Local libraries offer free Internet access in Burlington – Elon News Network
Posted: June 16, 2020 at 7:49 am
Alamance County Public Libraries are offering internet access to neighborhoods in Burlington with limited or no access in partnership with the Alamance-Burlington School System, Morrow Town Task Force and Burlington Housing Authority.
North Carolina public schools were online for the remainder of the year and Alamance County libraries were also closed as a result of Gov. Roy Coopers Stay-at-Home order leaving many residents without internet access or a way to obtain it. The service is still running over the summer.
Alamance County Public Libraries Outreach Services Programs goal was to provide internet access to the community, something they deem crucial.
The mobile cafe van was created in August of 2018 to provide Pop-Up Internet Service to residents in isolated parts of Alamance County with mobile library stops.
With the Outreach program, we work with community groups, go to events and promote the library in general, Outreach Coordinator Mary Beth Adams said. We learned that many people in the community did not have access to the internet.
According to Adams, the mobile cafe van provides access with an antenna that offers a 300-foot radius of Wi-Fi connectivity.
Elon alumna Donna Vanhook 07 is a community organizer with the Morrow Town Task Force. She works closely with a number of different organizations and helps connect people like Adams to others to better serve members of the community.
The service was not in operation because of the pandemic, and I heard of students who did not have internet access to do their schoolwork, Vanhook said.
Vanhooks previous involvement with other community organizations aimed at bettering local residents prompted her to pursue communication with the libraries. She said that her role involved discussing a plan for how to get students internet access to complete their studies.
Monday: Crump Village, 1-3pm and 3:30-5:30pm Tuesday: Maplebrook Apartments, 1-3pm and 3:30-5:30pm Wednesday: Pate Homes, 1-3pm and Beaumont Apartments, 3:30-5:30pm Thursday: Woodrail Apartments, 1-3pm and Tucker Street Apartments, 3:30-5:30pm Friday: Earl Gerow Homes, 1-3pm and Misty Springs Mobile Home Park, 3:30-5:30pm
The service was already available; it was just about coordinating times and places, Vanhook said. The coordination was all completed virtually in just a few days.
Vanhook said a test run was done the Friday before Easter Monday to ensure people would be able to use this service from inside their homes.
I was very pleased with how quickly things came together and how people benefited from the service, Vanhook said. I think that this service has relieved some anxiety in both parents and students.
The coronavirus has forced people to work and study from home and the Alamance-Burlington School System wanted to help their students adapt by providing devices and hotspots.
There are not enough devices for everyone, Adams said. We are so happy to be able to step in and have the mobile cafe [be] the library in the community.
Adams said their service is important because of its purpose to provide internet access to community members without it. Some people lack access because of location, while for others it's a result of their personal circumstances.
Adams said some families may share one computer; therefore, they are serving an even greater number of people.
We are connecting around 30 to 40 people each day at two different spots, Adams said. Sometimes in the same apartment complex and other times, in two separate ones.
The mobile cafe van has benefited many community members but has also shed light on the number of residents who have limited or no access to the internet.
The mobile cafe did address the digital divide, Vanhook said. There is a presumption that most young people have access to the internet, but that is not the case.
Prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus, the mobile cafe van offered users the opportunity to pick out books, but that service is currently suspended to keep residents safe.
Kids want to look at every book, but we are then worrying about germs, Adams said.
On their Facebook page, the Alamance County Public Libraries encouraged people in the neighborhoods utilizing their internet service to stay indoors or sit outside, following rules of social distancing from others.
The difference in what we have done before and what we do now is that now we just provide internet access, parking it and turning on our router, Adams said. We dont have the table out. We feel it's safer.
Adams said that only offering internet access has kept residents from congregating in small areas and has limited the spread of germs altogether.
When we decided to do this, and just offer internet access, the most important thing was to provide for the students, Adams said.
The mobile cafe runs Monday through Friday, alternating stops each week.
One week we will do the four northern stops and the next we will do the four southern stops, Adams said. We are seeing people every other week.
Alamance libraries felt residents in East Burlington had somewhere to go when schools and libraries were open, but they now plan to include those apartment complexes in future routes.
We know were not hitting every place, Adams said. We are trying to keep in contact with the Morrow Town Task Force and Burlington Housing Authority to see what we can do and how we can [reach] those who need it.
Read more:
Local libraries offer free Internet access in Burlington - Elon News Network
- Library Resources: They're online, free and 24-7 - coppercountrynews - December 8th, 2020
- Cuyahoga County Public Library tops Americas Libraries list, as other Northeast Ohio libraries awarded stars - cleveland.com - December 8th, 2020
- Flint Public Library at Courtland to reopen Wednesday, Dec. 9 with limited lobby service - East Village Magazine - December 8th, 2020
- Raising awareness about access to affordable textbooks | Around the O - AroundtheO - December 8th, 2020
- Euclid Public Library adds access to virtual tutoring to its online services - News-Herald.com - December 8th, 2020
- Flagstaff Public Library finds new ways to reach communities during the pandemic - Arizona Daily Sun - December 8th, 2020
- Stress Reduction Tips Offered in Rockland Library Presentation - Freepress Online - December 8th, 2020
- Poetry and Patronage: The Laubespine-Villeroy Library Rediscovered - Antiques and the Arts Online - December 8th, 2020
- Adelia M. Russell Library awarded technology grant for nearly one-third of residents without broadband - The Alexander City Outlook - December 8th, 2020
- North Dakota architecture, construction firms hired to help build Roosevelt library - Grand Forks Herald - December 8th, 2020
- Qatar National Library Making Sense of the Past in a Digital World - Al-Bawaba - December 8th, 2020
- The National Library does not understand its customers - The Star Online - December 8th, 2020
- Dozens of families come out in support of five Croydon libraries threatened with closure - London News Online - December 8th, 2020
- Library hosts online family activities in December | Limelighter - Herald and News - December 4th, 2020
- Online art auction to benefit Ronceverte Library | State & Region - Beckley Register-Herald - December 4th, 2020
- Hit by pandemic, libraries across cities are turning to a digital chapter - Business Standard - December 4th, 2020
- Brooke Library to show 'Rise of the Guardians' - The Steubenville Herald-Star - December 4th, 2020
- Ferndale Library has new slate of online programs for kids and their parents - Concentrate - December 4th, 2020
- Do you have a book in you? Garland librarys online creative writing courses could help - The Dallas Morning News - December 4th, 2020
- Lewis Library in Fontana is offering several digital events - Fontana Herald-News - December 4th, 2020
- The Making of the Modern Librarian: The Value of School Libraries - eSchool News - December 4th, 2020
- Library hosts online presentation 'FDR and the Jewish Question' - Hudson Valley 360 - December 4th, 2020
- LIBRARIES PRESENT INTRODUCTORY TECHNOLOGY HOW-TO VIDEOS ONLINE - Fort Bend Herald - December 4th, 2020
- Dont divorce her: Rabbis letter to Henry VIII at heart of British Library show - The Times of Israel - December 4th, 2020
- Digital Tools Are Revolutionizing Mental Health Care in the US - Harvard Business Review - December 4th, 2020
- Libraries host online holiday musical performance Dec. 5 | Arts And Entertainment | fbherald.com - Fort Bend Herald - December 4th, 2020
- LIBRARIES SUPPORT NEW WRITERS WITH ONLINE ACTIVITIES | Community | fbherald.com - Fort Bend Herald - December 4th, 2020
- Here is the latest Tier 3 restrictions information covering East Riding Museums and East Riding Libraries - Bridlington Free Press - November 30th, 2020
- The Stroller, Nov. 30, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley - TribLIVE - November 30th, 2020
- Half of Districts Lack Connectivity Needed for Widespread Videoconferencing, Device Usage - Education Week - November 30th, 2020
- Aberdeenshire sports facilities and libraries to close over Christmas and New Year - Grampian Online - November 30th, 2020
- Smiley Public Library Young Readers Room: 100 years, generations of readers - Redlands Daily Facts - October 3rd, 2020
- Forest Public Library celebrates 10th year anniversary in new building - Scott County Times - October 3rd, 2020
- Online events for children, families and teens hosted by the Klamath County Library - Herald and News - October 3rd, 2020
- Building the Mathematical Library of the Future - Quanta Magazine - October 3rd, 2020
- Library of Congress Seeks Cloud-Based Approach for Interacting With Digital Collections - MeriTalk - October 3rd, 2020
- Fort Bragg Seed Library launches fall and winter program - Mendocino Beacon - October 3rd, 2020
- Briggs Lawrence County Public Library to receive 40 hotspots - The Tribune - Ironton Tribune - October 3rd, 2020
- Spooktacular 2020, Going Online! | Sedona.Biz - The Internet Voice of Sedona and The Verde Valley - Sedona.biz - October 3rd, 2020
- Library receives grant to help with pandemic 'burdens' - The Clanton Advertiser - Clanton Advertiser - October 3rd, 2020
- Garland library to mark World Mental Health Day with Zoom event for teens - The Dallas Morning News - October 3rd, 2020
- Live, Online Assistance for Job Seekers, Veterans, and Their Families Paso Robles Press - The Paso Robles Press - October 3rd, 2020
- Friends of the Holliston Library announce upcoming programs - MetroWest Daily News - October 3rd, 2020
- Fulton County Library System Partners with PAPER to Offer Online Tutoring - City of South Fulton Observer - October 3rd, 2020
- Mayor reopens libraries with in-person services increased digital access - Continuing a phased reopen of City services prioritizing the health and... - October 3rd, 2020
- The Ames Library Partners to Digitize Medieval Manuscripts | Illinois Wesleyan - Illinois Wesleyan University - October 3rd, 2020
- Friends of the Library donates $50,000 for 50th anniversary - WBIR.com - October 3rd, 2020
- Calvert Library Foundation Hosts Online Auction - The Southern Maryland Chronicle - October 3rd, 2020
- Riverside County voters, heres where to cast ballots in the Nov. 3 election - Press-Enterprise - October 3rd, 2020
- Northland Public Library reopening with restrictions, virus safety protocols - TribLIVE - August 12th, 2020
- Westlake library proves no one has to be bored during the pandemic - cleveland.com - August 12th, 2020
- All Boston Public Library branches open for to-go during coronavirus pandemic; 62,800 items have been checked - MassLive.com - August 12th, 2020
- Want to learn more about the 2020 U.S. Census? Heres an online workshop - Redlands Daily Facts - August 12th, 2020
- What's happening - Times Herald-Record - August 12th, 2020
- Librarians work to broaden Vanderbilts research reputation with Wikidata tools - Vanderbilt University News - August 12th, 2020
- Challenge of archiving the #MeToo movement Harvard Gazette - Harvard Gazette - August 12th, 2020
- New Collins Library grant is part of $40 million in CARES Act funding from the NEH - The Suburban Times - August 12th, 2020
- Garland libraries are reaching residents online during the coronavirus pandemic - The Dallas Morning News - August 12th, 2020
- ACCESS the Internet Act to enable libraries to lessen broadband gap in rural and low-income communities - ala.org - August 12th, 2020
- Tom Green County Library to receive $50k grant to create wifi hot spots - Standard-Times - August 12th, 2020
- New 1,200-book collection magically appears at the UNO library - Omaha World-Herald - August 12th, 2020
- London-based startup BibliU raises 550K Series A extension to bring digital libraries to more Universities - EU-Startups - August 12th, 2020
- Rockland libraries offer online summer reading programs - The Journal News - June 25th, 2020
- Library events to be online this summer - Vestavia Voice - June 25th, 2020
- Digital media company OverDrive buys the library assets of audiobook producer RBmedia - Crain's Cleveland Business - June 25th, 2020
- Win prizes with the Dawson County Library's online summer reading program - Dawson Community News - June 25th, 2020
- Family creates library to remember teen who died of brain cancer - thewitnessonline.org - June 25th, 2020
- Stars in their eyes: Kilkenny library summer reading programme to go online - Kilkenny Now - June 25th, 2020
- Reenvisioning Libraries. There's a Project for That. | From the Editor - School Library Journal - June 25th, 2020
- National Online Speech Therapy Company Creates Free Resource Library in Response to Pandemic - Send2Press Newswire - June 25th, 2020
- National Online Speech Therapy Co, GreatSpeech, Creates Free Resource Library in Response to Pandemic - Florida Newswire - June 25th, 2020
- Menlo Park's adopted budget cuts 'to the bone' - The Almanac Online - June 25th, 2020
- Grande Prairie Public Library set to re-open on July 2 with GPPL Express - EverythingGP - June 25th, 2020
- York's libraries will reopen soon and a brand new caf. Here's where and when - YorkMix - June 25th, 2020
- Hasbrouck Heights Library to Offer Online Activities Throughout the Summer - TAPinto.net - June 17th, 2020
- British Council Library in Bengaluru to be only online - The Hindu - June 17th, 2020
- Libraries Are Dealing With New Demand For Books And Services During The Pandemic - NPR - June 17th, 2020
- Balance and Gentle Fitness Classes Online with the Scotch Plains Public Library - TAPinto.net - June 17th, 2020
- Grove Family Library utilizing online programs to reach patrons - Herald-Mail Media - June 17th, 2020
- Coming up at the West Tisbury library - Martha's Vineyard Times - June 17th, 2020