Your Library Ltd · Wi-Fi and membership
Turning public Wi-Fi into a path to library membership
A better public Wi-Fi login did more than connect visitors to the internet. It helped a library understand and serve a growing part of its community.
The challenge
A busy service with a missing piece of the picture.
Your Library Ltd, formerly Eastern Regional Libraries Corporation, could see public Wi-Fi use growing across its branches. What it could not easily see was how many of those visitors had a relationship with the library.
The previous captive portal asked people to accept terms and conditions with one click. That made access quick, but it treated every connection in much the same way. A regular visitor could use the library as a place to work, study or connect without ever discovering the wider value of membership.
This created two related problems. The library could not confidently quantify an important group of visitors, and those visitors were missing an easy path into borrowing, digital resources, events and other member services.
The insight
The goal was not to put a wall in front of free internet access. It was to make membership the most natural route through it while preserving a practical path for someone who had not joined yet.
Existing members should be able to use the credentials they already knew. New visitors should be able to join in moments, receive access appropriate to their new membership and continue online without a confusing hand-off between systems.
The solution
One continuous journey from arrival to access.
Cloud612 and the library designed the portal around the visitor’s immediate goal while connecting each step to established library and network systems.
- Connect at a branch
The visitor selects the library Wi-Fi network on their own device.
- Sign in or join
Members use library credentials; other visitors are offered a fast joining experience.
- Validate access
The portal securely checks the relevant library account and access rules.
- Grant internet access
Cisco Meraki completes the connection and the visitor continues online.
How it worked
Integration without making the experience feel technical.
Behind a short login journey, the platform coordinated library authentication, joining, access policy and Cisco Meraki network authorisation.
Familiar credentials
Library members could sign in with their existing membership details. There was no separate Wi-Fi account to remember and no manual approval required from branch staff.
A practical route for new visitors
People without a membership were not left at a dead end. The joining experience collected the information needed to create a library relationship quickly, then returned the visitor to their original task: getting online.
Better security and service controls
Individual authentication provided a more accountable foundation than anonymous acceptance alone. It also allowed the library to apply appropriate access rules and respond to account or service issues without relying on shared credentials.
A more inclusive experience over time
As the platform evolved, its web accessibility was strengthened and multilingual support was added. The joining and sign-in journeys were made clearer across personal phones, tablets and computers, with support for keyboard and assistive-technology use and the ability to complete the process in a supported preferred language.
Rolling out across the network
The platform was partnered with Cisco Meraki and introduced across every library location over approximately one month. A managed rollout allowed the team to move branch by branch while maintaining a consistent public experience and resolving local network differences.
The outcome
Wi-Fi visitors became visible members of the library community.
The joining experience has created tens of thousands of memberships. It gave the library a clearer view of community use, gave visitors a simple route to more services, and established a safer, more manageable foundation for public internet access.