Library branches in Wellington County will soon be offering "hotspots."
The program is designed to help residents and families who do not have access to high speed internet.
The new service is the result of a Research and Innovation Grant of $157,000 from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport.
Wellington County libraries will provide patrons who have a valid library card with the ability to take a 'hotspot' home for a maximum of seven days with unlimited access to the internet.
The library is planning to have about 70 of these hotspots available by the end of March.
A broadband project by Wellington County in 2012 estimated 14 per cent of the County’s population did not have access to high speed internet.
"This technology grant will further extend library service to County residents and reduce the digital divide between those living in rural Ontario and those living in major urban centres," says Murray McCabe, chief librarian for Wellington County. "This programme will also compliment the library’s existing partnership with the Upper Grand District School Board that provides access to 70 Chromebooks throughout the County’s 14 libraries."
