Public Can Access the Internet Anywhere with Library Wi-Fi Hot Spots
January 26, 2016 —
Do you need the Internet at home to pay bills, complete an online job application or finish a school project? Is Internet access essential on your next road trip?
Not everyone with a computer has Internet service, but it’s essential for accomplishing many everyday tasks. The Springfield-Greene County Library District hopes to help bridge that “digital divide” by providing Wi-Fi “hot spots” that library card holders can check out and connect to the Internet with their home computers, laptops and other Wi-Fi-enabled devices.
The new service, which launches Feb. 1, expands possibilities for students and adults without Internet access, says David Patillo, the Library’s IT manager. It can also save money for anyone without Internet access. A person buying a hot spot still has to pay about $120 per month for Internet service, Patillo says.
Library card holders can request a hot spot at the Library Station, the Ash Grove and Willard branch libraries, or request one to be delivered to your nearest branch or Mobile Library by going to thelibrary.org/catalog and searching the subject, “Hot Spots,” or calling one of the 10 library branches.
A card holder of any age may check out one of the 40 pocket-size devices for three weeks at a time. Renewals are permitted if there’s no waiting list. The device will be de-activated 24 hours after the due date, and late fee is 10 cents per day, like other library materials. Hot spots can be returned at any library or book drop.
The devices come with a simple how-to card inside the sturdy carrying case, and hot spots can be used anywhere in the United States, but coverage may vary.
“There are many people who don’t have access to the Internet because of cost,” said Library Associate Director Jim Schmidt.
A 2015 Pew Research Center analysis of survey data showed that 15 percent of U.S. adults don’t use the Internet, and 19 percent of those cited the expense of Internet service or owning a computer.
“One of the big advantages of us checking out hot spots is that many people live in rural areas of the county where Internet access is not available, he said.
“Technology and access is the centerpiece to that,” Schmidt added. “You can’t do anything if you can’t connect. I think that’s why it’s really important. In rural Greene County, unless you’re willing to pay a high price and have a big satellite dish on top of your house, is not going to have speedy Internet access. So I think this is going to help everyone.”