Happy pre-Thanksgiving and Black Friday to all!

But for our public libraries, we have a request...

Changes are being proposed to the federal E-rate program and libraries are being asked to respond to these proposals. To represent Maine's public libraries in the request for more information, we would like to ask for your data and stories on two topics: cybersecurity and hotspots.

First, if your library has experienced a cybersecurity threat or event where better network security would have helped prevent downtime, data loss or compromised security, we would like to hear more. A synopsis of the event, including how your library was impacted, would be very helpful to share.

Second, if your library loans wireless hotspot devices to the public, please take a moment to answer some questions about your hotspot loaning service:

If you have a hotspot lending program how was/is it funded?
What challenges or successes have you had?
How many do you have and how long is the loan period?
Do you target a specific group in any way (e.g., reserve hotspots for K-12 use or low-income patrons)?

For libraries who have participated in the ECF (Emergency Connectivity Program):

How do you document the need of the person borrowing a hotspot?
How do you track patrons who check them out?
How do you filter loaned hotspots and / or devices?

Also, please share any notable anecdotes from patrons who have borrowed a hotspot.

We will be collecting these until December 6th, so that we can provide the results before the close of the comment window.

Thanks so much for taking the time to share your library's story, and have a great holiday week!

-Jared Leadbetter

E-rate and Technology Specialist

Maine State Library