The New York City and Chicago public library systems will soon offer patrons Wi-Fi hotspots to provide faster, expansive Internet access.
The two public library systems are receiving funding from two grants awarded Monday by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in order to provide the service, according to The Huffington Post. They are two of the 19 library systems that won the Knight News Challenge, in which applicants had to submit proposals that focused on "strengthening the Internet for free expression and innovation" to obtain grants.
Patrons can only get access to the Internet at the New York Public Library for one 40-minute session per day. With the New York Public Library's $500,000 "Check Out The Internet" program, patrons will be able to check out Wi-Fi hotspots for up to a year, The Los Angeles Times reported.
The library said the goal of the program is to bring Internet access to more people in the city. 27 percent of households in New York do not have access to broadband Internet.
"Providing continuous access will expand their ability to participate fully in the modern economy and allow them to continue to learn, work, explore, and create after the library's doors have closed," The New York Library said in its pitch to the Knight Foundation.
The Chicago Public Library (CPL) received $400,000 for its "Internet To Go" program, which will let patrons check our Wi-Fi hotspots for up to three weeks at a time. A CPL spokesperson said that the library doesn't have a launch date for the program yet, but it will start in six neighborhood branches where adopting rates for the Internet are "particularly low." Check Out The Internet will begin in September.
The Knight Foundation said that a one-on-one digital literacy and skills coaching will also be featured in the program.
