Community Public Phone Now Available at Baker County Public Library

Community public telephone service is once again available at Baker County Public Library. Under a blue acoustic hood near the Resort Street entrance to the library’s north parking lot, the new courtesy phone allows local and long-distance outbound-only calls for up to 20 minutes for no fee.

“It’s like a ‘no-pay payphone’”, says Library Director Perry Stokes. “But instead of dropping in coins or entering prepaid call plan numbers, you only have to pick up the handset and dial a number.”

Total project cost was about $2,200 for hardware and setup fees, which was paid from the district’s General Fund. The unit is a rugged, industrial-grade construction of stainless steel and fiberglass for protection against weather and vandalism. Annually, the library will pay $300 for the VoIP phone subscription.  A VoIP phone system uses computer technology to make calls through the library’s Internet connection instead of a traditional landline or a mobile network.  

“Previously, due to cost, we had to block long-distance calls on our courtesy phone,” Stokes added. “These days, that is a huge barrier to just making a simple call to a mobile phone with an out-of-area number, even though that phone owner is a local resident. But with VoIP over the Internet, long-distance becomes a non-issue.”

“Now we have a phone on-site that kids can use to check in with their parents when they’re here at the library or in the park, seniors can use to schedule bus rides from Community Connections, and anyone can use in an emergency or to stay in-touch with family and friends anywhere in the country. We’re also excited about the new placement outdoors instead of in the library lobby. This provides enhanced privacy for callers, and less disruption to the library from loud talkers.”

Upcoming projects on the library’s facilities plan include a major roof repair at the Baker branch, and an outdoor solar-powered charging station that the public can use to power up their mobile devices anytime.