Wi-Fi devices from the library could help fill internet deserts in South Carolina

With high-speed internet access hard to find in South Carolina’s rural and high-poverty areas, some public libraries are trying something new: letting patrons check out free wireless hotspots that can connect to the internet just about anywhere. Public libraries are letting patrons check out personal Wi-Fi devices. A statewide K-12 Technology Initiative provided $115,000 of grant money, so some counties can set up “homework help centers” for students to visit after school. The Charleston County Public Library announced it had used $21,000 to buy 121 hotspot devices, which are currently available at every one of its branches.  “Children in many of these counties are issued laptops by their schools but have been unable to access the internet because of low or no bandwidth in their area of the county,” said Kathy Sheppard, director of library development for the South Carolina State Library. She said the county libraries were chosen because they serve areas with high poverty and spotty internet access.