People lined up at the Sioux City Public Library this morning to bring free internet to their homes.

Today, Library Director Helen Rigdon launched the Internet for All initiative after receiving more than $1 million in funding from the federal Emergency Connectivity Program.

Rigdon says the ability to check routers, computers and iPads at the library is invaluable to the many families who live below the poverty line in Woodbury County. She adds that for school children, internet access is vital.

I know the school now provides laptops for kids, but they don’t provide internet so even families who might have the devices don’t have internet.

Rigdon also noted that older residents are isolated, in part because they have difficulty accessing the internet.

Chris Kuchta of the Connections Area Agency on Aging agrees, saying seniors need to stay connected with benefits providers in a world where a hard copy just won’t work.

For example, rent reimbursement, there are very few hard copies, so these people have to go on the Internet and use them, and it’s a low-income program. So they are again in this dilemma. Do I buy my food and medicine, or do I have internet service at home? So that will help them with that.

Kuchta adds that Connections will use computers and routers to help older residents use technology and give them a sense of competence.

Which is not so much a question of comfort and being able to use these technologies in everyday life. So keep using apps or staying safe online. So we’ll cover many of these topics and use Chromebooks and iPads.

All Sioux City residents with a valid Sioux City Public Library card can borrow an Internet-enabled device from the library while supplies last. You can check a router for 12 months, then bring it back and possibly renew it. You can check out a Chromebook or iPad for three months before you have to bring it in person for renewal.

If you need a library card, simply bring photo ID to any library branch to apply. For more information, visit Siouxcitylibrary.org/services.