PRESS RELEASES
CENTRAL LIBRARY AND ALL BUFFALO BRANCHES
TO INTRODUCE FREE WIRELESS ACCESS BY YEAR END
~ Now Available: Central Library's First Floor and Riverside Branch ~
_______________________________________________________________________________
Buffalo , NY -- To supplement computer workstations located throughout library buildings, the Central Library and all Buffalo branch locations will offer free wireless Internet access or “hot spots” by the end of this year. Through this connection, patrons may use their wireless devices to check email, surf the Internet, perform online research, consult the Library's Catalog and access the Library's many valuable databases. Currently, the Central Library's first floor and Riverside Branch offer this popular service, in addition to nine suburban locations in Erie County . The remainder of Buffalo 's branch libraries and the Central Library's second floor will offer wireless access by December 2006.
“We are pleased to respond to the needs of our patrons by offering this valuable and convenient service,” said B&ECPL Board Chair Rebecca L. Pordum . “In today's society, individuals demand the freedom and flexibility to access information on their equipment, at their leisure. Wireless access at our library does not restrict an individual to the normal computer areas, nor require them to wait for an available workstation. Public wireless allows more computer and Internet access in the library, while overcoming the financial and space constraints involved with traditional computer workstations.”
“Further, this new service coordinates extremely well with the Buffalo Public Schools effort, as part of its Academy School @ 44 program, to allow 500 students to take laptop computers home as part of their study plan,” added Pordum.
This project is being funded through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to support the Library's efforts to offer comprehensive public access computing to the communities in greatest need.
For more details about this service, visit www.buffalolib.org/wireless.index.asp.