Libraries

Greenport library gets $15,000 grant for laptops, tablets

When Tom Vitale became director of Floyd Memorial Library in Greenport last fall he realized there were pockets of people in the village who could not afford laptops or tablets or, if they had them, lived in areas where it is difficult to connect to the internet.

The library itself has a solid internet connection and makes laptops available for patrons’ use in the building, but that hardware cannot be loaned out. Students without laptops or tablets at home can work at the library, but only when it is open.

So Mr. Vitale applied for a grant from North Fork Side by Side, which is under the umbrella of the Long Island Community Foundation, and on Friday the foundation presented Mr. Vitale and other library staff with a check for $15,000.

“We will now be able to have the equipment members of this community really need, and they can come to library and check it out and take it home,” he said.

He said the grant will fund the purchase of 20 hot spot devices, 10 laptops and 10 tablets. 

“We can now help people who need this,” Mr. Vitale said.