New program offers loans of Wi-Fi hotspots with free, high-speed Internet service
SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA, APRIL 1, 2015 – Saint Paul Public Library has launched a new “Borrow the Internet” program to increase Internet access among city residents. The library will lend Wi-Fi hotspots, which provide free, high-speed Internet service, at two libraries: Rondo Library, at 461 North Dale Street, and Merriam Park Library, at 1831 Marshall Avenue.
“Accessing information and connecting online is a basic need in today’s world,” said Mayor Chris Coleman. “Saint Paul Public Library has long provided Internet service to visitors, but the new opportunity to ‘Borrow the Internet’ and take it home means more access for more people in our city.”
Twenty-two percent of Saint Paul households have no Internet service in the home. By borrowing the Internet, residents can enjoy three weeks of access to e-books and other digital library resources and take the time to complete online job applications and other web-based processes.
Saint Paul residents with a Saint Paul Public Library card and less than $10 in library fines are eligible to participate. Borrowers under the age of 18 need permission from a parent or guardian.
In addition to the new hotspot circulation program, Saint Paul Public Library has also launched a Borrow the Internet program with the Saint Paul Public Schools. To support students using iPads, the library is loaning hotspots to 100 Saint Paul Public Schools students for use this school year. Students from Gordon Parks High School, Central High School, and AGAPE High School are participating.
Borrow the Internet is made possible by a Green Line Challenge grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The library was one of sixteen organizations to be awarded a Knight Green Line Challenge grant in 2014.
Learn more about the library’s “Borrow the Internet” service here.