Digital inclusion : Libraries provide access to Internet, technology

Hotspot, available from Sonoma County Libray

For LIS 5804, my studies this week focused on technology: specifically on “digital inclusion.” This subject is important to me because, through personal experience, I recognize how important it is for people to have access to the Internet in our ever-more-connected society.

Some of the components that could fall under this category include Internet access and hotspots.

NEEDS: Jaeger and Fleischmann pointed out that “With the increasing reliance on the Internet as a key source of news, social capital, and access to government services and information, the free access provided by public libraries is an invaluable resource. As a result, a significant proportion of the U.S. population, including people who have no other means of access, people who need help using computers and the Internet, and people who have lower quality access, rely on the Internet access and computer help available in public libraries” (2007, p. 34).

More recently, Rubin & Rubin told us that “There is little doubt that the internet is now an essential tool for millions of Americans for work and everyday life. By early 2000 nearly one-half of U.S. adults were already online; in 2018 90% were online” (2020, p. 215). The Rubins noted in 2020 that approximately two-thirds of adult Americans had broadband access at home, a figure that was “somewhat down from its peak of 73% in 2016, and that “racial minorities, rural residents, older adults, and individuals with lower levels of education and income are less likely to have broadband service” (ibid).

When I moved to a new community, I relied on my public library for access to the Internet. Ten years ago, when we were preparing to move to Ashland, Oregon, my spouse and I used computers at Ashland’s downtown library to print out a rental application.

“As new arrivals in the community, we were on the wrong side of the digital divide and our access to these forms via public computers underscored the benefit of libraries” (Parkhill, 2013).

We returned to California’s North Bay in 2017 and December found me making use of the Internet at Sonoma County Library, while we waited for our apartment to be equipped with Internet at home (Parkhill, 2017b).

During a disaster, of course, anyone can become dispossessed from their normal utilities, including people who would normally have Internet access at home. When the Tubbs Fire displaced my family in October 2017, we weren’t always in places that had access to the Internet. Without Internet access or a mobile phone network to connect to, we were cut off from up-to-date information (Parkhill, 2017a).

One recent pressing need for digital inclusion stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic with resulting closures of public buildings.

The Public Library Association’s technology report noted that “When libraries were forced to close to the public due to health and safety guidelines, many boosted their Wi-Fi signals to extend further and made technology available for check out” (2020, p. 4).

Statistics compiled at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (n.d.) verified that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sonoma County Library increased its external Wi-Fi access.

Regarding check-out by patrons of hotspots, the PLA noted that “Almost one-third (32.6%) of public libraries offer internet hotspots for check out” (ibid, p. 2). My local public library, Sonoma County Library (n.d.-b), offers hotspots for check-out on a “first-come, first-serve” basis from all library branches.

Sonoma County Library “used pandemic-era grants to grow its technology infrastructure” (Bennett, 2023, p. 31).

“In 2019, SCL launched its SonomaFi program, offering hotspots for checkout, which has proved useful to a region ravaged in recent years by wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes. In November 2021, the library expanded the program with a $40,000 American Rescue Plan grant, purchasing 15 portable network kits for staff to use across SCL’s 12 branches” (ibid).

SKILLS: Library staff and patrons need the skills to make use of Internet technology. If the library distributes a particular model of hotspot, library staff will need to know how to use it, and will need to teach its use to patrons.

According to the PLA, more than one-third of public libraries (36.7 percent) “have dedicated staff for digital literacy and technology programs and training” and more than 88 percent of public libraries “offer some kind of formal or informal digital literacy programming” (Public Library Association, 2020, p. 2).

Rubin & Rubin (2020, p. 217) cited John B. Horrigan, circa 2013, suggesting “that LIS professionals focus less on the lack of access to broadband technology and more on increasing digital literacy and skills so people can be effective in using it.”

Additionally, our textbook cites a survey by Del Bosque and Lampert, circa 2009. The survey identified seven strategies for librarians to keep up-to-date with technology:

“Stay curious and explore new things. Keep up on reading (journals, news media, books, listservs). Use technology as a tool (blogs, wikis, RSS aggregators). Take online classes, workshops, and webinars. Attend conferences. Join committees and get involved in new initiatives. Participate in research and scholarship” (Austin & Austin, 2018, p. 329).

TOOLS: Fiber-optic connections seem to be the preferred technology for publicly-available Internet: the PLA report notes that “64.7% of all libraries report fiber optic connections” and that “Fiber optic technology uses light signals to send data, making it faster, more reliable, and generally more flexible for future upgrades” (2020, p. 5).

For hotspot borrowers, my local public library includes the following equipment in its bundles: “1 WiFi Hotspot device (Verizon Jetpack® MiFi® 8800L), 1 USB-C cord, 1 Wall outlet charger, 1 Case, 1 ‘SonomaFi’ Keychain Tag, Hotspot Instruction card (may be kept)” (Sonoma County Library, n.d.-b).

Halsted, Clifton, and Wilson advise that “Because power outages are common in a disaster,” they recommend that libraries “explore options for charging cell phones and other devices when there is no electricity and include any necessary equipment in the emergency supply kit. A high-speed Internet broadband card can also assist the flow of communication, particularly when individuals are geographically displaced because of the event” (2014, p. 72).

POLICIES: Regarding policies that might affect public usage of the Internet or hotspots, Sonoma County Library offers its hotspots on a first-come, first-served basis. Hotspots cannot be reserved, and they can only be checked out for 21 days without renewal (Sonoma County Library, n.d.). These restrictions help create a “level playing field” among potential borrowers.

Among library policies that govern the use of computers at Sonoma County Library, all library branches have separate workstations for children, identified as those “from preschool ages through grade six;” and adults, “those in seventh grade and above” (Sonoma County Library, n.d.-a). Access is based on having a library card and PIN, but guests can be issued a guest pass by showing a valid form of identification (ibid). Timing software on Internet workstations will limit users’ time to one hour (ibid).

The California Public Library has compiled various laws that affect the operation of libraries. Here are a couple of laws I found that relate to Internet services and distance-learning resources.

Under Section 18030.5: Every public library that receives state funds and provides access to the Internet needs to adopt a policy regarding access by minors to the Internet (CSL, n.d., p. 36).

Under Section 19989: Any remodeling or rehabilitation of public library facilities with grants through the California Public Library Construction and Renovation Fund “shall include any necessary upgrading of electrical and telecommunications systems to accommodate Internet and similar computer technology” (ibid, p. 59).

References:
Austin, R.J. & Austin, D. (2018). Technology in public libraries. In McCook, K. & Bossaller, J.S., Introduction to public librarianship (pp. 293-320). Neal-Schuman.

Bennett, M. (2023). A perfect storm: Libraries cope with combined tragedies of COVID-19, natural disasters. American Libraries 54(3/4), 30-31. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2023/03/01/a-perfect-storm/

California State Library. (n.d.) California library laws 2023. https://www.library.ca.gov/services/to-libraries/library-laws/

Halsted, D., Clifton, S., & Wilson, D.T. (2014). Library as safe haven: Disaster planning, response, and recovery. Neal-Schuman.

Institute of Museum and Library Services. (n.d.) Sonoma County Library. Library search & compare. https://www.imls.gov/search-compare

Jaeger, P. T., & Fleischmann, K. R. (2007). Public libraries, values, trust, and e-government. Information technology and Libraries, 26(4), 34-43. https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/ital/article/view/3268/2881

Parkhill, C.M. (2013, March 22). Ashland, Oregon: Library cards and a move-in date. Cynthia Parkhill. https://cynthiaparkhill.blogspot.com/2013/03/ashland-oregon-library-cards-and-move.html

Parkhill, C.M. (2017a, Oct. 20). During emergencies: Information is essential. Cynthia Parkhill. https://cynthiaparkhill.blogspot.com/2017/10/during-emergencies-information-is.html

Parkhill, C.M. (2017b, Dec. 3). Online access aided by public library. Cynthia Parkhill. https://cynthiaparkhill.blogspot.com/2017/12/online-access-aided-by-public-library.html

Public Library Association. (2020). 2020 Public library technology survey: Summary report. https://www.ala.org/pla/sites/ala.org.pla/files/content/data/PLA-2020-Technology-Survey-Summary-Report.pdf

Rubin, R. & Rubin, R. (2020). Foundations of library and information science (5th ed.). ALA Neal-Schuman.

Sonoma County Library. (n.d.-a) Public computer workstation procedures. Library policies. https://sonomalibrary.org/about/library-policies/public-computer-workstation-procedures

Sonoma County Library. (n.d.-b). SonomaFi - WiFi hotspots. https://sonomalibrary.org/sonomafi