Grant brings five internet access “hotspots” and five new laptops for circulation
Don’t miss local author Steven Jakobi on July 27
From the Alfred Box of Books, pictured is Jackie Wilson
The Alfred Box of Books Library has been selected to continue participation in Community Connect, an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) and Capital One that helps rural libraries offer internet access and financial education for their patrons.
In 2020, the Box of Books Library was selected as one of 20 libraries nationwide to take part in Community Connect: Digital Access at Home. Through this grant, Box of Books Library received five WiFi hotspots for checkout and resources for implementing financial capability programs. Now, through Community Connect: Fostering Digital Access, the Box of Books Library will receive an additional five HP laptops to make available for checkout, as well as a $2,000 cash grant.
Alfred Box of Books Library joins an additional 14 libraries selected to participate in the new pilot phase.
“We are so excited to continue on with the Community Connect project at the Alfred Box of Books Library” said Library Director Melanie Miller. “Through the first grant, we were able to successfully offer hotspots to our community. The hotspots have been checked out over 125 times, which is more than we expected. With Fostering Digital Access, we look forward to adding HP laptops for check-out and to start offering programs to help patrons establish at-home internet connections with free tools from the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program.”
Community Connect: Fostering Digital Access will begin at Alfred in early August. Both hotspots and laptops will be loaned for 7 days with 1 renewal. To sign out a laptop and/or hotspot a patron must have a library card at a Southern Tier Library System member library in good standing, be 18 years old or older and sign our borrower’s agreement.
Alfred Box of Books Library will also receive a $2,000 cash grant to support programs such as financial fraud prevention programs and programs on the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program. For more information and a calendar of upcoming library programs, visit http://www.alfredboxofbookslibrary.org.
Community Connect: Fostering Digital Access is made possible by Capital One and the American Library Association. It is managed by ALA’s Public Programs Office in collaboration with the Public Library Association.
