Wi-Fi Hot Spots
“It’s 10:00pm and the library is now closed, thank you.” The announcement comes over the intercom and to staff — that is the ticket out the door. While walking out to the parking lot, I noticed a soft glow coming from a car near mine. As I got closer, I saw a man sitting in the driver’s side seat, on his computer. Now, my library has Wi-Fi throughout the building, and while outside — you can easily connect to our network. Has that been a problem with our library? Some months, the library’s bandwidth for internet goes up, and logistics show that there have been multiple connections occurring well after hours. For some libraries (such as mine), this can be a challenge. However for others, such as the New York Public Library (NYPL) and the Chicago Public Library (CPL), this is something that’s being addressed in a completely different manner.
According to Matt Enis, an “Award winning pilot program, indicate(s) that mobile hotspot lending could help bridge the digital divide in city neighborhoods where broadband adoption is low, and home internet subscriptions are considered luxury” (Enis, 2015). To achieve this, the NYPL partnered with a mobile broadband company to launch a pre-pilot program, which included 100 devices. These devices cost $10 per month for unlimited access, and they were loaned out to patrons participating in after-school and English as a second language programs (Enis, 2015). The results of this program indicated that, at about three hours a day, usage was in the evenings between six and midnight, which is when the libraries were regularly closed. The NYPL’s successful pre-pilot program followed up with a broader program; this included other libraries such as the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) and the Queens Library (QL) Sprint was a chosen provider for the program, and funding from Google allowed the three libraries to purchase 10,000 hotspots (Enis, 2015). These hotspot devices were lent out at $13 per month, per device.
In Chicago, the CPL has taken a different approach, though; one-third of households do not have access to broadband internet at home. The CPL is going to use a similar program, but they’re implementing a more limited program. The focus was to look at neighborhoods were internet is scarce; with funding from Google, the library purchased 300 Netgear hotspots. The library would include a Google chromebook, or Microsoft Surface tablet for borrowing with the hotspot device (Enis, 2015). The Hotspots and equipment could be checked out for a three week period and renewable up to 15 times. The program has been well received by patrons; the CPL has loaned out 90 percent of its hotspots within a week of the launch. Currently, the CPL is working with a telecom logistics company to ensure that, the devices are returned. This includes turning off the hotspots if they become a few days overdue (Enis, 2015).
What does this mean for the future of libraries? Well, these successful programs have got me wondering. What if my library teamed up with other libraries in my area to do the same thing? This could help control my library’s personal bandwidth space. Also, while providing this, the library becomes another important mecca in the community; offering this type of service could make the library even more valuable than it already is.
Reference Enis, M. (2015). NYPL, CPL Wi-Fi Lending Pilots Progressing. Library Journal, 1–3.
