Report: “Florida Library a Spot for Internet After Hurricane Ian”
From the Miami Herald:
At the library, cars are bumper to bumper beside debris from fallen trees stacked over five feet. Vehicles temporarily sit in the fire lane while library staff try to track down their owners. Locals are outside with laptops, camping chairs and patio tables from home. The entry hallway is lined with eight folding tables and 20 metal chairs for overflow seating.
The crowd isn’t here only for the books. Many have come to get back online.
The Punta Gorda Charlotte Library is one of the few places in the area that offers public access to the internet, and it is the only library open in Charlotte County. Residents find themselves temporarily limited to a disconnected era before smartphones, Wi-Fi, streaming video and 5G.
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The library normally operates with 11 daily staff members but increased the number to 19, with some staff coming from the other closed libraries in the county. The temporary hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week until further notice. Westbrook said new visitors were coming for a variety of reasons.
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.
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