Agenda

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City Council Regular Meeting

Meeting Date:

07/14/2020

BACKGROUND

The term "digital divide" refers to the gap that exists between those who have access to modern information and communication technology and those who do not. Computers, telephones and other personal devices are ubiquitous. Online services are the norm for many businesses, and in an increasingly interconnected world, the Internet is vital in day-to-day life. Because technology is everywhere and the online life has become the norm, we sometimes forget that there are people in our communities who don't have the ability to access the information they need to carry out their everyday business.

The digital divide happens for various reasons, but any time there is an economic crisis, more people are affected simply because they aren't able to pay for Internet service. Libraries traditionally fill the gap for these members of the community, but the COVID pandemic has caused library service hours to be curtailed or suspended. Bexar County identified digital divide resulting from COVID as a growing issue and has chosen to use a portion of the County's CARES Grant money to address it. Bexar County's library, BiblioTech, is purchasing a large quantity of mobile hotspots, along with service through an Internet provider, in order to circulate them across the County. Anyone who finds themselves without access to the Internet can check out a hotspot to be used at home.

BiblioTech does not have the staffing resources to manage the full number of hotspots, nor do they have a physical presence everywhere in Bexar County. This makes it hard for them to reach everyone who may need a device. They are proposing partnerships with local libraries, including Schertz Public Library, to help them circulate the hotspots.

GOAL

The goal is to make Internet service available to those who don't have access to it so they can conduct personal business, continue with educational endeavors, participate in recreational opportunities, apply for jobs or benefits, and, in some cases, continue operating businesses.

COMMUNITY BENEFIT

Mobile hotspot lending programs enable library patrons to take the Internet home and offer many benefits such as:

Bridging the Digital Divide
Lessening the homework gap for children
Providing internet options to rural areas with poor or no coverage
Offering connectivity to financially disadvantaged patrons
Helping individuals with employment opportunities
Accessing health information, especially for seniors
Offering connectivity at community wide events
Allowing individuals living with disabilities the option to access the Internet from the comfort of home

By loaning out the Internet, just like a book, we will be able to provide patrons with 24/7 access to Internet. This particular partnership is a great benefit to our community as we currently have no program like this. There are no jurisidictional or geographic restrictions on who can check out a hotspot, so all persons in our service population can take advantage of the program.

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDED ACTION

Staff recommends entering the Interlocal Agreement with Bexar County BiblioTech Library to circulate mobile WiFi hotspots to our community.

FISCAL IMPACT

The fiscal impact during the twelve-month period is small. Bexar County will purchase 100 hotspots and the monthly Internet service for each. Schertz Public Library will be responsible for barcoding, packaging and managing the circulation of the hotspots. We will need to purchase plastic bags to circulate the items at an approximate cost of $40.00. We have barcodes and labels on hand. Cataloging labor will only take a few hours as BiblioTech has already created a MARC record template for us to use.

At the end of the twelve-month agreement period, Schertz Public Library has the option of dropping the program or continuing it in whatever fashion we want. For example, we could reduce the number of hotspots in the program, or seek sponsorship for the program. If we choose to continue circulating hotspots, we will be responsible for purchasing the monthly service for each of them. Current pricing on monthly service per device is $22.99 or $275.88 per year. Staff will seek direction from City Council on how to proceed at that time.

RECOMMENDATION

This Interlocal agreement is advantageous to our customers in that it gives us a way to provide a service for the next twelve months that we don't currently offer. The ability to circulate mobile hotspots during this time is a boon to those members of our community who are negatively impacted by the economic fallout of the pandemic. Staff recommends adoption of this Resolution authorizing the Public Library Interlocal Agreement to partner with Bexar County BiblioTech Library to circulate mobile hotspots to our community.

Attachments
20-R-70
BiblioTech ILA