Chicago Public Library Hotspot Lending is Hot
From the Chicago Sun-Times:
In all, 973 wireless internet hotspots are available at Chicago library branches. The goal is to have 1,000 available, said Patrick Molloy, director of public and government affairs. The hotspots, about the size of a BlackBerry cellphone, allow smartphones, tablets and laptop computers to go online from almost anywhere.
They seem to be popular — fewer than a dozen are available and holds have been placed on about 200, according to the library’s online reservation system.
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Replacing a lost hotspot costs about $100, but lost devices have not been a big issue, Molloy said. Still, as with any items the library lends out, some go missing — though the library can simply transfer the data plan to the replacement device.
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See Also: Pilot Project: Three Chicago Public Library Branches Will Begin Lending Internet Routers and Tablets Next Month (January 28, 2015)
Filed under: Data Files, Libraries, News, Public Libraries
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.