massachusetts
See Hadley Senior Center Showcase
Helpful Extensions, Guides, and Services for This Sector
Practical Answers
Frequently Asked Questions: Public Sector & Seniors
Can we export subtitles for our recorded town hall YouTube videos?
Yes. Before closing Zip Captions at the end of the meeting, click Export and choose .SRT or .VTT to download time-coded subtitle files that upload directly to YouTube, Vimeo, or cable broadcast servers.
Is it easy for older adults at a senior center to read?
Yes. You can display Zip Captions on a large television at the front of the room with extra-large high-contrast text, and seniors who prefer reading up close on an iPad can use our 3-step large-print handout.
Does the town need a paid subscription to use Zip Captions at public meetings?
No. Standard browser live captioning and transcript exporting (.txt, .srt, .vtt) are 100% free with no account registration required.
How do we capture multiple council members speaking at different microphones?
Take an auxiliary line-out from your council room audio mixer (which combines all active council microphones) and plug it into your captioning laptop using a plug-and-play USB sound card.
Ready to Use Zip Captions in Your Space?
Launch Zip Captions for free right in your web browser, or get in touch with our team if you have questions about your setup.