Hi all When I floated the request for information on hotspots a few months ago, I got some feedback that some wanted to know how it went, and wanted to know how I approached it. So far a month in the program has been going very well for us. We have five hotspots from T-Mobile and they rarely are in house for longer than a day. T-Mobile's rates are around $30 per month per unit, and the cost is in the neighborhood of $100 per unit. The devices run well and I have had no complaints about the quality of the internet the hotspots provide. I intend to get five more. There were some hiccups with initial setup. Although not insurmountable, you will want to make sure you have someone who keeps track of IMEI, Sim card and phone numbers of each unit so you can call and cancel service on any of them should they not return on time. There is also reporting software that should be up soon so devices can be shut down without a call, and some aggregate data can be gleaned. When the hotspots come in you will have to plug them into a desktop computer to download access software and then change the name of each device, change the password and take down the associated phone number. Then record the relevant numbers somewhere for future access. We have a clipboard signout sheet that a patron must sign to verify they agree to our policy. The patron gets a package that includes the hotspot, adapter cord, case and a small card a copy of the hotspot agreement with password. We use a $20.00 case logic camera case to store all relevant materials. Some relevant things to consider when writing policy include: 1) Age of users- since filtering would be difficult, patrons have to be 18 to check them out. It is also very clear in the agreement there is no filter. 2) Specifically where and how they are to be returned. 3) How many times per month they can be checked out. I have included a picture of what we include with our hotspot checkouts and our policy. Let me know if you have any questions and thanks! MPM -- Michael Mccaffery Director Dearborn Heights City Libraries 24590 George St. Dearborn Heights, MI 48127 313-791-3800 mmccaffery@ci.dearborn-heights.mi.us
