Checkout the Internet: Hotspots as a Service

Public libraries are built on the idea of providing society-at-large with communal access to information. As information containers have expanded and evolved beyond the codex, libraries experiment with access strategies, loaning non-traditional items, and expanding their definition of “access.” EPL undertook one such experiment in 2016: loaning the internet! EPL acquired 40 hotspots with unlimited data connections and developed a 2-year pilot aimed at loaning devices to customers without home internet or who are socio-economically disadvantaged. This presentation will outline similar hotspot loaning projects that inspired EPL’s approach, the ins and outs of how the service operated in its first phase, the successes and setbacks of the initial pilot, and the adjustments made for the second pilot phase.