Residents in Lalor and Thomastown without access to the National Broadband Network can tap into the super fast internet connection at local libraries.
The Yarra Plenty Regional Library’s NBN digital hub at its Mill Park branch means all its eight branches, including Lalor and Thomastown, are connected to the new broadband service through a radio-based network.
“This wide-area network has now made it possible to distribute the NBN capability from a single location at South Morang [the Mill Park branch] to all eight branches from Thomastown in the west to Eltham in the east, to Ivanhoe in the south,” library spokesman Les Firth said.
“Some of these locations will not be getting NBN services in their streets for three to five years.”
The library’s digital hub coordinator, Sandie Kerkvliet, said many people used the hub daily while technical staff had provided one-on-one sessions for 255 people in the past six months. A further 1300 people had attended group sessions.
“Learning how to use iPads and eReaders is popular – a lot of older people have been given these devices by their families for Christmas and birthdays so they come into the hub to learn how to use them,” she said.
“Skype is popular; people love the idea of being able to make free video calls to their family and friends, and class participants thoroughly enjoy Skyping each other while walking around the hub with iPads or laptops.’’
