Libraries and the Digital Divide

by Kelly Shire

For at least the last decade, libraries have often been at the forefront of providing digital access and internet connectivity to those parts of the population that don’t otherwise have access to computers and reliable internet in their homes or private lives. This lack of easy, universal access is called “the digital divide.” The public might be using library computers to do “important” searches or tasks, or they might be browsing the web like many do in their homes or on their smartphones. Part of the digital divide is not only that people lack access to the internet, but also they may not have phones that can send or receive texts or other messages. And yet another aspect is that, while millions of people around the world enjoy social media, online shopping, and other perks of the modern age, those on the other side of the divide are not able to use digital media for these pastimes.

In 2020, when schools, businesses, and libraries all closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the issues of the digital divide were suddenly on the minds of many organizations, such as schools and businesses. According to a Washington Post article from April of 2020, “Some 90 percent of the 51,000 students in the high-poverty Detroit Public Schools Community District did not have access to Internet services or the technology at home required for online learning.”

Obviously solutions to these kind of deep problems with infrastructure and access cannot all be solved at public libraries. It is also obvious though, that libraries – public, school, and academic – will also be an important part of the conversation and decisions that make up the solutions. As the Washington Post article states, “The pandemic has lent urgency to a drive on Capitol Hill to create a $2 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund that would further efforts to help schools and libraries improve access to remote learning through new WiFi hotspots, routers and other devices.” It is unfortunate that it took a worldwide pandemic to shine the light on the issue of the digital divide, but new funding and solutions may be one silver lining.

 

 

Works Cited

Strauss, Valerie. "Coronavirus pandemic shines light on deep digital divide in U.S. amid efforts to narrow it." Apr 29 2020. Web. ProQuest. 29 Apr. 2021.