As part of our Equity Audit completed in June 2022, we identified that our most socially vulnerable branches were also the highest circulating branches for our Chromebooks and WiFi hotspots. As those devices were in such high demand, it would be challenging to remove them to circulate them as a paired set. To address this, we needed to find a way to provide connectivity and devices in a single package while also not adding to our Technical Services department’s already taxed workload.

To meet the needs of the communities, we purchased 50 Chromebooks with LTE WiFi service. We put 25 at the Woodlawn Branch and the other 25 at the Sollers Point Branch, both of which were identified as having connectivity affordability issues. Our partnership with T-Mobile allowed us to offer the devices and have T-Mobile set them up without overburdening our internal resources.

As of this writing, the LTE Chromebooks have circulated 288 times since they were first introduced in October 2022. The marketing plan was limited to hyperlocal and word-of-mouth for these devices, and their popularity and utility have been driven largely by the communities where they were introduced. As they do not float and are not able to be placed on hold other than at their assigned branches, they stay primarily within the ecosystems and communities they serve.