3 ms·

Well, you still have to pay -- for internet access.

by earenndil 8y ago

thayne 8y ago
Most people have access to a public library with internet access.
- Broken_Hippo 8y ago
  I encourage you to use a library for your internet access needs. Do it for a while without using your vehicle - cheap public transport only if you have it. Check out small town libraries, their hours and their range of free users. Just because folks technically have access doesn't mean that they can access such a thing.
  - colejohnson66 8y ago
    Also, most (if not all) libraries I’ve been to require a library card to use their computers. And to get a library card, you need some kind of proof of address. Homeless people don’t have addresses
    - Broken_Hippo 8y ago
      Yeah, this is a serious issue and one I wish wasn't the case.
  - dragonwriter 8y ago
    So, the libraries in my county (which is largely rural and has several small town branches) allow people with library cards to check out mobile wifi hotspots and Chromebooks, so you don't even have to go to the library (except as necessary for equipment checkout and return) to use the library for internet access.
    - Broken_Hippo 8y ago
      So long as you can get a library card, that works out wonderfully. Last rural place I lived did not have a county-wide system, though, and some folks didn't have a library that served their needs without driving at least 10-15 minutes and paying a yearly fee for their card. This particular library also had limited space for computers, often a waiting list to use one, a half-hour time limit when you used them, and short opening hours. On the other hand, the peole were nice and the building beautiful. Libraries and their districts vary so much in what they are willing or can offer, and it is a real shame.
  - SomeHacker44 8y ago
    OTOH, I have lived for two decades within a few blocks of a library (in two locations) and have rarely used it. That changed once I had a son, but I have found limited personal use. It would be better for the community if the libraries' locations were more densely concentrated in neighborhoods with greater social and economic needs. I greatly support the mission of our libraries despite my personal limited use; they are an important component in any progressive agenda.
    - Broken_Hippo 8y ago
      I agree whole-heartedly. I'd honestly expand services to include things like social chatting areas along with quiet ones and possibly simple coffee shops. It wouldn't need to be fancy, just there. And I wish they were at least state-wide systems simply because of the variety different locations could offer by ordering books from other branches. I've seen it in smaller systems between branches in addition to things like bookmobiles. There are added bonuses if you can integrate school libraries into general-use libraries after school hours, though not all areas are keen on this idea (my father tried to set this up as a school business manager and it fell on deaf ears).
- 8bitsrule 8y ago
  Access to a library -certainly does not- enable ready access to the law. (E.g., that's why the lawyers use Westlaw ... proprietary ... instead of the library.) Perhaps your suggestion is not based on personal experience.

Well, you still have to pay -- for internet access.

thayne 8y ago

Most people have access to a public library with internet access.

Broken_Hippo 8y ago
I encourage you to use a library for your internet access needs. Do it for a while without using your vehicle - cheap public transport only if you have it. Check out small town libraries, their hours and their range of free users. Just because folks technically have access doesn't mean that they can access such a thing.
- colejohnson66 8y ago
  Also, most (if not all) libraries I’ve been to require a library card to use their computers. And to get a library card, you need some kind of proof of address. Homeless people don’t have addresses
  - Broken_Hippo 8y ago
    Yeah, this is a serious issue and one I wish wasn't the case.
- dragonwriter 8y ago
  So, the libraries in my county (which is largely rural and has several small town branches) allow people with library cards to check out mobile wifi hotspots and Chromebooks, so you don't even have to go to the library (except as necessary for equipment checkout and return) to use the library for internet access.
  - Broken_Hippo 8y ago
    So long as you can get a library card, that works out wonderfully. Last rural place I lived did not have a county-wide system, though, and some folks didn't have a library that served their needs without driving at least 10-15 minutes and paying a yearly fee for their card. This particular library also had limited space for computers, often a waiting list to use one, a half-hour time limit when you used them, and short opening hours. On the other hand, the peole were nice and the building beautiful. Libraries and their districts vary so much in what they are willing or can offer, and it is a real shame.
- SomeHacker44 8y ago
  OTOH, I have lived for two decades within a few blocks of a library (in two locations) and have rarely used it. That changed once I had a son, but I have found limited personal use. It would be better for the community if the libraries' locations were more densely concentrated in neighborhoods with greater social and economic needs. I greatly support the mission of our libraries despite my personal limited use; they are an important component in any progressive agenda.
  - Broken_Hippo 8y ago
    I agree whole-heartedly. I'd honestly expand services to include things like social chatting areas along with quiet ones and possibly simple coffee shops. It wouldn't need to be fancy, just there. And I wish they were at least state-wide systems simply because of the variety different locations could offer by ordering books from other branches. I've seen it in smaller systems between branches in addition to things like bookmobiles. There are added bonuses if you can integrate school libraries into general-use libraries after school hours, though not all areas are keen on this idea (my father tried to set this up as a school business manager and it fell on deaf ears).
8bitsrule 8y ago
Access to a library -certainly does not- enable ready access to the law. (E.g., that's why the lawyers use Westlaw ... proprietary ... instead of the library.) Perhaps your suggestion is not based on personal experience.