#91: Your computer and internet access might be 'essential'

During the coronavirus public health crisis, libraries are finding substitutes for traditional services, such as increasing ebook access, finding alternate ways to get materials into patrons’ hands, expanding telephone and email reference services, and replacing in-person programs with online alternatives. As part of this work, don’t forget the importance of the internet and computer access that your library provides. This service is of course especially hard to substitute for if it’s not safe to have patrons physically visiting your building, but at a time when record numbers of people are unemployed, access to the technology vital to applying for government services and jobs is more important than ever. Consider seeing if you can boost your wifi signal so that people can sit in their cars in the parking lot with their own devices, or allowing people to email you documents to be printed and delivered along with their material requests. If you’re higher up on the administrative ladder, you could even seek out a partnership to lend equipment or staff expertise to an organization that is still providing in-person services—for example, if you keep a set of laptops for in-house use, perhaps they could go to a local homeless shelter for the duration of the library closure for shelter staff to make available to residents.