New York Public Library Hotspots

Today I will be reviewing for you the hot-spots available through the New York Public Library, called NYPL hereafter, and its larger associated libraries. I will be assessing it over 17 criteria. I will include an estimated TCO for us and the library.

Product Overview

The product is a hotspot and modem kit with which one can connect to nearby data (3G and 4G/LTE) sources, lent out for the school year. The product itself is a NETGEAR Zing Mobile Hotspot, a company associated with Sprint. The approved data coverage is 3G total, with slowing internet speeds past that amount.

Ideology

The program is keeping with the ALA code of ethics, of access and freedom to information. It is a not-for-profit program, in a not-for-profit setting. Though it requires that certain parameters are met, these parameters are not outrageous and do not encourage profit. However, it doesn’t meet the code of ethics in the case of not advancing private interests- most of the press coverage, and the coverage on the website itself, plasters the name of the donors across every detail. This is in keeping with some of the NYPL’s specific code of ethics- as they sell IP-bound goods such as Harry Potter in their shop (with no indication that these materials strictly benefit the library). Published articles by involved parties and interviews do reveal high hopes for internet connection as a whole- the president of the NYPL talks about his hopes for universal connection and understands how vital it is for the population.

Make sure your essay is 100% unique

Our experts will write for you an essay on any topic, with any deadline and requirements from scratch

127 our experts are available
right now

Get custom essay

Does it meet ideology criteria? Yes, but with some reservations and unanswered questions.

Economy/Funding/Sustainability

Funding and suppot for this and similar projects come from Wifi providers such as Sprint and T-Mobile, software companies such as Mobile Beacon, with donations from tech companies such as Google, and foundations such as the Knight Foundation. Google alone made a one-time $1,000,000 donation and 500 chromebooks as well. However, there is no indication this level of donation was kept up. The sustainability is thus questionable, with most donations coming from private-companies and not from consistent federal or state sources.

The interest of such companies must be maintained, and this is not reliable. According to personal contact (though the information was hesitantly given and I was asked to not take it as ‘word of God’) the program may be canceled- due to either lack of funding or lack of hotspots to give out due to demand. Either way, this points to a possible lack of funding. If we invest, we would be the only ones responsible for keeping up the funding. However, with the money invested, they were able to maintain the program for three years in three locations. Our money would be put to a good and consistent use.

Does this meet funding and sustainability standards? Somewhat.

Availability

The current program is meant to benefit public school students and their families specifically. This is keeping with the ALA code of theics, of access and freedom to information, despite being meant to serve a sector of the population of New York. At other related locations, such as the Brooklyn Public Library, you must be 18 and older and have good standing at the library (most likely meaning that one cannot have fines). The NYPL itself, however, placed additional specifications. Thus it is not available to families without a student in public schools, limiting access significantly.

Does this meet funding and sustainability standards? Yes, for involved populations. Otherwise, no.

Necessary Existing Infrastructure

There needs to be an existing and maintained 3G or 4G connection in the area, which is not guaranteed in all areas. The same areas that would require hotspots may not have this accessibility, either. It also requires a connective device, whether that is a smartphone or a computer, putting some of the TCO on the user to provide the hardware to even connect to it in the first place. Other programs, often in schools, will lend out computers, but generally for shorter amounts of time than the hotspot is lent out.

Does it meet prior existing infrastructure criteria? No.

Replacement and Assistance

No information was found about a support helpline, and using the general ASK line for the NYPL led to a contact that could not forward me to technical support beyond directing me to the Sprint NETGEAR support. The current product they are using does not seem to be for sale (the hotspot sale page says ‘coming soon’) so I am unsure what support they provide.

Does it meet replacement and assistance criteria? Somewhat. There is support but it is not directly from the library.

Need of tech Literacy/Personnel and Training

Tech literacy is needed to even figure out how to connect to the hotspot in the first place. The manual is provided through NETGEAR but may not be intended for first-time users of modems or hotspots, as the company in general provides other gear, such as a high-speed gaming modem. To take full advantage of the access, one likely should have previous digital experience, namely with the connected devices. Taking up data with videos may occur if a child is not tech literate or not made to understand the limitations to access.

Does it meet personel and tech literacy criteria? No.

Filling Community Needs

No information was found regarding whether or not there have been changes via community feedback, or whether there was any community feedback in the implementation in the first place. However, it is quite needed. For example, there is no parental control given, unlike other library resources for minors, and this may be preferable for parents of younger students. Concerns in this vein were only mentioned once in my research.

Does it fill community involvement criteria? Unclear.

Applicability to the Target Population

Highly applicable to the target population. The president of the NYPL estimates that 2 million people need access to this service, and this is not far off given the statistics regarding the percentage of the population that lack internet in the city.

Does it fit the needs of the target population? Yes.

Academic Research/Critique Found

One academic source was found, though it directly interviewed the CEO of the NYPL and thus some bias is expected. Upon searching for ‘NYPL hotspot “critique”’ and NYPL hotspot “review”’ in both databases and via Google, there was little found. This may point to a lack of feedback sources or avenues.

Did it have sufficient critique found for analysis: No.

Accessibility for those who cannot come to the library

The events are held at the library, and options for delivery of the device were unclear or negative. However, it IS more accessible than going to the library every day for 45 minutes worth of use.

Did it meet accessibility criteria? Somewhat.

Accessibliity for children in private schools/homeschooled

Unclear/unanswered, assumption is no.

Privacy concerns

Information was not found and was not answered when the question arose. There is a required username and passcode, but information about the success of the security of this measure was not found.

Did it meet privacy criteria? Somewhat.

The population who needs it versus how many receive it, would our donation help solve a problem?

Every event, only 20 items are given out. As there is one remaining in December, I assumed this event is monthly. It is a drop in the bucket, even when you consider the limited population. More than 25% of the population of the city does not have reliable access, and that amount almost doubles for those with incomes under $35,000. Currently available broadband amount is not entirely clear, but I was able to estimate that less than 10% had highspeed internet.

Is the of criteria of filling a need met? Could we help? Yes on both accounts.

Solving a bigger issue

The hotspots are not solving the greater issues of the lack of infrastructure for reliable internet in some areas. They aren’t meant to, either. Initiatives such as this, and turning past phone booths to wifi hotspots (another initiative from around the same time in New York) are much more popular to investors than greater industrial changes due to greater upkeep costs.

Is it solving a bigger issue in the long run? No.

Community input/Option for feedback

Feedback options were not found, but when feedback was offered it was received via the personal contact. It is unclear how far the feedback would reach.

Reception

The progam is well-received, with give-out event registration becoming full months in advance. Word-of-mouth and press coverage both support this as fulfilling a need and laud it as a genuine effort in bridging the digital divide.

Does it have positive previous reception and use? Yes.

Copycats and their success

SPL, CPL, and the RIPL have all continued this program, but funding has begun to fall out. I was unable to find a page for RIPL’s hotspot availability, though Providence and other branches appear to still have access to free hotspots (though only three weeks at a time) implying the possibility that they are also running out of funding. However, like the NYPL initiative, it has been kept up for multiple years.

TCO:

For the device: The device itself is $200. The fine amount for loss or damage from the NYPL is $100, so we should expect a loss over time for replacement of the units themselves.

For upkeep from the library: Unclear, but someone must provide the 3G worth of data that is supposed to be provided. Sprint’s coverage appears to average $35 a month, so the library must upkeep every device with an estimated $420 a year. The initial donations of $400,000 and $500,000 thus seem less sustainable given the average price and upkeep of about $600 a year, not including unreturned devices with losses of $100 each if not returned.

Conclusion

In all, I see this as a band-aid solution, but it is more easily sustainable with a one-time donation than creation and upkeep of internet infrastructure such as copper or fiber optic sources. It was popular for some time with companies such as Sprint, T-Mobile, and donations were made of the hotspots themselves and funding from other non-profits. Our donation would benefit multiple families and help them do such basic things as homework for the children and job applications for the parents.