Alliant Credit Union Foundation recently awarded Foundation for Baltimore County Public Library was awarded a $12,000 grant to purchase new laptops for the laptop kiosk at the North Point Branch.
Alliant Credit Union Foundation awards grants to organizations “working to bridge the digital divide by bringing technology devices and affordable, reliable broadband to the people who need them most.” The laptop kiosk at NO empowers customer to access laptops without having to ask permission and to check out the devices from the kiosk with either a library card or a guest card. A customer using one of these laptops can use it anywhere in the branch, including private study areas. This flexibility allows customers to use the library-issued laptop, equipped with a camera and microphone, to conduct job interviews, participate in telehealth appointments or even to connect with friends and relatives around the world via apps such as Zoom or Google Meet. It allows customers without access to their own devices or internet at home to participate fully in today’s digital world. As a library system, we are focused on digital equity initiatives that provide this type of access, which so many take for granted, and so many do not have.
Alliant Credit Union Foundation board member Janet Meinheit was in town from Chicago on personal business and used the opportunity to personally present the grant award check to Alex Houff from the Digital Equity and Virtual Services department at Baltimore County Public Library and Julie Saxenmeyer from the Foundation. Meinheit said that the project aligned perfectly with Alliant’s mission and she was happy to present the award on behalf of their board.