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Hotspots for Mobile Internet Use Now Available for Checkout at the Duluth Public Library

Wifi hotspot kits are now available for checkout at the Duluth Public Library. The kits are made possible by funding from The Universal Service Fund, a national program aimed at providing internet access at the local level through schools and libraries. Barriers to internet access are common, even as the internet becomes a necessary aspect of modern life and the hotspots are a much-anticipated addition to the library’s current internet access options, which include public computers and public wifi. “We’ve had people using the library as their primary internet access point for years and our public computers see tens of thousands of uses a year. Providing opportunities for access and removing barriers are at the core of what we do as a library so we are thrilled to be able to offer another tool for people to use. These hotspots will give folks the option to access the internet even when they are away from the library," notes Library Manager Carla Powers.

The hotspots can be checked out for two weeks at a time and are available at all three Duluth Public Library locations. They join a list of resources and policies developed by the library in recent years that respond directly to community needs. One year ago, the library launched its “Easy Access Card” program, which allows staff to issue library cards without proof of address. The new policy has been well-utilized and library staff anticipate the hotspots will be similarly popular. “Any cardholder who is eligible to check out physical materials can check out a hotspot," explains Circulation Coordinator Byron Johnson. "If you live in one of the seven counties in the Arrowhead Library System and have a government issued photo ID, our staff can issue you a card.” To learn more about the hotspots or to place one on hold, call or stop by any of the library’s locations.