Dartmouth libraries will have 15 mobile hotspots available for lending as part of a statewide program to “close the digital equity gap” by making the devices available through public libraries, Director of Libraries Lynne Antunes said.

Five new T-Mobile T9 Franklin Mobile Hotspots will be available at the North Branch and 10 will be available at Southworth Library.

Hotspots provide people without home internet access the ability to go online from nearly anywhere using a Wi-Fi-enabled device such as a phone, tablet or laptop.

Dartmouth’s hotspots are still being processed and packaged for circulation and will be available to borrow within a week or two, Antunes said.

To borrow a hotspot, you must be at least 18 and have a valid library card.

You may place a hold on a hotspot just as you would on a book. Hotspots may be borrowed for two weeks with no renewals.

Hotspots must be picked up and returned to the circulation desk of the owning library. The late charge for a hotspot is $5 per day up to $25. The replacement cost for a hotspot is $50. If the hotspot is not returned, its service will be turned off.

Up to 10 devices may be connected to a hotspot at one time. The hotspot must be returned in its container with the charging cable and electrical plug.

The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners has distributed more than 3,000 hotspots to approximately 220 public libraries.

American Rescue Plan Funds administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) were used to purchase the hotspots and will cover the cost of the service/data plan through the end of September 2022. 

Libraries may then choose to continue the program by taking over the ongoing costs when the grant funding ends.