NCompass Live: Circulating the Internet: How to Loan WiFi Hotspots
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NCompass Live - Oct. 12, 2016 http://nlc.nebraska.gov/ncompasslive/ Learn how the Norfolk (NE) Public Library started loaning out WiFi hotspots to patrons in August 2016. Library staff will share their inspiration for starting the program, how they worked through the logistics and policies needed, and what the public reaction has been to the new service. Presenters: Jessica Chamberlain, Director; Judy Hilkemann, Systems Assistant/Reference Supervisor; and Mike Dittmer, Technology Specialist, Norfolk (NE) Public Library.
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NCompass Live: Circulating the Internet: How to Loan WiFi Hotspots
- 1. CIRCULATING THE INTERNET How to Loan WiFi Hotspots Presented by Norfolk Public Library Jessica Chamberlain, Library Director Judy Hilkemann, Reference Supervisor/Systems Assistant Mike Dittmer, Library Technology Specialist
- 2. WHY DO IT? Looking at our community’s need in light of our library’s mission, current goals, and role in the community
- 3. Needs Decision Tree Adapted fromThe New Planning for Results by Sandra Nelson, 2001 Is there a need? Does meeting this need fit with our library’s current mission and goals? Are there other organizations working to meet this need? Is the library capable of addressing the need? How can the library work with these organizations to improve the outcome? If Yes If Yes If No If Yes
- 4. Is there a need for more access to broadband internet service? Starting with the premise that everyone understands that the internet is no longer a luxury. State Broadband Study - http://broadband.nebraska.gov/doc uments/State%20Broadband%20P lan%2012-2014.pdf
- 5. Does improving the availability of broadband access fit with our mission? Mission Statement The Norfolk Public Library provides innovative library services that give community members of all ages the means to fulfill their recreational interests, interact with others in the community, get information on a broad array of topics, access resources to help them learn to read and use information effectively, and continue to learn throughout their lives.
- 6. Is anyone else working on providing broadband access to those that don’t have it at home?
- 7. Do we have the resources to do this? Image credits: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pictures-of-money/17308517242/in/photostream/ and https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AStopwatch_A.jpg
- 8. HOW TO GET IT DONE Practical matters, policies, packaging, circulation
- 9. Policies • Have a library card, no unpaid fees, history of at least 4 months • Checkout for 3 weeks, no renewals • $5/day late fee (to a max of $25), $50 replacement fee • Follow Library and Verizon rules
- 10. ILS Setup
- 11. Check Out
- 12. Packaging
- 13. Hotspot Set Up • Online Account with Vendor for remote access • Locking down devices • SSID & Passwords
- 14. Check In • Verify condition and parts • Give to Staff to check available data • Get ready for next patron
- 15. HOW IT’S GOING SO FAR Publicity and Public Reaction
- 16. Publicity • Flyers by the library computers • Press Release to local media • Coverage on local and regional radio and TV and in local newspaper • Email sent to all students in the public schools
- 17. Barbara and her son, Logan, were one of the first to check out a hotspot. “As a single mom, I can’t afford to pay for the internet. Logan has a Chromebook from school so now he can log onto the internet at home and do his schoolwork.”
- 19. Lots of holds!
- 20. Resources • Other libraries: • Providence Community Libraries, Rhode Island http://www.provcomlib.org/borrow-internet • Seattle Public Library • http://www.spl.org/library-collection/spl-hotspot • Saint Paul, MN • http://www.sppl.org/borrowtheinternet • Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library, OH • http://we247.org/library-hotspots/ • Kent District Library, MI • http://www.kdl.org/kent-district-library-offers-circulating-hot-spots • Our contact at Verizon – • Abbey Pascoe, Government & Non-Profit Account Manager 308.530.5663 or abbey.pascoe@verizonwireless.com
- 21. Questions? • Jessica Chamberlain, Library Director • jchamberlain@ci.norfolk.ne.us • Judy Hilkemann, Reference Supervisor/Systems Assistant • jhilkema@ci.norfolk.ne.us • Mike Dittmer, Library Technology Specialist • mdittmer@ci.norfolk.ne.us • 402-844-2100 Thank you!
Editor's Notes
- “Share Inspiration for getting started” Why did we want to do it – Heard about bigger libraries doing it, followed the stories for a few years. Had it as a long-term dream goal, but then were contacted by Verizon and it all of a sudden seemed like a real possibility.
- It sounds a little flashy and exciting to be circulating hotspots, but it’s really no different than any other program or service that we consider doing. I would even say that BECAUSE it sounds a little flashy, you really need to make sure that you’re doing it for the right reasons and that you have well-thought out information to give the public about why you are doing it. Innovation draws attention and you want to make sure that you’re focusing and directing that attention in a positive way, a way that shows that the library is meeting the needs of the community.
- So, how do you know if there’s a need? I think first we need to address the issue of the internet as a need vs. a luxury. If your community already understands that, then you’re ready to take the next step. If your community thinks that access to high-speed internet is not necessary, then there is some groundwork that needs to be laid first. But that is a broader topic than we have time for today. So, how do you determine if your community needs better access to broadband internet? One resource you can use – for our Nebraska participants – is the State Broadband Study. The link is there on the slide, and the chart you see is an excerpt from that study. The chart shows the percentage of households with broadband internet at home. You can see that there has been improvement in most regions in the state from 2010 to 2014, but we are in the Northeast region of the state, and not only are we below the state average, we also did not make any progress from 2010 to 2014. With the population of Norfolk a little over 24,000 people, if we extrapolate the Northeast data to cover our town, that means that there are 28% of our people (6,779) who don’t have high speed internet at home. That’s a huge need. We are already trying to lessen this gap by providing a public computing center in our library and free wifi 24/7, but we know that only meets the needs of some people. There are still those who can’t come to the library during our open hours, or can’t come enough to get done what they need to get done.
- This is our Mission Statement, and this certainly isn’t a webinar on mission statements, so there may be some very good critiques of this out there – but here it is: As I read this, I pause at every section and consider, does providing access to high-speed internet help our community members to do all the ambitious things listed? I would say YES to each and every one. It helps people fulfill recreations interests, interact with others, get information, access resources to read and use information effectively, and continue their lifelong learning. This goes back to making sure you’re providing this service for the right reason, because doing this may not be the right thing for everyone.
- Are there partnerships you can create to share the work and cost? Is another agency doing a great job at this and you can just support what they’re doing? Are there other publicly accessible computer labs in your town that are open more hours than you? We have the community college, but it’s not centrally located. Its hours are a little longer than ours during school, but less when schools not in session. Other places for free wifi? Yes, but nowhere that doesn’t expect you to buy anything, except the City parks have wifi now which is great. Other places helping to provide internet services to low-income families? Not that we know about yet…So the question becomes, “Can we start working on this need on our own?”
- So, if we’re basically going to do this on our own, where will the funding come from? Options - Existing Budget – Programming, Outreach, or Collection, Grants, Vendor Discounts, Community Partnerships We decided on our collection budget. We had a few databases that we had recently eliminated or found cheaper alternatives to, so had some initial seed money in our database budget. For this new fiscal year, we just built the cost into our budget. Staff Time and Expertise – Do we have the time to get this going? And do we have the right people who can keep it going? Startup discussions, policies, packaging, cataloging Maintenance once program is running