Lack of Libraries Could Lead to A Digital Underclass

Two recent articles appearing on ZDNET (here and here), opened the door for an important discussion about the effects of shutting down libraries due to a lack of funding to keep them open, especially in light of efforts to make them havens for digital interaction.

Historically, libraries have served as community cornerstones because of the wealth of resources they provide.  Even in the digital age, they provide very necessary assistance to many people, particularly those who cannot or have not readily adopted broadband – high speed Internet – in their homes.

Considering the role that libraries traditionally have and continue to play in our cultural-communal lives, the ZDNET articles make a very important point:  even though libraries across the country are feeling the crunch of funding cuts on some level, the libraries that are hardest hit are those located in inner cities and in low income areas where Internet adoption at home is low to begin with.

The “role of the library” in the digital age is perplexing on a few levels.  On one hand, as more libraries move toward become hubs of digital engagement, that same segment of people that benefit most from their positioning as community anchor institutions – low-income, underserved people living in inner city neighborhoods – may not be able to reap the benefits of their use if the libraries in their communities are being closed due to financing concerns.

What’s more, those same vulnerable populations – who could benefit most from access to information and digital innovation – will miss out on their only opportunity to engage with broadband technology in a real way since they lack broadband connections at home, and rely solely on the library as their primary information hub.  The result:  an important segment of our popultion wil begin to lose access to the very information and materials that are critical to their ability to survive and succeed in the modern world.

As Christopher Dawson points out in one of the articles, libraries are vital implements for our future success, particularly in light of all they offer regarding digital possibilities:

The library as an institution doesn’t need to die…It simply needs to evolve just as the small library in our tiny town has. The library is one of the key anchor institutions that will enable high-speed, fiber-based broadband to reach our little town, about half of which still relies on dial-up and the other half of which tops out at 3mbps when the wind isn’t blowing too hard.

The Internet, of course, is the key to information this century in the same way that printed media were in previous centuries.  Libraries, on the other hand, are keys to leveling the playing field for…digital have-nots. Libraries need to become digital portals for those who lack computing access and broadband. Librarians must become shepherds to digital data for those who lack the resources (technological, financial, or otherwise) to navigate information in the Internet Age.

Despite their importance in creating better outcomes for our nation’s citizenry, libraries across the country have become the victims of large budget cuts targeted at eliminating those services which are not deemed “critical services.” According to Dawson, however, there are solutions:

When funding dries up, libraries will need to partner and even merge with schools whose computer labs and high-speed Internet access go unused for 16 hours a day. It doesn’t matter if librarians, with their research and growing media expertise, engage the community from an actual library or a high school media center. There is simply no excuse for a digital divide to exist when public resources exist and can be leveraged by the right institutions (i.e., libraries and schools).

As the nation struggles to simultaneously manage its economic woes and unleash a digital revolution on the general population, our goal, considering the importance of libraries, must be to ensure that the people who need these services the most don’t get pushed into a Digital Underclass.

Navarrow is the President of Maximum Leverage Solutions, a consulting firm that delivers Internet, social media strategy and technology development consulting to its clients. Navarrow is also a principal at Londonberry ( http://www.londonberry.com), a web development and strategy firm. Navarrow Co-founded with Hip Hop Mogul, Russell Simmons to create a social media site catering to the hip-hop perspective, Global Grind.com. With funding from Accel Partners, the primary investors of Facebook, “Wright successfully launched the product and raised the series A round of capitol. Wright also launched a vertical ad network and celebrity blogger network while at Globalgrind. You can follow him on twitter @navarrowwright.

More on Politic365

• FCC, FTC to Hold Forum on Cell Phones Tracking Users
• Facebook Responds to Google Plus With Increased Security and Now, Lists
• Time Warner Cable Commits $1 Million to Show Spanish-Language PSAs

One Response to Lack of Libraries Could Lead to A Digital Underclass

1. irene brodsky says:

   3:18pm November 19, 2010 at 3:18 pm

   I am proud to have my book cataloged by Plymouth District Library in Plymouth, Michigan (30 minutes from Detroit). I am a believer in the future of the library for our children and senior citizens to have a safe haven to go to, to join book clubs, have internet access, and lots of things to join. The library is the best place to be.
   Irene brodsky
   author of Poetry Unplugged (Outskirts Press.2008)

   Reply