Libraries and the Digital Divide

I work in a public library in a city investing millions of dollars to advance in the technological field, but I work with a segment of the population that does not have access to at-home computers, let alone Internet access. I see the every day challenges that are brought upon these patrons – particularly elementary-high school aged children – who are unequipped to complete tasks on the computer because they are not comfortable with the technology. In a report titled “Rural Public Libraries and Digital Inclusion: Issues and Challenges,” researchers found that urban public libraries are 40.6% and suburban libraries are 60.0% of the time the only Internet provider to patrons. In my personal opinion, and because of the clientele we see in the library and have to help day-in and day-out, it’s obvious how severe the negative impact on these people is without regular computer and Internet access and the detrimental effect it has on their potential to advance in their academics or find employment.

I live in a rural area (about 30 miles from where I work), where Internet access is provided by a 1-man operation and you literally have the guy’s cell phone number to call up whenever you have an issue – no wait tone, awesome! But if I thought the percentage of the population was already high in the city, I was pretty incredulous when the same study found that rural libraries provide 70.3% of the population with its only free Internet service. These institutions are on average staffed by on average 0.75 of a librarian with a master’s degree, 1.9 librarians, and 4 staff members (full- and part-time).

There’s a large divide between where I work and where I live, but this “digital divide” exists wherever there are people that for whatever reason, – “whether based in socioeconomic status, education, geography, age, ability, language, or other factors” – do not have access to a computer and/or Internet access. With the combination of public libraries experiencing budget and staff cuts and for-profit companies aiming to make the best profit from highly-populated areas, this really leaves rural libraries in an ever-widening technological gap.

Real, Brian, John Carlo Bertot, and Paul T. Jaeger. "Rural Public Libraries And Digital Inclusion: Issues And Challenges."Information Technology & Libraries 33.1 (2014): 6-24. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.