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Free internet will continue

By Jane Wilson--Island libraries will continue to provide free internet access.The cuts to Ottawa's Community Access Funding that will leave thousands of libraries across Canada without public internet access will not affect Haida Gwaii's libraries.Only Queen Charlotte's library received the funding, said VIRL communications officer Joy Adams Bauer, and the library will continue to operate as usual. "We'll just absorb that cost into our regular programs," said Ms Adams Bauer. "They will continue to get the same internet they have always had in the branch."It's good news for the many users at the Queen Charlotte branch, said Su-san Brown at the library. "There's almost always people on the computers here and most of the people who come in here to use it, don't have it at home." Ms Brown pointed out that it's an important service for people trying to access government programs, but don't have other access to the internet.VIRL provided 30,000 user sessions of free, public internet across it's 38 branches in March, and will not close any of it's public computers, said Ms Adams Bauer. It operates library branches in Sandspit, QC, Port and Masset.