Newport Beach Has a New Surf Center: Free Wireless Internet at City Libraries

Spurred by the bistro and bookshop crowd, the Newport Beach Public Library is hoping its latest upgrade will attract a new clientele.

Newport Beach installed Wi-Fi access at its four library branches this month. That means anyone with a laptop, a wireless modem and a library card can surf the Internet anywhere within the facility.

The donated $10,000 project makes Newport Beach the first library system in Orange County to offer high-speed Wi-Fi access for its users. Such access, which has become commonplace at coffeehouses and upscale bookshops, allows patrons to log into the Internet without a cable or phone connection.

“Most afternoons and evenings during our busy time, you’d see people waiting in line for our public computers,” said Susan Warren, a spokeswoman for the Newport Beach Public Library. “We’re a city library and this is in response to keeping up with our customers.”

Since opening 10 years ago this month, Newport Beach’s $8.2-million Central Library has tried to shed the antiquated card-catalog image and replace it with a looser, high-tech atmosphere.

The library introduced the Internet in its public computers in 1996. New furniture and a coffee vending machine were added last December, relaxing a long-standing rule of no food or drinks inside the library.

“I think it’s from the influence of bookstores. People enjoy reading with a cup of coffee,” Warren said. “We found that there was no more damage to our materials.”

A few library patrons discovered the Wi-Fi capabilities through the library’s website last week.

Michael Green, a software consultant, gave two reasons why he was using the library’s Wi-Fi on a recent afternoon: “It’s free, and it’s hot outside.”

After testing several places in the library, Green found one spot, presumably close to one of the six Wi-Fi connection points, that he thought had a quicker Internet connection. “It seems that at certain areas it’s faster,” Green said while sitting at a second-floor location near a window. “But don’t tell anyone.”