Hotspots bring homework help

Thanks to UScellular’s After School Access Project and Creston’s Friends of the Library, Union County students can checkout free hotspots from the library.

This addition to the library was first brought forward by Gibson Memorial Library’s Assistant Director Jordan Foote.

“The purpose of that project is to provide non-profits that generally serve children with free hotspots and service to help their youth in the community access internet after school and during the summer,” Foote said at a library board meeting earlier this year. “They see libraries as kind of a gray area and if we had a friends group, they could apply for it and then hands those off to us.”

That’s exactly how it worked out, with the Friends of the Library applying for the program, receiving 25 hotspots with two years of wireless service. These hotspots were then donated to the library to help in completing homework for students, as well as other possible needs.

“We are so excited to partner with UScellular’s After School Access Project and our Friends of the Library to offer hotspots to our patrons,” said Library Director Danielle Dickinson Thaden. “We know that so much of today’s world relies on internet access, from schoolwork to job applications and more, and we are proud to be able to help meet this need in our community by extending free internet access far beyond the walls of the library.”

Though the hotspots have only been available for about a week, they’re already seeing use.

“We’ve checked on out, and it was exactly who they are meant for. It was a student who didn’t have internet at home because the family thought they were moving, and then ended up not and were without internet,” Foote said. “The kid was worried about being able to finish homework.”

The hotspots are available for checkout in two time increments: three days or three weeks. The three-day hotspots are not able to be renewed, while the long-term hotspots can be renewed for an additional three weeks. All 25 hotspots also are preloaded with a child protection filter. Due to this, non-homework use of the hotspots might be difficult.

“We had a staff member take one home to test, and even Walmart.com, you can’t get on to,” Dickinson Thaden said. This is meant to keep students on track and limit distractions.

According to a press release from the library, “patrons may not be able to access all websites and apps that they would like to use, such as movie and tv streaming services.”

If the hotspot program goes well, the library board said they may look into getting more hotspots with less filters on them to allow for regular internet use along with homework use.

In other library news...

The library is preparing for their pavilion grand opening, which will run from 12:30 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12. Activities include live music, pumpkin decorating, a petting zoo and the dedication of the pavilion. The dedication will occur at 2:30 p.m.

The library is looking to bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Union County. Still in the beginning phase, the library would need numerous donors from the community to keep the program running. The cost per child runs about $25 per year. When a family signs up for the program, children through the age of 5 receive one book a month every month until their fifth birthday.