Introduction
The
implementation of library e-book lending services may have met the contemporary
information needs of some patrons, yet it created a need for others who may not
have had the means to access e-books. Currently, the same predicament affects
patrons who have the option of borrowing an e-book and a Kindle, but have no Internet
connection with which to access their e-reader content. This essay will discuss
WiFi hotspot lending, an emerging library technology service that could halt
this vicious cycle, and in effect, work toward closing the digital divide. A WiFi
hotspot is a small, portable router which acquires a cellular signal just like
a cell phone, allowing for mobile Internet access (Boss, 2015, p. 9). This
option for Internet connection is already available for consumer purchase;
however, its use in libraries is a completely new concept. Specifically, this
essay will suggest ways in which hotspot lending can improve the education,
information literacy, and quality of life of rural and low-income families, and
also will present several challenges that libraries may face along the path
towards making this new lending service a reality.
Literature Review
Because
the interest in library WiFi hotspot lending is still in its trial stages,
there is a lack of research or scholarly discussion on the topic; however, much
of the literature on lending e-readers and other technology devices can be
applied in order to make informed conjectures about advantages and disadvantages
of this new lending venture.
Primarily, the existing
literature provides information that can help evaluate the community need for
mobile WiFi lending. The American Library Association finds that 76% of public
libraries lend e-books and 39% lend e-readers (Widdersheim, 2014,
p. 98). This data and the reality that library
lending now covers a variety of digital material (including the e-readers,
laptops, and tablets used to borrow and explore
e-content) show that libraries are meeting a public
demand by providing digital services and make apparent that patrons without
home Internet access cannot fully benefit from them. Furthermore, approximately
95% of academic libraries and 40% of school libraries practice e-book lending
(p.98), an exciting innovation in education that severely limits students
without access to the Internet at home.
One can also find
information on just how much of the U.S. population is affected by poor Internet
connectivity or a total lack of Internet access. According to the Pew Research
Center, in some low-income communities, only 30% of families have broadband
Internet access (Boss, 2015, p. 10). That means that 70% of some U.S. communities
could potentially benefit from a library WiFi lending program. Test programs
for hotspot lending have recently begun, and will hopefully yield both helpful quantitative
and anecdotal data to guide libraries in this new endeavor.
Current Library Usage
Current
library use of hotspot lending is limited to a few visionary, public
institutions, most notably, the New York Public Library (NYPL) and the Chicago
Public (CPL) library. Their trial programs, “Check Out the Internet” and
“Internet to Go,” accordingly, are funded by grant moneys provided largely by
the Knight Foundation, and supported by various other contributors (Boss, 2015,
p. 10). NYPL’s program has thus far been limited to one hundred users who have
no household Internet access. Hotspots can be borrowed with a library card,
just like a book or DVD, for up to one year (NYPL). CPL’s program targets six
specific neighborhoods in which broadband Internet access is either of low
quality or is completely unavailable, and allows patrons to borrow the device
for up to three weeks at a time (Ortiz, 2015).
Very
recently, the Seattle Public Library launched a similar hotspot lending
program. Google provided funds for 150 Verizon mobile hotspots, which can be
borrowed, also with a lending period of up to three weeks. An early gauge of
interest shows 81 checkouts within the first hour of a press event held on
Monday, May 18, and over 175 holds accumulated by the end of the day (Soper,
2015).
Clearly, there is a need
for Internet access in communities where people have been excluded from
information access and privileges due to financial, geographical, or other
reasons. Providing them with this access to technology and related skills,
which according to Zhang, Washington, and Yin (2014), is no longer a luxury but
a necessity (p. 655), opens up the world to them in a plethora of new and
exciting ways.
Potential Benefits of Hotspot Lending
The main priority in implementing hotspot
lending programs is in working to close the digital divide by making Internet
access possible for low-income families and for families living in rural
locations. Having home Internet access can have a positive effect on these user
groups in a variety of ways.
Enhance Education
One
of today’s Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in place for all public education
grades K-12, is a core standard for technology use, which requires the use and
analysis of media and technology to be integrated into students’ learning. According
to Zhang, Washington, and Yin (2014), this standard emphasizes the importance
of students’ information literacy, regardless of their family income level (p.
656). The chance to borrow a WiFi hotspot from one’s local library would create
more equal opportunity for underprivileged students to experience modern
technology and to utilize it to assist with homework and independent learning.
Improve Job
Prospects and Quality of Life
Access to the Internet prepares children for
today’s world of advanced technology. The technology skills they will obtain
from their web experiences are crucial to success in today’s competitive job
market: “Information literacy equipped those low-income family children more
power to seek, evaluate, use and create information effectively to achieve
their personal, social, occupational and educational goals” (Zhang, Washington,
and Yin, 2014, p. 656). Knowledge and skills related to technology can also
increase one’s self-esteem, as one gains confidence in his or her ability to
navigate the digital world and to teach and assist others (p. 656).
Increase in
Library Circulation
Finally, making WiFi
available to all patrons through hotspot lending could increase circulation of e-content and devices
already offered, as more people would have the ability to use them. This
service may also have the potential to attract new library patrons, who have
not previously felt their needs could be met by library services or who may be
skeptical or uncertain about using new technology. Hotspot lending programs
would allow these patrons to experiment with the Internet for free, without
committing to an expensive connection plan. Brian Bannon, commissioner of the
Chicago Public Library, says that once people have the opportunity to “play”
with WiFi access at home using a hotspot, they may then decide to invest in
broadband connection on their own (Boss, 2015, p. 10).
Challenges of Hotspot Lending
Some concerns about
e-lending may have effects on WiFi hotspot lending as well. In the digital age,
patron privacy is a prominent issue, and a patron right that libraries are led
to protect. Some argue that information harvesting by commercial vendors of
digital material, such as Amazon, invades that privacy. When a patron registers
via his or her Amazon account in order to check out e-books through the
library’s lending service, OverDrive, Amazon then has access to patron reading
activity (Widdersheim, 2014, p. 101). Additionally, Widdersheim explains that
“Any interactive device loaned by libraries can be used as a tracker/recorder.”
A WiFi hotspot could pose similar opportunities for privacy infringement.
Another significant worry
concerns the commercialization of libraries. Libraries exist as non-profit,
public service institutions, yet the more invested they become in the services
of a commercial third-party vendor, the more power and manipulation of prices that
vendor gains over them (p. 105). E-product vendors already place restrictions
on library access to content. For example, even e-books paid for by a library
may only represent one digital copy of that book, meaning that although the
book is technically available for checkout by any number of patrons, only one
patron can actually borrow and access the book at any given time. The vendor
then charges the library for more lending rights of the exact same book.
Because current WiFi hotspot lending programs have been funded by generous
grants, the extent of power commercial vendors would have over hotspot lending
in libraries is unclear. However, the cost of the Internet signal for the
hotspots must be paid to some Internet provider, which can be expected to find
its own ways to benefit from this new public lending service.
Conclusion
The
prospect of adding WiFi hotspots to library lending programs is in its infancy.
Little or no research has been introduced on the topic, yet promising test
programs are in progress and can inform libraries of the many advantages of
hotspot lending, and prepare them for challenges which may arise in supporting
a hotspot lending program. Information professionals and interested library
patrons anticipate the future of more equal access to the Internet and,
therefore, to all information.
References
Boss, S. (2015).
Circulating the internet. Stanford Social
Innovation Review, 13(1), 9-10.
Ortiz, K. (2015). From books to WiFi: The rise of
libraries lending out hotspots. The
Global Dispatch. Retrieved from http://www.theglobaldispatch.com/from-books-to-wifi-the-rise-of-libraries-lending-out-hotspots-61775/
Soper, T. (2015). Google funds new lendable WiFi
hotspot devices for Seattle public
library. GeekWire. Retrieved from http://www.geekwire.com/2015/google-funds-
new-lendable-wifi-hotspot-devices-for-the-seattle-library/
Widdersheim, M. M. (2014). E-lending and libraries. Progressive
Librarian, 42, 95-114.
Zhang, H., Washington, R., & Yin, J. (2014).
Improving strategies for low-income family
children’s information literacy.
Universal Journal of Educational Research, 2(9),
655-658.
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