We love doing this

We don’t know about you, but there’s something we love about libraries and Benjamin Franklin.

Oh wait, let me explain…

Back in Ben’s days, books were outrageously expensive, and while Ben didn’t have a lot of formal education, he loved to read. (He would have really gotten a kick out of Audible and Kindle!)

At age twelve, Ben even became a printing apprentice, which spurred on this love of all things books.

In fact, there’s a famous story about how he stopped eating meat to save money to buy books.

Vegetarian Ben had a bright idea one day. He formed a group that pooled their money to buy books to share among one another. The collection eventually became the Library Company of Philadelphia - the predecessor to what would be the public libraries as we know them.

(And if you ever want a fun Jeopardy fact, when Benjamin Franklin died, he had 4,276 books in his personal collection.)

Much like the mission Lingo has of connecting rural America with access to technology, public libraries became epicenters of resources and created access to learning that helped equalize disparities between rural and urban America.

At Lingo, we love the history and mission of libraries, and that’s why we’re so excited to introduce you to Trish, the Director of the Galax-Carroll Regional Library and a Lingo client.

Here’s what Trish has to say about her managed services experience with us.

What does your business do, and who do you serve?

The Galax-Carroll Regional Library (GCRL) provides access to information, reading engagement, cultural enrichment, and lifelong learning.  GCRL serves the citizens of Galax, Carroll County & the surrounding area.

What prompted you to need the services that Lingo provides?

The Library had a need for reliable, high-speed fiber Internet access at an affordable cost.

What made you decide to use Lingo as your provider?

The Library was increasingly dissatisfied with the service provided by the previous ISP.  Also, Keith Barker, Galax City Manager, recommended Lingo to us since they were part of the Wired Road Initiative.  It’s also a plus that Lingo has a local office in Galax, so Library staff can now talk to a person when experiencing a problem, instead of getting lost climbing a phone tree.

What pain points were solved once you had the Lingo services?

Essentially, it enabled the Library to have uninterrupted, reliable Internet access when it rained!

Describe your overall experience of being a Lingo customer.

The Library has had an excellent overall experience being a Lingo customer.  When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Lingo surpassed our expectations by designating the GCRL parking lot as one of their “Drive-In” Public Wi-Fi locations.  This enabled the Library to continue to serve patrons with Internet access even though the physical building was closed.  Even now, while the Library is still in a “walk-through” phase of operations in which patrons cannot linger in the Library, they can have unlimited time to access the Internet in their vehicles parked in our parking lot.

Is there anything else you think it's important for people to know?

The Library is definitely looking forward to doing more business with Lingo Networks in the near future.  Soon, Lingo will begin providing Internet access at the Carroll County Public Library branch in Hillsville and will be providing the Library with new VoIP aka Fiber phone service. 

As a Regional Library Director, I’m happy to work with Lingo, a business dedicated to providing high-speed Internet access to people living in rural areas that have a definite need for this service.

If you need reliable Managed Services to take your business or organization to the next level, we’d love to talk with you about how Lingo can help.