Libraries and the digital divide

The digital divide is a challenge that is quite personal for me. I remember before in the late 90s when I was a child, most of my homework assignments and projects did not involve computers and technology whatsoever. It wasn’t until I hit middle school onwards in the early 2000s that computers and the internet was a crucial aspect of my school life. My mom was a single mother and while she made a decent living as a registered nurse she still did not make enough to afford a personal computer, printer not to mention a subscription to AOL for dial-up internet connection. I was lucky that I had aunts and uncles that did have personal computers and printers, so I was able to type up my essays and print them out for my classes. Even though I could easily go to my aunt or uncle’s houses, I still ended up going to the Public Library of Escondido every Saturday to use their internet and computer services. I remember quite vividly in high school when the iPod reached its peak and popularity and everyone HAD to have one, and most of my friends did. I felt left out of the group because I didn’t have one, I only had a basic cell phone while others had the newest T-Mobile Sidekick. Later in my sophomore year my family had a personal computer and broadband internet service but I still used my local library for their internet and computer services. This is why I truly appreciate public libraries having the resources readily available for EVERYONE to use and as a girl who used libraries religiously I believe it is crucial for libraries to bridge the gap in the digital divide.

The digital divide has been formally known as “the disparity between individuals who have and do not have access to information technology” (DeBello, 2005). These can be individuals who because of economic, social and even geographical circumstances do not have access to technology and information. We are lucky here in southern California that libraries are everywhere and are easily accessible for the community to use but there are places so remote and rural that libraries cannot be accessed easily. The digital divide has severe impacts to the society and can cause educational disadvantages, future employment and earnings, civic and social involvement, not to mention civil and equity rights issues.

“The ability to offer Internet-access alongside support and training for patrons using technology are primary indicators of libraries’ value to their communities” (Real, et.al, Jaegar, 2014). This said, libraries have the mission to satisfy all their community’s needs, especially in a low-income community or rural community this is vital for the growth of the community. The problem is that rural libraries do not have the funds, staff or available resources to have all the technology resources for their communities. Things like Google documents, slides, etc., and many other Google applications are very important for small, rural libraries because these resources are free to the public to use and are readily available wherever there are internet access. The digital divide is an issue that libraries can address and hopefully make the disparity between those that have and those that don’t smaller. From my experiences as a young girl and teenager with very limited technological resources I can honestly say that my local libraries were a lifesaver. 

Sources Cited 

DiBello, Lilia C. "Are We Addressing The Digital Divide? Issues, Access, And Real Commitment." Childhood Education 81.4 (2005): 239. ERIC. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.

 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. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.