The Supplemental Coronavirus Relief Fund Spending Plan approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 15 includes an allocation to L.A. County Library to provide digital support to individuals and communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

Specifically, the plan expands the recently-launched Laptop & Hotspot Loan program that allows cardholders to borrow a Chromebook and wireless hotspot kit, and it extends the WiFi network range at libraries to cover parking lots.

This pandemic has illuminated the digital divide in many L.A. communities; countless students, individuals and families lack reliable internet service to mitigate the negative impacts of coronavirus.

As all L.A. County Library locations remain closed, those who would normally come to the library to use the computers to apply for services or do schoolwork are not able to do so. Last fiscal year, L.A. County Library hosted nearly 1.5 million internet sessions on library computers and over 4 million sessions on library WiFi, demonstrating a high level of demand for resources that can’t currently be offered.

The Laptop & Hotspot Loan is currently available at 10 Sidewalk Service locations, determined based upon internet subscription rate of households – between 57% and 63% in these areas. Reserved for cardholders 18 and up, the kit can be borrowed for three weeks – just like a book – with the opportunity to renew up to three times if there are no holds. All 60 kits were borrowed within the first week of the service being available, and there are currently 300 holds placed on the kits, indicating a need much greater than current devices can meet. This next phase will allow the library to procure 700 more devices and make kits available at all its 46 Sidewalk Service locations, plus four Bookmobiles.

As a way to provide Wi-Fi access during its closure, the library plans to extend broadband network connectivity to its parking lots, to allow people to park and connect. Although the library’s Sidewalk Service program offers customers access to its physical collections, and the range of downloadable and streaming resources provide ready access to educational and skill-building content, the continued closure of libraries to in-person services leaves a gap for those customers who depend on the library for free, high-speed broadband access, but have slow or limited connectivity in their communities. Current plans have identified 28 libraries to roll out as a first phase – determined based on internet connectivity rates – by the end of this calendar year, with a future expansion as funding becomes available.

For information, visit lacountylibrary.org.