Connecting Students and Technology:

Inquiry Blog 4

The Digital Divide

The digital divide is a societal variance in access to information; the separation of the digital haves from the have nots. In our technologically advancing society, access to information requires access to the internet, which necessitates an internet connection as well as a device to connect with. This division occurs internationally, between rich and poor nations, but also internally within nations. This internal division correlates with income, class and race, with students from lower income households having much less access to digital tools and services than students coming from wealthier households. In the United States for instance, “only 57% of households with incomes less than $30,000 per year have home broadband access, compared to 92% of households with incomes greater than $75,000 per year” (PressReader, 2023). The book Digital Divide: Civic Engagement, Information Poverty, and the Internet Worldwide by Pippa Norris is considered the seminal work on this topic (Grimes & Porter, 2024). This disparity is problematic, since these inequalities can hamper the technological and information literacies of affected students. 

Digital Divide: Civic Engagement, Information Poverty, and the Internet Worldwide by Pippa Norris.

 

Closing the Gap

Libraries are a key element in cheating societal equity and can be vital in closing the gap between the haves and have nots in the digital divide. They can provide technological infrastructure, devices, access to the internet, and instruction related to informational literacy.

Accordion to Reducing the Digital Divide, there are general actions which can increase digital inclusion, including providing (Singh, 2021):

• Awareness and Promotion – it is essential that we ensure excluded individuals and groups are aware of the opportunities that ICT [Information and Communications Technology] can provide,
• Access – all people, but particularly disadvantaged individuals and communities, must have access to ICT at the time, place, method and price appropriate to their needs and lifestyles,
• Support – providing reliable, accessible and cost-effective sources of advice and support is crucial, 
• Skills – we need to provide the basic computer and technological skills that will instill individuals with the confidence to use ICT, 
• Content – we must ensure that disadvantaged individuals and communities are provided with, or develop themselves, online content and services that they value and wish to use,
• Community Involvement – we need to make sure that the initiatives are sustainable at a local level, and that local communities have a sense of ownership 

 

Specific Initiatives

There are very specific things that schools can do to close the digital divide. The first thing that libraries can do is provide technology that students lack at home. This can include computers, and tablets, but also specialty devices like drawing tablets and VR headsets. Libraries also need to provide access to the internet. This usually includes local wifi access points, but can also mean providing access through other means. For instance, in the late 90s, Chilliwack Senior Secondary School purchased access to a T1 connection, and then provided internet access to students below the market rate. Currently, EBUS Academy, an online school in BC, provides funds for students who lack internet access. Libraries should also provide training in technology and information literacies.

Libraries have limited budgets, and so partnerships can be vital to ensure they have the resources to provide infrastructure and technology to close the digital divide. These partnerships can include associations with various levels of government, community organisations, or private businesses.

 

Young Canada Works

Young Canada Works (YCW) is a federal program that subsidises the hiring of employees. This funding is available for Canadian archival institutions and libraries for the hiring of students for short term jobs and internships for graduates (Librarianship.ca, n.d.). Money from this program could be used to hire workers to provide instruction in technology.

https://librarianship.ca/news/ycw-2024-2025-campaign/

 

DigitalLead

DigitalLead is a partnership between Microsoft and the Public Library Association (PLA). It seeks to improve access to digital resources and training in rural communities. It aims to “establish mobile hotspot lending programs and to initiate or expand digital skills training programs and patron access to computers (ALA, n.d.).

https://www.ala.org/pla/initiatives/digitallead

 

Works Cited

ALA. (n.d.). DigitalLead: Rural Libraries Creating New Possibilities. American Library Association. https://www.ala.org/pla/initiatives/digitallead

 Grimes, N. D., & Porter, W. (2023). Closing the Digital Divide Through Digital Equity: The Role of Libraries and Librarians. Public Library Quarterly, 43(3), 307–338. https://doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2023.2251348

Librarianship.ca. (n.d.). Young Canada Works (YCW) 2024-2025 Campaign Launched. Librarianship.ca. https://librarianship.ca/news/ycw-2024-2025-campaign/

PressReader (2023, August 9). How public libraries are helping bridge the digital divide. Blog. https://blog.pressreader.com/libraries-institutions/how-public-libraries-are-helping-bridge-the-digital-divide

Singh, D. (2021). Reducing the Digital Divide: The Role of School Libraries. 2021 IASL Annual Conference Proceedings. https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/slw/index.php/iasl/article/view/7561