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Chicago PL Introduces WiFi ServiceChicago Public Library officially launched free wireless Internet access at its main library and in 76 of 79 branches December 6, after quietly rolling out the service over the last two months.Available to any CPL user with a WiFi-enabled laptop or PDA, wireless service is “the logical next step in the role of the public library,” Chicago Public Library Commissioner Mary Dempsey told American Libraries. “Think of the wonderful access this provides,” she added, noting that it gives users quick access to the library’s catalog and databases while it frees up more of the system’s wired computers for patrons who don’t have laptops. The city’s business and information department paid for the necessary equipment, and the costs to CPL are “minimal,” Dempsey said—about $80,000 for installation and $14,000 annually to maintain it. While CPL may be the largest urban library system to offer free wireless access on such a wide scale, other systems—including San Diego and Seattle—also provide the service, and the numbers are growing rapidly. “Our WiFi is heavily used at central, and our branch patrons are chomping at the bit for theirs,” said Marilyn Sheck, director of information technology at Seattle Public Library, which has had wireless access at its new central library since it opened in May. Bill Drew, who maintains the Wireless Librarian website, told AL he’s been getting at least one message a day for the last month about a library starting a new WiFi network. “It is the perfect moment to show how high-tech the library actually is,” he said. Posted December 10, 2004. |
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