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By Mike Allen
January 15, 2020 (Santee) -- Patrons of the Santee Library can now borrow small laptop computers through a new, high tech dispensing machine that was funded by the Friends of the Santee Library.
The kiosk, available to use for free to anyone with a library card, has been operating for about two weeks but got an official ribbon cutting Jan. 13.
Chris Miller, vice president of the Friends of the Santee Library, said her group provided about $38,000 towards the purchase of the kiosk, while the county of San Diego, which operates the library, put up about $24,000 to pay for the laptop computers made by Hewlett Packard and the maintenance cost.
“The Friends of the Santee Library is committed to doing whatever we can to expand the capabilities of the library regardless of the space we have to work with,” Miller said.
It’s only the third library in the county system of 33 libraries to get the kiosk, which is made by D-Tech Inc. Yet Santee wouldn’t have received the kiosk without the funds provided by FOSL, said Migell Acosta, director of the county system.
“This is entirely due to the Friends of the Santee Library and their fund raising. This wouldn’t have been here without them,” Acosta said.
Cheryl Cosart, Santee library manager, said even though the kiosk wasn’t publicized, it got 31 borrowings over a 10-day period.
“This is an option for our customers that we didn’t have 10 days ago,” Cosart said. “I’m surprised we had that many check-outs given we haven’t promoted the kiosk.”
In one instance, a man was using a regular computer while talking loudly on his cell phone. Cosart asked him to take out a laptop and go into an unused conference room in order not to disturb other patrons. He got the laptop out of the kiosk, went to the room, and emerged a few minutes later, apparently satisfied with resolving his issue, Cosart said.
The machine has 12 laptops in individual boxes. Patrons just swipe their library cards along a designated window, giving the signal to open a particular door. The patron then unplugs the laptop from the container and can use it anywhere within the library for as long as they need.
The Wifi system used by the laptops connects to UCSD’s Super Computer Center, providing speeds of 1 gigabit per second, which is extremely fast, said Acosta.
While computers in homes may be a reality for many, not everyone has one, and many folks come to the library to access the Internet to do any number of things, including checking out the news, playing video games, and looking for jobs, said Cosart.
“They’re always being used, and we limit the maximum time for some of the PCs to four hours, Cosart said. There are a few express PCs that max out after one hour.
Miller said the Friends had been talking with Acosta about what programs it could support given the fact that its primary fund raising activity for a new library seemed a distant pipe dream. Although the city of Santee designated a parcel in the Town Center for a new library years ago, the City Council recently changed the parcel’s use for a hotel. The city is in negotiations with a developer to determine the parcel’s price.
The Council did specify another site where the future city library could be built, but there appears to be little support for building a new library on the current Council. Mayor John Minto has said he has a plan for a combined community center and library but has declined to provide any details about his plan.
Miller said the failure of the Council to make libraries and other services a priority is disappointing. “It’s too bad our City Council doesn’t have the forethought to understand that this city needs services, including a new library, a senior center, and a teen center,” she said.
In general, incorporated cities must finance the construction of new libraries, while the county agrees to pay for the equipment and maintenance, Acosta said. For unincorporated areas, counties usually provide both construction and maintenance costs but even in those areas, local fund raising is an essential component.
Advocates for a new library say the county’s current leased facility at 9225.Carlton Hills Boulevard with about 9,000 square feet is woefully inadequate for a city of about 58,000 residents. They say a city the size of Santee should have a library of at least 22,000 square feet.
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