The St. Louis County Library, in partnership with a local technology organization, is aiming to assist residents in understanding and accessing the internet.
Librarygoers can now bring free internet home for extended periods. Wi-Fi hotspots are available for checkout from any St. Louis County Library for up to 21 days. A partnership with TechSTL will provide computer classes for St. Louis and St. Louis County residents.
The technology company received a $100,000 grant from Verizon in December and will use the funds to make 10,000 people Digital Proficiency Pros. The certification involves training for the use of online banking, doctor’s visits and common software programs like Microsoft Office.
The pilot program looks to help underserved St. Louisans develop digital literacy over the next three years. Emily Hemingway, executive director of TechSTL, said technology skills can help residents find higher-paying jobs.
“The county library is the perfect partner to pilot this free program,” Hemingway said. “We are eager to get started changing lives and households through tech.”
More than half of St. Louis and St. Louis County residents have inadequate internet access; an estimated 100,000 adults need help navigating an increasingly digital world, according to a 2022 report commissioned by the Regional Business Council and the St. Louis Community Foundation.
Those without high-speed internet can borrow a hotspot from the St. Louis County Library. Card holders can reserve the hotspot up to a year in advance. The devices aren’t new, but now there are more available. Kristen Sorth, director and CEO of St. Louis County Library, said the current waitlist is 200 people long.
“When you need a hotspot, you need a hotspot.” Kristen Sorth, director and CEO of St. Louis County Library, said. “If they have an upcoming job interview, or they need to be online for a class and they don't have reliable internet, this allows them the opportunity to book when they need it.”
Sorth said many community members use the library each time they need a computer. Librarians help patrons with resources such as digital cameras and online tax services. They’ll also provide an instruction pamphlet to help patrons use rental technology at home.
“If you are applying for public resources, you do that online now. There's always, always something new coming. We try and stay up on that because the public will come in and start asking, and we need to be ready to help them,” Sorth said.
The hotspots aren’t immediately available at any St. Louis County Library branch but can be reserved for pick up at any location by calling or booking online.
The Webster Groves Public Library doesn’t have any onsite, but librarians notice book lovers borrowing more and more technology from the Library of Things.
“I feel like most of the people that actually come into the library are still coming in for physical materials,” Madison Morris, director of the Webster Groves Public Library, said. “But there's still this huge drive, and we've seen year after year that people are turning towards our e-resources.”
The St. Louis County Library’s bid to close the digital divide is years in the process. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the library offered older adults the option to rent a GrandPad device for a year. Students still have access to virtual tutoring services and Chromebooks for online school work. Library officials say the additional portable hotspots and technology classes will give patrons the help they need. Still, Sorth envisions a future where all residents have permanent and affordable internet access.
“Our goal, I think the state's goal, is to move to broadband access for everyone, but that is going to take some time,” Sorth said. “There's a lot of activity around that discussion, and I don't want to be talking about hotspots five years from now. But before we get to broadband access, we've got to help people get online and live a full life.”
