Denver Public Library is Lending Wifi Hotspots
New York City is putting in public Wifi hotspots, but not all cities are similarly blessed. Instead, many public libraries are helping the have-nots by lending Wifi hotspots.
The Denver Public Library, for example, is now offering the hotspots to patrons:
The hotspots can be checked out like a book for up to three weeks.
“When you get the kit it has everything you need so when you get home you can easily and quickly on to the internet,” said Denver Public Library spokesman Chris Henning.
The library has 50 Wi-Fi hotspots available at five branch libraries in Denver including Montbello, Athmar Park, Barnum, Gonzales and Hadley.
Computer ownership and high-speed internet use in Colorado is some of the highest in the nation but some people are getting left behind said James Vallejos with the Denver Public Library.
“If you’re on a fixed income,” said Vallejos, “If you lost a job or had to make cuts to a budget so you may not have that ability to make those searches from home.”
Sedlacek said the devices are already making a huge difference in her life.
A lot of libraries, including St Paul, Seattle, Providence, Brooklyn, and Chicago lend hotspots to their patrons.
I can see the value of this program. My grandparents have owned a computer since the early 1980s (they started with the Apple II) but so far as I know they never had the internet (cable or satellite, yes, but not internet).
This kind of program would have been great for temporary access whenever family was visiting.
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