The Alcoma library generously lent their wifi hotspot as an emergency bandaid to provide Irvine staff and patrons with internet access, and Shortgrass lent USB wifi adapters to allow the Irvine PCs to connect to it. (If any libraries need to borrow a wifi adapter in future, ask headquarters - we have some!)
However, this could not be a permanent solution. Nor could the library switch to Telus internet service, which was recently rolled out in Irvine, but only via hotspots with floating IP addresses – these can't provide the static IP that's required for WorkFlows and other library services like Ancestry. As a partial workaround, Shortgrass did a "quick and dirty" emergency launch of the cloud-based BLUEcloud Circulation website, with Irvine as the initial pilot library, so that Irvine staff could access basic circulation functionality.
In the end, Cypress County came to the rescue and provided the best possible solution. The county's existing plan for internet service at the under-construction new library building in Irvine (set to open next year) was to go with Starlink, since extending a fibre SuperNet connection to the library from its current end-point is not cost-effective. The county has been strongly supportive of library services in Irvine, and hearing about the ongoing internet struggles, decided to go ahead with the Starlink equipment purchase immediately instead of waiting for the new library to be built.
As of the publication of this newsletter, the Starlink equipment has arrived and is about to be installed! We are all thrilled, and expect this to be a major improvement in terms of internet speed and stability for Irvine patrons and staff.
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