For a Franklin resident, a new library service is finally allowing him to have Internet service at home.
Jerry Hepperle can’t get good Internet service in his home, but can now use a portable Internet device from the library for work at home. And now, he plans to purchase his own, he said.
“The fact that it was offered is a really nice benefit for the community,” Hepperle said. “It has really made my life easier.”
The Johnson County Public Library introduced Pocket Wi-Fi to their four branches this month. Pocket Wi-Fi is a portable hot spot that can connect devices such as phones and laptops to the Internet from anywhere. The hot spots can be used at home, in the car or at work.
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Since the library began offering the devices on Aug. 6, each branch now has a waiting list.
Countywide, nearly 85 percent of residents have Internet service at home, according to Census data. But that still leaves 15.5 percent without, putting those residents at a disadvantage, library officials said.
Heather Petro, the Clark-Pleasant branch circulation manager, came up with the idea to offer portable Internet service to help those who don’t have access in their homes. People need Internet for work, school, research, job applications and more, she said.
“Internet access is vital to everyday life in today’s society,” she said. “If you don’t have Internet, you’re at a disadvantage.”
Families near the Trafalgar branch often live in places where quality Internet service is not offered, Petro said. One family has had to sit in the library parking lot after hours so their kids could do their online homework.
Not having Internet at home can really affect students because many schools in the area now provide students with laptops and tablets that need Internet to work, Petro said.
“When the kids go home, if they don’t have Internet access to go along with those tools, then they’re not able to do their homework,” Petro said.
The portable hot spots can also be great for families to take on vacation and use during long car rides, Petro said.
Petro hopes the service can grow as the demand increases, and the library can get more hot spots to help more people.
“Our mission is to strengthen the community by connecting people with resources, other people and experiences,” Petro said. “This was just another way for us to provide a unique and convenient resource.”
Six hot spots are available at each branch. At each branch, four devices can be checked out for two weeks, and two can be checked out for one week and are only available in person on a first-come basis and cannot be put on hold.
The hot spots are made specifically for libraries, so the Internet service will not slow down if a certain amount of data is used within a month, like on most unlimited data plans, she said. Up to 10 devices can connect at one time, she said.
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Johnson County Public Library’s Pocket Wi-Fi can be checked out with a valid library card like a book or movie:
Where: Each branch has six devices to check out or put on hold, and can also be checked out online at pageafterpage.org.
Who: You must be 18 or older to check out a hot spot and only one per household can be checked out.
What: Four devices are available to check out for two weeks. They can be checked out or put on hold either at a branch or online. Two of the six devices at each branch are only available at the Lucky 7 shelf on a first-come basis. These can be checked out for one week and cannot be put on hold, renewed or checked out online.
What to know: Each hot spot comes with detailed instructions on how to connect your device.
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