Need a mobile hotspot for internet service? Try a Cape Cod library

Can you imagine not having access to the internet?

For most, the internet is more than just a way to read news or go on social media. It can be essential for education, work and even health care. 

With a grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, libraries have been able to bolster their programs for mobile hotspots, allowing more library patrons to “borrow the internet.” 

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When COVID-19 hit, many lost the ability to access the internet at local libraries, according to a news release from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

COVID showed need for internet access 

That’s why the board developed a statewide program to fund mobile hotspots for libraries, allowing patrons to regain access to this essential utility within the comfort of their own homes. The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners used $1.5 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to distribute 3,000 hotspots to more than 200 libraries, according to a news release. 

Although each library sets its own borrowing policies, for the most part, patrons need to be at least 17 years old and have a library card. The Jonathon Bourne Public Library, for instance, allows patrons to check out a mobile hotspot for one week at a time if they are at least 18 years old and have had a library card for at least six months. 

The mobile hotspots come in a small case with password information and a charger. The hotspots provided by the state program can connect to up to 10 devices, according to a news release. 

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The board also created a “hotspot map,” so that patrons can see which nearby libraries have available hotspots.  

According to the map, libraries that have available hotspots on the Cape and the Islands are: Provincetown Public Library, Truro Public Library, Wellfleet Public Library, Brewster Ladies Library, Sturgis Library in Barnstable, Whelden Memorial Library in West Barnstable, Centerville Public Library, Sandwich Free Public Library, Cotuit Library, Mashpee Public Library, Falmouth Public Library, Woods Hole Public Library, Vineyard Haven Public Library and Edgartown Free Public Library. 

The Jonathon Bourne Public Library in Bourne has had mobile hotspots for more than five years, according to Library Director Irja Finn, so they chose not to participate in this grant. However, Finn said mobile hotspots are “the greatest thing since sliced bread,” for her patrons. 

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Hot spots in constant demand

Of the 15 hotspots that the Bourne Library owns, 10 to 12 of them are rented out on any given day, Finn said. The hotspots are especially popular with people who visit the Cape in the summer because their summer rental may not have internet access, she said. 

During the peak of the COVID-19 threat many people were working and schooling from home and some did not have the necessary bandwidth to support multiple family members’ usage. In that scenario, a mobile hotspot was extremely helpful. 

Finn said usage of library services is also an indicator of a country’s economy. 

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“When an economy tanks, you see more people coming to the library for its free services,” she said.

In the last three months, Finn has seen a rise in the amount of people coming to the Bourne library to use the internet, printers or to rent DVDs. 

More patrons need free internet

She said some people are choosing to cut household costs by giving up their internet service, cutting back on buying ink, or canceling their streaming memberships.

One library on the Cape and Islands that took advantage of the grant was the West Tisbury Library, which was able to bring their total number of hotspots up to 20 from 15 using the grant. 

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On Martha’s Vineyard, internet connection can be spotty and at times even nonexistent, said Alexandra Pratt, West Tisbury library director. That’s why even with 20 hotspots, the library still can’t keep up with demand, she said.  

Some of the people who borrow the hotspots are working families or vendors at the farmer’s market that need internet access to process credit card payments. 

“We’re really lucky in Massachusetts to have support for libraries on a state level,” Pratt said. 

Asad Jung can be reached at ajung@capcodonline.com.