Tucked behind the arrows of books at the Kingfisher Memorial Library, people can virtually meet potential employers or healthcare providers in sleek rooms.
Oklahoma broadband officials opened the first portals in a program to help rural residents access the high-speed internet this past week.
They are special little rooms in public libraries designed for people to virtually meet healthcare providers, get workforce training, take job interviews and access other remote services.
In front of community leaders and local lawmakers, Michael Tautkus, the library's director, said the portal fits the overall mission of libraries.
"So we've advanced here a little bit, haven't we? You know, libraries still doing what libraries do all the way back when Jefferson never returned his book," Tautkus said.
Public libraries across the state can request the rooms through the Oklahoma Broadband Office's Community Access Portal Program. It's a $14.5 million initiative using the American Rescue Plan Act Capital Projects Fund.
The project started earlier this month and officials in the program say about half the 175 portal slots are spoken for.
Distance, transportation and lack of broadband are among the challenges rural residents face to access healthcare. Lack of access to reliable internet connection also impacts education and employment.
Mike Sanders, executive director of the Oklahoma Broadband Office, said they will help make life easier because people won't have to travel hundreds of miles to see a doctor, attend a job interview or continue their education.
"I mean, there's so many things that these particular portals open the possibility of major opportunities that no one's ever thought about," Sanders said.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
