Butler County Federated Library System administrator Tiffany Harkleroad and Kathy Kline, extension services director of the library system, count up the 50 laptops and Wi-Fi hot spots Tuesday that Kline helped procure for area residents in areas without high-speed internet access. Seb Foltz/Butler Eagle

A grant received by the North Trails Public Library is making laptops and Wi-Fi hot spots available at libraries in the Butler County Federated Library System.

Kathy Kline, extension services director of the library system, said she applied for the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program through the Federal Communications Commission to purchase 50 Lenovo laptops and 50 AT&T hot spots to fill unmet technology needs in Butler County.

The library received $20,000 for laptops and $10,000 for hot spot services, Kline said. The technology will be available for check out at any of the libraries in the library system, and patrons can borrow them for up to a year at a time.

“It is to help bridge that digital divide,” Kline said of the grant. “It could be a child who needs it for distance learning. Maybe they have Wi-Fi or connectivity on their road and just can't afford a device. You tell us what your unmet need is.”

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