Roseburg library donates 37 hotspots to card holders

Roseburg library donates 37 hotspots to card holders

Roseburg library has donated 37 hotspots with six months of coverage to adult library card holders in order to help provide WiFi services to families and students in need during the pandemic.

Due to the two week freeze ordered by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown most free local spots people used for Wi-Fi to do school work have shut down or are closed to the public.

Families who lacked access to steady Wi-Fi had been using these places for school and work. Some, including college students are even sitting in parking lots of stores or shops just to do homework. Others who lacked internet access went to their families’ homes, potentially putting them at risk as well, adding unnecessary stress for people doing something as simple as online work.

The Roseburg library wanted to help with this need. They gave 37 hotspots out to adult card holders in order to provide at home Wi-Fi support. A WiFi hotspot is like a mobile phone; it works off an LTE connection to convert that connection into a signal that laptops and phones can use. The Oregon state library paid for and provided all of these services so that families didn’t have to pay for internet. Along with giving out hotspots, the Roseburg library has also been helping students and families in other ways:

• They are providing 24/7 access to a “extensive” collection of electronic books and audiobooks through their OverDrive and their cloudLibrary service. See their website.
• Everyone, even non-card holders, can access research databases through the State Library of Oregon
• They are providing drive up pick up services once a week. Patrons place a hold on items or ask for assistance getting products, the staff pulls the products, checks them out and brings the products to the patrons car after they call: 541-492-7050
• Library staff is available by email or phone and can provide any necessary services to help out with everyone’s library needs.

   Once the shutdown is over, the Roseburg library will decide how to move forward in the best way possible to keep everyone safe. 

For more information check out their Facebook page or call 541-492-7050

Contact me at:
UCCMainstream@yahoo.com

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