Borrow Devices To Surf The Net
The Queens Borough Public Library is lending free mobile hot spots to library card holders.
The devices, which are smaller than most cell phones, provide internet access to any wifi enabled device almost anywhere. The mobile hot spots will provide an internet connection to computers, tablets, smart phones.
First-time borrowers will be asked to show photo ID and fill out a borrower’s agreement. Hot spots are available for loan for one month, with up to three renewals possible.
Hot spots are available for loan right now at the Central library, 89-11 Merrick Blvd. in Jamaica, and the Far Rockaway (1637 Central Ave.), Flushing (41-17 Main St.) and Forest Hills (108-19 71st Ave..) branches. They will also be available beginning tomorrow, Dec. 12, at th Jackson Heights branch (35-51 81st St.). All of these locations are also lending free Google tablets.
Google’s $1 million donation, along with a $500,000 grant from the Knight News Challenge, an initiative of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and Robin Hood Foundation, has made this program possible.
“Whether you’re a parent looking for a job, a child working on a school project, or a family looking for information on services, broadband access is no longer a luxury-it’s a necessity,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in announcing the donations. “I commend both New York City Libraries and Google for their commitment to increasing accessibility to technology through the innovative Library Hotspot program, and I am thrilled to see thousands of New York City families get access to the Internet.”
“Lending mobile hot spots, coupled with our Google tablet lending program, will put powerful technology into the hands and homes of Queens residents,” said Bridget Quinn- Carey, interim president and CEO of Queens Library. “It will boost computer literacy across all income and educational levels, promoting true digital equity. We are very grateful to Google; the Knight News Challenge, and the Robin Hood Foundation for making this possible.”
“Providing internet access to all New Yorkers should be a priority in this increasingly hightech world,” added City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “Thanks to support from Google, The Knight Foundation and The Robin Hood Foundation, our public libraries across the city will take a big step toward that goal. I’m proud of this achievement and look forward to finding even more ways to make access as universally available as possible for New York City’s residents.”
“This $1.75 million investment into our City’s three library systems will work to address the “digital divide” that has gripped New Yorkers in need of access to broadband internet,” said City Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer, chair of the Cultural Affairs and Libraries Committee. “Through this innovative partnership we will expand internet access for families throughout the five boroughs. I commend Mayor de Blasio, Google, The Knight Foundation and The Robin Hood Foundation for working with our City’s three library systems. Their commitment toward tackling the digital divide brings us closer to a day when no New Yorker will fear a lack of access to one of our most precious resources.”
For more information, visit www.queenslibrary.com or call 1- 718-990-0700.
