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| |  Broadening Broadband | Editorial By Meredith Schwartz In 1996, only one in four United States public libraries had public computers. By 2006 nearly every library did. The definition of what patrons need and can expect was permanently changed as a result. Today America is at a similar inflection point on home broadband, dramatically accelerated by the pandemic. |
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|  Final Rules Adopted: FCC to Launch $7.17 Billion Connectivity Fund Program Filed by Gary Price The Federal Communications Commission unanimously adopted final rules to implement the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program. This $7.17 billion program, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, will enable schools and libraries to purchase laptop and tablet computers, Wi-Fi hotspots, and broadband connectivity for students, school staff, and library patrons in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
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| |  Connecting the Last Mile: Libraries Find Innovative Solutions for Broadband Access By Matt Enis Broadband access “is difficult for people in Pottsboro,” Dianne Connery, director of Texas’s Pottsboro Area Library (PAL), tells LJ. “In many areas, the infrastructure does not exist. The only service people could get would be satellite. Even cell signals for Wi-Fi hotspots are difficult to use in some places.” It’s a common challenge that rural libraries throughout the United States (U.S.) have been working to address for years. |
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|  American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 Includes Billions for IMLS, Higher Ed, E-Rate By Lisa Peet Congress earmarked billions of dollars in recovery funding for academic, public, and school libraries on Wednesday, March 10, as part of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) received $200 million, the largest single boost in the agency’s 25-year history. The relief package also includes money for library-eligible programs such as the Emergency Education Connectivity Fund through the FCC’s E-rate program. |
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| |  Tech Lending and Truly Mobile Hotspots Extend Library’s Internet Access By Pam North As the coronavirus makes internet access even more crucial for schooling, many jobs, and applying for unemployment, library staff have been working on creative solutions to bring access to thousands who would otherwise be without, moving beyond Wi-Fi in parking lots and cultivating external partnerships. |
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|  New America Study Reveals Race, Wealth Disparities in Library Access During Pandemic By Matt Enis With branches closed or offering limited in-person services during much of 2020, libraries often shifted to virtual offerings. But many people faced challenges accessing those online resources, according to “Public Libraries and the Pandemic: Digital Shifts and Disparities to Overcome,” a report published this month by New America, a Washington D.C.–based public policy think tank. |
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| |  Libraries Connect Their Communities with WiFi, Even from Closed Branches By Ian Chant The lights are out at libraries across the country, but the WiFi signal is staying strong. To ensure they’re still serving as many in their community as they can during this pandemic, many library systems with closed branches have left their WiFi up and running, allowing patrons to access the internet from nearby spaces such as courtyards and parking lots. |
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|  The Future of Digital Equity | ALA Midwinter 2021 By Stephanie Sendaula On Sunday, Jan. 24, during the American Library Association (ALA) Virtual Midwinter Meeting, over 1,000 eager attendees listened along as a panel of experts spoke about digital equity, or ensuring individuals and communities have the technological capabilities to fully participate in society. Gina J. Millsap, retired CEO of Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, KS, noted, "buying and circulating hotspots, sending bookmobiles as hotspots—while they help a little bit, they don't really scale. They're short-term solutions for our patrons, but they also give a pass to community leadership that should be owning the problem right along with us. Because, at the end of the day, this is not really a technology issue; this is a social equity issue." |
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