Erica Reyes, of the Seguin Public Library demonstrates the soon to be available new tablet kiosk. The tablets will be available for use throughout the library. The library will also be checking out new mobile WiFi units for families to use on a monthly basis.
(Seguin) — The Seguin Public Library will soon offer some new ways for you to stay connected to the world.
Library Director Jackie Gross says they will have tablets available for use inside the library and they will also have devices to help people get connected to the internet at home.
“In May, the library is going to launch two new services, circulating tablets in the library and mobile WiFi hot spots that can be checked out. The circulating tablets will enable patrons to check out tablets using a self-serve kiosk and they can use those anywhere in the
library and these are going to be most beneficial to those people looking to just use a public computer to view video, YouTube, that kind of thing and they can do it anywhere in the library,” said Gross.
Gross says the hot spots can be checked out for a full month, and will create a Wi-Fi network for people to use in their homes.
“We have 20 mobile Wi-Fi hot spots that will become available for customers to check out for a one-month period. They contain 5GB of data and they can check it out for one month. We were able to purchase these hot spots because of the Texas Cares Grant. That was a grant through the Institute of Library and Museum Services and the Texas State Library,” said Gross.
Like most of its lending services, the library will put into place so policies that make sure that the devices are well cared for and returned in a timely manner.
“This would necessitate some new fees associated with those new services and those would include a fee for failure to return the tablet to the lending kiosk, a late fee if the mobile hot spot is not returned by the due date and then replacement costs for lost or damaged hot spots and tablets,” said Gross.
The Seguin City Council on Tuesday approved the late fee structure. The new services should be available at the library starting next month.