St. Louis Public Library still has hotspots available for long-term checkout thanks to additional federal funding. Customers can visit any SLPL location to check out a device and keep it until September 30, 2023.
These devices are made possible through the long-term Chromebook and Hotspot Program funding from the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF), which allowed SLPL to purchase a total of 5,500 Chromebooks and 12,000 hotspots to be used by City of St. Louis residents who do not have internet or computer access.
“Digital access is a necessity in today’s world,” said Waller McGuire, CEO of St. Louis Public Library. “We continue to provide the traditional services that many of us remember from our youth, but libraries also are major technology providers and strive to overcome barriers to online access. We are grateful to the federal government for supporting the important role libraries play in digital connectivity. I would also like to thank the SLPL staff for taking on this major project in addition to their regular work and helping it succeed: every cent of this money went to equipment placed in public hands.”
The ECF is a federal program, which gives funding to schools and libraries to provide internet connectivity and technology to communities.
To check out a device, an individual will need to:
* be a resident of the City
* visit one of the 16 SLPL locations
* have an SLPL card or sign up for a card
